Amy Acton

Pediatrics in New York and a Public Health Degree at Ohio State

Acton trained as a pediatrician. She did her internship and residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and at Nationwide Children's Hospital and Ohio State in Columbus, then completed a second residency in preventive medicine at Ohio State. She earned a master of public health there in 1996.

Most of her career before government was in Columbus. She directed Project L.O.V.E., a partnership between a hospital and community groups on children's health, and created the first residency rotation in child advocacy, according to the profile published by the Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association. She taught at Ohio State on and off for 17 years, including as a full-time assistant professor of practice from 2012 to 2016, and won an Excellence in Teaching Award for 2014-15. Immediately before joining the state she was a community research and grants management officer at the Columbus Foundation.

Director of the Ohio Department of Health, February 2019

Governor Mike DeWine named Acton director of the Ohio Department of Health on February 26, 2019. She was the first woman to hold the job. At the time she lived in Bexley, a Columbus suburb, with her husband, Eric.

A year later the post put her at the center of Ohio's response to COVID-19. She stood next to DeWine at the daily briefings, and the Ohio State award citation said her explanations of medical concepts "cut through confusion." She used the health director's emergency powers to halt the state's 2020 presidential primary, to close gyms and fitness centers for a time, and to impose stay-at-home orders, the Associated Press reported.

Stepping Down on June 11, 2020

The response made her a target. The AP described "a grueling period of public exposure, angry demonstrations, lawsuits and personal attacks." On June 11, 2020, DeWine announced that she was leaving the director's job to become his chief health advisor. Lance Himes, the department's general counsel, became interim director.

"My focus - the need to protect Ohioans and save lives - was so intense, especially during those first days," Acton said as she moved into the advisor role. She held it for about two more months and left state government in August 2020.

She went back to the Columbus Foundation, where the AP gives her title as vice president for its Human:Kind work and Ohio State describes her as director of Kind Columbus. After about six months she left to explore a run for the U.S. Senate in 2022. She did not enter that race, which JD Vance won. She later directed Project L.O.V.E.'s early childhood vaccination program in Columbus. Her awards from the period include the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation's Profile in COVID Courage Award.

The Campaign Launched January 7, 2025

In August 2024 Acton said she was weighing a run for governor. "Obviously, I'm not a politician. I used to joke that I'm the Ted Lasso of politics," she said then. On January 7, 2025 she filed paperwork and entered the race as a Democrat.

"We know that I'm a doctor. I'm not a politician," she told the AP that day. "But I am a leader, and I tend to think of myself as more of a public servant and a problem solver." She named a health number as her reason: "It's not OK with me that Ohioans don't live as long as people do in other states."

She ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on May 5, 2026, with David Pepper as her running mate. On the same night Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech founder and 2024 presidential candidate, won the Republican nomination. When the AP called his race he had more than 86 percent of the vote against Casey Putsch.

Sixty-Two Cents and 121 Investments

The financial disclosures that both nominees filed with the Ohio Ethics Commission in April 2026 showed how far apart they were. Ramaswamy reported more than $1.1 million in dividends and capital gains for 2025. Acton reported 62 cents of interest from a checking account, and no other income, Signal Ohio reported.

Her filing lists one business, Dr. Amy Acton, LLC, and 121 investments each worth at least $1,000, among them an S&P 500 index fund and shares of Apple, Cisco, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase, PepsiCo and UnitedHealth Group. Her husband, a teacher, is the family's only current source of income. Ohio's forms list sources of income and holdings without amounts, so no net worth can be computed from them, and this article does not give one.

The Canfield Fair, September 6, 2026

On September 6, 2026, a man pushed through the crowd at the Democratic Party tent at the Canfield Fair near Youngstown while Acton was greeting voters. Authorities said he was carrying two handguns and brass knuckles, drew no weapon, and knocked over several bystanders before Ohio State Highway Patrol security stopped him. He was charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of assault. Acton and her husband were not hurt, her campaign told Newsweek. Ramaswamy's campaign called the incident "completely unacceptable."

The race was close at that point. The RealClearPolling average had Acton ahead by 0.3 points as of September 7, and Newsweek counted nine independent polls since February with the lead changing hands several times. Acton had raised more money in 2026, about $11.5 million to Ramaswamy's $9.6 million, while he held $26.8 million in cash to her $8.1 million, helped by a $25 million loan to his own campaign. The election is on November 3, 2026.

Sources

• 2020 Alumni Medalist | Alumni Association
• Ohio Dept. of Health to be led by NEOMED grad | NEOMED
• Dr. Amy Acton steps down as director of the Ohio Department of Health
• Dr. Amy Acton, who helped lead Ohio's early pandemic response, is weighing 2026 run for governor
• Dr. Amy Acton, who helped lead Ohio's early pandemic response, joins 2026 governor's race
• Amy Acton - for Ohio Governor | Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association
• Democratic candidate Amy Acton wins primary election
• Amy Acton's Chances of Beating Ramaswamy in Ohio After Primary Win-Polls - Newsweek
• One Ohio governor candidate made more than $1.1 million last year. The other made 62 cents.
• Amy Acton's chance of beating Ramaswamy after alleged attempted attack - Newsweek