Newswise — Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, announced the appointments of Dr. Ronald Blanck, Dr. Haile Debas, Dr. Michael Johns, Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu and Dr. Gail Wilensky, to serve as members of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) Board of Regents, Sept. 12, 2008.
Charles L. Rice, M.D., USU President, thanked the Secretary of Defense and extended the university's welcome to its five new Board members.
"I am deeply gratified by the appointment of these new members to the university's Board of Regents," Dr. Rice said. "Each brings a wealth of experience in academic medicine and all have an extraordinary commitment to public service. I look forward to working with them and benefiting from their advice and guidance."
Two of the new appointments are replacing Regents whose terms have expired. The departing members, Mr. Everett Alvarez, Jr. and Ms. Linda Stierle, were appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
"We are grateful to Mr. Alvarez and Ms. Stierle for their years of dedicated service to the university," Dr. Rice said. "Their guidance and wise counsel have seen the university evolve to its current position as a world leader in military and public health medicine. They have been a key force in helping shape the university and guiding it in establishing a flourishing Graduate School of Nursing."
"The new members of the Board have significant and varied experience in academic medicine, government and public service and will play critical roles in guiding the university and the Department of Defense in the next era of military and public health medicine," said Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. "Their advice to the university will be especially critical as the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is stood up on the Bethesda campus and as USU plays an increasingly important role in academic medicine and biomedical research as each relates to the needs and aspirations of the uniformed services." Dr. Ronald Blanck, appointed as Chair of the BoardDr. Blanck currently serves as Vice Chairman and partner of Martin, Blanck & Associates. Previously, Dr. Blanck served as President of the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth from 2000 to 2006 and remains a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. He was Surgeon General of the Army from 1996 to 2000. Dr. Blanck received his BS from Juniata College (1963) and a DO from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (1967). He completed his internship at the Lancaster Osteopathic Hospital and his residency in internal medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Dr. Haile DebasDr. Debas is the Executive Director of Global Health Sciences at the University of California-San Francisco. He is also the Maurice Galante Distinguished Professor of Surgery and holds hospital appointments at the University of California Medical Center and the Mount Zion Medical Center. Dr. Debas was Dean of the UCSF Medical School and Interim Chancellor. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine. Dr. Debas received his BSc in Biology from Addis Ababa University College (1958) and an MD from McGill University (1963).
Dr. Michael JohnsDr. Johns is the Chancellor of Emory University, a position he has held since 2007. Previously, Dr. Johns served Emory University as Chief Executive Officer of the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, Chairman of the Board of Emory Healthcare, and Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology. He was Dean of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine. He received his BS in Biology from Wayne State University (1964) and an MD from the University of Michigan Medical School (with distinction, 1969).
Dr. Kenneth MoritsuguDr. Moritsugu is currently Vice President, Global Strategic Affairs for LifeScan Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, and Chairman, Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute. Prior to his current position, Dr. Moritsugu was the Acting Surgeon General of the United States from July 2006 to his retirement from the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service in September 2007 after 37 years of active duty. He received his BA in Classical Languages from the University of Hawaii (with honors, 1967) and his MD from George Washington University (1971). Additionally, Dr. Moritsugu holds a MPH in Health Administration from the University of California-Berkeley (1975).
Dr. Gail WilenskyDr. Wilensky is an economist, and a Senior Fellow at Project HOPE, an international health education foundation. She is a Commissioner on the WHO's Commission on the Social Determinants of health, co-chaired the recently completed Department of Defense task force on the Future of Military Health Care, is the Vice Chair of the Maryland Health Care Commission and serves as a trustee of the Combined Benefits Fund of the United Mineworkers of America and the National Opinion Research Center. She is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine. Dr. Wilensky was recently appointed to the Defense Health Board, advising the Department of Defense on health matters. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan.
The Uniformed Services University is located on the grounds of Bethesda's National Naval Medical Center and across from the National Institutes of Health. It is the nation's federal school of medicine and graduate school of nursing. The university educates health care professionals dedicated to career service in the Department of Defense and the U.S. Public Health Service. Students are active-duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who are being educated to deal with wartime casualties, national disasters, emerging infectious diseases, and other public health emergencies. Of the university's more than 4,200 physician alumni, the vast majority serve on active duty and are supporting operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, offering their leadership and expertise.
To read the biographies of the USU Board of Regents, visit http://www.usuhs.mil/bor/members.html.
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