Who Is David Shulkin's Wife? New Details On Merle Bari
She's a dermatologist.
getty Earlier this year, the president dismissed David Shulkin, the undersecretary for health at the Department of Veterans Affairs from his position. Shulkin held the position since 2015, where he served in the Obama administration. And though we aren’t sure if it’s just Trump’s efforts to remove any and all Obama-era implementations, Shulkin was the only holdover appointment from the previous presidency.
Trump announced that Ronny Jackson, physician to the President, would replace Shulkin, though the nomination was withdrawn after allegations arose of misconduct and mismanagement while serving in the White House. Shulkin was ultimately replaced by Robert Wilkie, the previous Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
Shulkin has said that there was mounting political pressure from the Trump administration to “dismantle VA healthcare and send veterans to the private sector.” He warned in a New York Times piece that “privatization is a political issue aimed at rewarding select people and companies with profits, even if it undermines care for veterans.” Multiple political aides advocated for Shulkin’s removal after an effort to coerce him to support privatization didn’t go as planned.
Prior to serving for two years in the White House, Shulkin was president of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, held numerous physician leadership roles, and was chief medical officer for the University of Pennsylvania Health System, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University Hospital, and the Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital. He was also chairman of medicine and vice dean at the Drexel University School of Medicine. In addition, he’s an entrepreneur and founded DoctorQuality, “one of the first consumer-oriented sources of information for quality and safety in health care.”
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But what do we know about his personal life? We’re especially curious about his family and spouse. So, just who is David Shulkin’s wife? Here are four small details to know about Merle Bari.
1. They met in school.
After he earned his Doctor of Medicine from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, he interned at Yale. He was also a resident at the University of Pittsburgh, where he met Merle!
2. She’s a dermatologist.
Merle has been in practice for over 20 years and currently works in Gladwyne, PA.
3. They have two kids.
The couple are parents to two children: Daniel and Jennifer.
4. She traveled quite a bit on the taxpayers’ dime.
Last year, Shulkin and his wife traveled using taxpayer-funded airfare when they went on a 10-day trip and “improperly accepted” Wimbledon tickets. The VA inspector general found that they misused these resources. The chief of staff even doctored an email to make it look like Shulkin was receiving an award during the trip in order to get approval for the flights. He has expressed regret and plans to reimbursed the government.
Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.