Newswise — Bethesda, MD – Retired Rear Adm. (Dr.) Boris D. Lushniak, former Deputy Surgeon General of the United States, will join the faculty of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, “America’s Medical School,” effective in November 2015. Lushniak was selected as the school’s Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics department chair and succeeds retired chair Dr. Gerald Quinnan in the position.

“I am delighted that Dr. Lushniak will be our next chair of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics,” said Dr. Arthur Kellermann, dean of the Hébert School of Medicine. “This is a happy day for USU. Equally important it bodes well for the future of preventive medicine and public health in the United States and worldwide.”

As chair of Preventive Medicine, Lushniak will lead one of the largest departments within the School of Medicine with more than 60 full-time faculty members supporting 10 programs and divisions responsible for enhancing health through medical education, research, and service that support and improve programs of preventive medicine, community health, and health promotion in the uniformed services. He will oversee medical student education programs in preventive medicine and public health, occupational and environmental health, health administration and policy, global health and social and behavioral sciences, and eight accredited graduate degree programs in various aspects of public health. Additionally, he will oversee accredited residency programs in two preventive medicine specialty areas and specialized training programs in tropical medicine in conjunction with the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, as well as a robust research program that includes the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program.

Lushniak served as Deputy Surgeon General from November 2010 to September 2015, where he helped the country’s top physician articulate the best available scientific information to the public regarding ways to improve personal health and the health of the nation. He assisted in overseeing the operations of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, comprised of approximately 6,700 uniformed health officers who serve in locations around the world.

Lushniak was acting U.S. Surgeon General of the United States from July 17, 2013 to December 18, 2014. During that time, he released The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2014 and the first-ever Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer. Most recently, he commanded the USPHS Monrovia Medical Unit in Liberia, the only U.S. government hospital providing care to Ebola patients, from January to March 2015.

He is a graduate of the six-year Honors Program in Medical Education at Northwestern University. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Sciences in 1981 and obtained his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1983. In 1984, Lushniak received a Master of Public Health degree at Harvard University. He completed a residency in family medicine in 1987 at St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago and a residency in dermatology at the University of Cincinnati in 1993. He was commissioned in the USPHS as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer at the CDC's National institute for Occupational Safety and Health in 1988 where he was trained in preventive (occupational) medicine. Lushniak maintains board certifications in dermatology and preventive (occupational) medicine. He served as a staff physician in dermatology at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and prior to this appointment, was an adjunct professor at USU.

About the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences:

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), founded by an act of Congress in 1972, is the academic heart of the Military Health System. USU students are primarily active duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who receive specialized education in tropical and infectious diseases, TBI and PTSD, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, global health, and acute trauma care. A large percentage of the university’s more than 5,300 physician and 800 advanced practice nursing alumni are supporting operations around the world, offering their leadership and expertise. USU also has graduate programs in biomedical sciences and public health committed to excellence in research, and in oral biology. The University's research program covers a wide range of clinical and basic science important to both the military and public health. For more information, visit www.usuhs.edu.