Captain John D. Gibbins
Chief Veterinary Officer, U.S. Public Health Service
CAPT John Gibbins became the 11th Chief Veterinary Officer for the United States Public Health Service on March 01, 2016. CAPT Gibbins is responsible for providing leadership and coordination of USPHS veterinary affairs for the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General and the Department of Health and Human Services. He provides guidance and advice to the Surgeon General and the Veterinary Professional Advisory Committee on issues such as recruitment and retention, career development, and readiness. He works with other USPHS Categories on issues and opportunities of mutual interest and advocates for Category veterinarians with other professional veterinary organizations and our sister Uniformed Services.
CAPT Gibbins also currently serves as a Team Leader and Veterinary Epidemiologist in the Hazard Evaluations and Technical Assistance Branch at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition to his supervisory responsibilities, CAPT Gibbins evaluates workplaces throughout the United States to assess and control potential work-related health hazards. These health hazard evaluations are done at the request of employees, employers, or labor unions and are done at no cost to the participants or workplace. CAPT Gibbins specific areas of interest include zoonotic disease prevention and occupational hazards in veterinary medicine and industries where employees work with animals.
CAPT John Gibbins earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from The Ohio State University in 1992. After working in mixed animal and emergency clinical medicine for nearly six years, he served for over nine years as a Public Health Officer/Flight Commander and Infectious Disease Analyst in the United States Air Force. While an Air Force officer, he served in Operation ENDURING FREEDOM in support of the Global War on Terrorism in 2001–2002.
CAPT Gibbins completed his board certification by the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine in 2002 and his Master’s of Public Health Degree at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland in 2003. In 2006, CAPT Gibbins transferred to the U.S. Public Health Service and completed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Fellowship in 2008.
CAPT Gibbins has been very active in Veterinary Category activities. He served six years as a voting member on the Veterinary Professional Advisory Committee (VPAC) and was VPAC Chair in 2011. He served as Chair on both the Website and Readiness Subcommittees, and has been involved in numerous working groups. His USPHS deployment experience includes Operation Pacific Partnership aboard the USNS Mercy in 2008, the U.S. government response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, and Liberia as part of the Ebola response in 2014. He was instrumental in establishing a Health, Safety, and Security Officer position to protect the health and safety of responders.
CAPT Gibbins has been awarded numerous commissioned officer awards such as the U.S. Public Health Service Commendation Medal, Global Health Campaign Medal, and Hazardous Duty and Foreign Service Medals. He was also awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Meritorious Service and Commendation Medals, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service and Expeditionary Medals while serving in the Air Force. CAPT Gibbins lives with his wife Elvina and three daughters in Loveland, Ohio.
