Judith Steinberg Dean - Biography

Judith Steinberg Dean, M.D., (born May 9, 1953) is a physician from Burlington, Vermont. She is the wife of Howard Dean, the Democratic former Governor of Vermont and past chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Steinberg Dean was the First Lady of Vermont from 1991 until 2003.

Judith Steinberg grew up on Long Island in the town of Roslyn outside New York City, and graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor's degree and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine with a Doctor of Medicine. It was at the latter university that she met fellow student Howard Dean.

After completing a fellowship in hematology at McGill University in Montreal, Steinberg moved to Burlington, Vermont, with Dean in order to set up their joint medical practice. They were married in 1981. She kept her maiden name "Dr. Steinberg" while in her practice to differentiate herself from her husband.

As her husband served in the Vermont House of Representatives, and as Lieutenant Governor and Governor, she remained working full-time in her practice. She did not campaign with her husband in his quest for the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 until after he lost the Iowa caucuses.

The Deans have two children, Paul and Anne, both of whom have been raised in the Jewish faith.