Appointment of USPHS Company Commander at USU

TO: Officers of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service FROM: Acting Surgeon General SUBJECT: Appointment of U.S. Public Health Service Company Commander at the                 Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD

The Office of the Surgeon General is pleased to announce that the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), upon the recommendation of the Office of the Surgeon General, has appointed CAPT Mary Porvaznik to the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Company Commander position. CAPT Porvaznik, who earned her medical degree from USU in 1992, is a board certified family physician currently serving as the Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at the Indian Health Service’s Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, NM. Aside from her administrative duties in Shiprock, CAPT Porvaznik practices the full spectrum of family medicine including both inpatient and outpatient care for adults and children, as well for obstetrical patients, including high risk patients. As the USPHS Company Commander at USU, CAPT Porvaznik will command the USPHS students and be responsible for their professional development, welfare, morale, and readiness. In addition, she will supervise and manage all administrative aspects of the company which includes physical fitness testing, weight management, financial management, career development counseling, and drug and alcohol testing. She will also serve as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Military and Emergency Medicine which entails assisting in the instruction of basic field medical skills courses, combat medical skills courses, and public health emergency response courses and serve as an advisor to the Commandant on all matters pertaining to the professional development of USPHS student officers at the university. CAPT Porvaznik’s appointment to USU will begin just prior to the upcoming academic year. It will last for 3 years during which time she will report to the Office of the Surgeon General. Please welcome CAPT Porvaznik to her new position.

Sincerely, Kenneth P. Moritsugu, M.D., M.P.H. RADM, USPHS

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