RADM Scott Giberson was selected by Surgeon General Regina Benjamin as the Chief Professional Officer for the Pharmacy category effective 16 March 2010. As Chief Pharmacy Officer, RADM Giberson leads the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (Corps) pharmacy professional affairs, and advises the Office of the Surgeon General and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the recruitment, assignment, deployment, retention, and career development of Corps pharmacists. In addition, he provides expertise for the Indian Health Service (IHS) in the area of HIV/AIDS as its National HIV/AIDS Program Principal Consultant. These positions allow him to directly affect the Nation’s health within clinical and public health issues to improve patient care across the Nation.

RADM Giberson began his Corps career in 1994 and has served in roles as a Clinical Pharmacist, Chief Pharmacist, Senior Public Health Advisor, Senior Medical Program Officer, Acting Division Director, and Principal Consultant. Currently, he serves the IHS as the National HIV/AIDS Program Principal Consultant. RADM Giberson maintains dual licensure as a Pharmacist and Pharmacist Clinician and has been a privileged member of an IHS Family Practice Medical staff as a pharmacist for more than 12 years.

RADM Giberson’s career began with the IHS as a student in Crownpoint, New Mexico. After joining the Corps, he served the next 9 years as a clinical pharmacist in 3 different IHS sites progressing to Chief Pharmacist at Fond du Lac Tribal health clinic in northern Minnesota. He developed multiple pharmacist-run disease management clinics, increasing access to primary care services for American Indian and Alaska Native clients. He was a founding member of the IHS National Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Program in 1997. For 5 of those years, he also served as faculty at the IHS Clinical Pharmacy Practice Training Program teaching clinical and counseling skills to pharmacists. He has served as adjunct faculty and preceptor for multiple schools of pharmacy.

Diversity explains much of RADM Giberson’s career. In 2001, RADM Giberson responded to the Anthrax attacks on the United States in New York City and was later chosen by his peers as the Coordinator for both the National Nurse and National Pharmacy Response Teams to prepare for similar events under the newly formed Department of Homeland Security. As the Coordinator, he helped orchestrate and expand 40 Federal response teams to more than 400 volunteers across a 2-year span.

In 2003, RADM Giberson was detailed from the HHS Office of Global Health Affairs to the Department of Defense’s Center of Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (COE) for 3 years. In this capacity, he demonstrated the diversity of his category and the Corps by serving in leadership roles on various international health deployments for the U.S. Pacific Command. He also had medical lead roles within an HIV/AIDS military training program in Thailand involving public health professionals from more than 23 countries. His bilateral country work included Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and Thailand. He presented on HIV/AIDS topics to Honorable members of Parliament in Papua New Guinea, implemented HIV medical programs with the Vietnamese Army for U.S. Pacific Command/COE, and traveled extensively working with Asian-Pacific militaries, the U.S. State Department, and others on HIV/AIDS, global health, and humanitarian response.

Following his work in the Pacific, RADM Giberson transitioned back to the IHS as the Principal Consultant for their National HIV/AIDS Program. He has expanded the national program and built the infrastructure and network to increase HIV testing and sustain new HIV services. He maintains currency in advanced practice pharmacy and continues as a National Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (NCPS) Pharmacy Practitioner and licensed Pharmacist Clinician.

RADM Giberson is a recognized leader and advocate for advancing the scope of pharmacy practice. More recently, in 2009, he was the primary author on a report from the former Chief Pharmacy Officer, RADM Robert Pittman, to the Acting Surgeon General on Advanced Pharmacy Practice.

RADM Giberson has authored multiple articles on public health and pharmacy topics and spoken at many venues domestically and internationally. He has served as a consultant to the U.S. Marine Corps Command Staff and College during their Capstone exercise on global health. In 2007, RADM Giberson was also selected to attend the 8-day GlaxoSmithKline Executive Management Program for Pharmacy Leaders, a program taught by the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

RADM Giberson has been a Regular Corps officer since 2002, and has received numerous awards including an Outstanding Service Medal, Special Assignment and Foreign Duty ribbons, the IHS Junior Pharmacist of the Year, the USPHS Allen Brands Clinical Pharmacist of the Year, and a Department of Defense Meritorious Service Medal for his work abroad as a USPHS officer. RADM Giberson’s memberships in professional organizations include the Commissioned Officers Association, Reserve Officers Association, and the American Pharmacists Association.

RADM Giberson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy from Temple University, a Masters Degree in Public Health from the University of Massachusetts, and a graduate certificate in Health Emergencies in Large Populations, which is a graduate-level program developed by the International Committee of the Red Cross.