BOSTON — Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell has announced the appointment of Rachel Kaprielian as Region I Director of HHS. The HHS Region I office is based in Boston and works with officials in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

“Rachel’s work in state and local policy will surely be an asset to our Region I office,” Secretary Burwell said. “We look forward to Rachel joining her fellow Regional Directors as they continue their work delivering impact in communities around the country.”

As a regional director, Kaprielian will serve as a key representative of HHS in working with federal, state, local and tribal officials on health and social service issues, such as the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Kaprielian has spent a significant part of her professional life as a senior level public official from Massachusetts. Her leadership in health policy has been recognized in multiple disciplines, notably in prevention measures such as tobacco cessation and education, early intervention and care for children, electronic health care records management and numerous human services initiatives, as well as job training and services for the disabled, home and rehabilitative care and wellness measures.