Ralph Alvarado

Ralph Alvarado
15th Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 16, 2023
GovernorBill Lee
Preceded byMorgan McDonald (acting)
Member of the Kentucky Senate
from the 28th district
In office
January 1, 2015 – January 6, 2023
Preceded byR. J. Palmer
Succeeded byGreg Elkins
Personal details
Born (1970-04-30) April 30, 1970 (age 54)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationLoma Linda University (BS, MD)

Ralph A. Alvarado (born April 30, 1970) is an American physician and politician and is currently serving as the 15th Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health. He served as a member of the Kentucky Senate representing the 28th District from 2015 to 2023.[1] Upon taking office, he became the first Hispanic person elected to the Kentucky General Assembly. His father is from Costa Rica and his mother is from Argentina.[2] He assumed office on January 1, 2015, serving until January 6, 2023, when he would resign to accept the role of commissioner.

Alvarado was born in San Francisco, California and raised in Pacifica and San Jose, California. He graduated from Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose in 1988.[3][4] He graduated from Loma Linda University in California in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and completed an MD from the same university in 1994.[5] He completed his residency at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center.[6]

He spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention.[7][8]

He sponsored a 2017 medical malpractice bill that was later struck down by the Kentucky Supreme Court for obstructing access to the courts.[9]

Alvarado was chosen by Governor Matt Bevin to be his running mate in the 2019 Kentucky gubernatorial election.[10] The Bevin-Alvarado ticket lost the general election on November 5, 2019, to the Democratic ticket of Andy Beshear and Jacqueline Coleman.

On November 22, 2022, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced that he had appointed Alvarado commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health.[11] Alvarado would resign from the Kentucky Senate on January 6, 2023, and become the 15th Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health on January 16, 2023.[12] A special election was held on May 16, 2023, to fill the 28th Senate District vacancy created by Alvarado's resignation. Republican candidate Greg Elkins defeated Democratic candidate Robert Sainte and Independent candidate Richard Henderson.

  1. ^ "Ralph Alvarado". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  2. ^ Adam Beam (April 29, 2014). "After losses, Kentucky Sen. Alvarado rises quickly in GOP". The Washington Times. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  3. ^ "Ralph Alvarado, M.D., Citizen Legislator". Kentucky Doc. July 30, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  4. ^ "Sen. Ralph Alvarado (R-KY)". National Patient Advocate Foundation. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  5. ^ Sen. Ralph Alvarado (R-KY 28th District). Autism Action Network. Accessed 2016-07-20.
  6. ^ "Senator Ralph Alvarado (R)". Kentucky Legislature. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  7. ^ Troyan, Mary (20 July 2016). "Alvarado says GOP, Hispanics share same values". courier-journal.com. The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  8. ^ "Ralph Alvarado addresses Hispanic voters in Spanish at GOP convention". The Washington Post. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  9. ^ "Who's Bevin's new running mate? 5 things to know about Ralph Alvarado". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  10. ^ "Bevin dumps Hampton, announces Ralph Alvarado as his lieutenant governor running mate". Lexington Herald Leader. January 25, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  11. ^ "Gov. Lee Names Dr. Ralph Alvarado Commissioner for TN Department of Health". Governor of Tennessee. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Alvarado sworn in as health commissioner in Tennessee". www.winchestersun.com. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.