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Dr. Jonathan Woodson becomes DOD's senior health official

  • Published
Washington --  Dr. Jonathan Woodson took the oath of office today to become the next Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs and Director, TRICARE Management Activity. Dr. Woodson was nominated by President Obama in April 2010 and recently confirmed by the United States Senate.

As Assistant Secretary, Dr. Woodson will administer the more than $50 billion Military Health System (MHS) budget and serve as principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense for health issues, ensuring the effective execution of the Department of Defense (DoD) medical mission. He will oversee the development of medical policies, analyses, and recommendations to the Secretary of Defense and the Undersecretary for Personnel and Readiness, and issue guidance to DoD components on medical matters. He will also serve as the principal advisor to the Undersecretary for Personnel and Readiness on matters of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) medical defense programs and deployment matters pertaining to force health.

In addition, as Assistant Secretary, he will co-chair the Armed Services Biomedical Research Evaluation and Management Committee, which facilitates oversight of DoD biomedical research. He will also exercise authority, direction, and control over the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS); the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI); the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE); the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology; and the Armed Services Blood Program Office.

As Director, TRICARE Management Activity, Dr. Woodson will be responsible for managing all TRICARE health and medical resources, and supervising and administering TRICARE medical and dental programs, which serve more than 9.6 million beneficiaries. Dr. Woodson will also oversee the TRICARE budget; information technology systems; contracting process; and direct TRICARE Regional Offices (TRO). In addition, he will manage the Defense Health Program (DHP) and the DoD Unified Medical Program.

Prior to his appointment, Dr. Woodson served as Associate Dean for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs and Professor of Surgery at the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), and senior attending vascular surgeon at Boston Medical Center (BMC). Dr. Woodson holds the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Army Reserve, and served as Assistant Surgeon General for Reserve Affairs, Force Structure and Mobilization in the Office of the Surgeon General, and as Deputy Commander of the Army Reserve Medical Command.

Dr. Woodson is a graduate of the City College of New York and the New York University School of Medicine. He received his postgraduate medical education at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and completed residency training in internal medicine, and general and vascular surgery. He is board certified in internal medicine, general surgery, vascular surgery and critical care surgery. He also holds a Master's Degree in Strategic Studies (concentration in strategic leadership) from the U.S. Army War College.

In 1992, he was awarded a research fellowship at the Association of American Medical Colleges Health Services Research Institute. He has authored/coauthored a number of publications and book chapters on vascular trauma and outcomes in vascular limb salvage surgery.

His prior military assignments include deployments to Saudi Arabia(Operation Desert Storm), Kosovo, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has also served as a Senior Trauma Medical Officer with the National Disaster Management System, where he responded to the September 11th attack in New York City. Dr. Woodson's military award and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal (with oak leaf cluster).

In 2007, he was named one of the top Vascular Surgeons in Boston and in 2008 was listed as one of the Top Surgeons in the U.S. He is the recipient of the 2009 Gold Humanism in Medicine Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges.