Under her direction, Force Health Protection and Readiness Policy and Programs proactively initiates policies and programs that address deployment-related health threats to the welfare of U.S. Service members and their families, as well as integrating medical lessons learned from previous conflicts into current policy, doctrine and practice. This dynamic process involves all components of the military health care system, emphasizing the relationship between military medicine and the fighting forces it supports. The health care policies and programs overseen or developed under Ms. Embrey’s direction have ensured the health care needs were met for more than 1.4 million Service members who have deployed to Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom since 2001, as well as providing comprehensive deployment health information to their families.

In February 2004, Ms. Embrey was given a special temporary assignment when she was appointed Director of the DoD Task Force on Care for Victims of Sexual Assaults. For six months, the task force reviewed how the Defense Department handled the treatment and care for victims of sexual assault, with particular attention to the special issues in a combat theater. Its recommendations led to the establishment of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, a single point of accountability for addressing sexual assault matters.

Before coming to Health Affairs, Ms. Embrey held a variety of senior and executive level positions in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (OASD/RA) from 1987-2002, where she worked to ensure that the reserve components of the U.S. Armed Forces, which make up more than half of the U.S. military, were adequately trained, equipped and ready to serve when required. She performed the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs during the transition to the new administration (2001-2002), was the Chief of Staff (2000-2001) and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Assistance to Civil Authorities (1998-2001), and held senior staff and management positions relating to Reserve Component program analysis and oversight, fiscal and budget oversight, legislative and intergovernmental relations, and information and resource management.