When you join the Commissioned Corps, you become a part of a dedicated team of professionals who work to improve the health of individuals, communities, and the Nation.
Meet some pharmacy officers from the Commissioned Corps.
Commander Dana Lee Hall
Pharmacist, Department of Health and Human Services/Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response
Coordinating emergency response…
A truly effective medical response to a natural or manmade disaster requires a coordinated effort in which communities, States, tribes, and Federal agencies work in partnership. CDR Dana Lee Hall, a pharmacist in the Commissioned Corps, is dedicated to ensuring such an organized response to any calamity or disaster. She serves as the regional emergency coordinator for Region VII for the assistant secretary of preparedness and response, which includes Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. CDR Hall and her team help State, Tribal, and local authorities in the region deal with the medical impact of any major disaster. This includes conducting rapid needs assessments during emergency operations, providing materials needed for medical response, and serving on emergency response teams. She believes that her service in the Corps has given her far more opportunities than a regular job. “The Corps has enabled me to become a leader. Being a pharmacist, serving my country, and being a part of the Corps have given me great pride,” says CDR Hall.
Commander Elizabeth Girard
Pharmacist, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Ensuring the safety of imported goods.
CDR Elizabeth Girard is an experienced clinical pharmacist who has helped a vast number of people with their medical needs. For 9 years she served as a clinical pharmacist for the Indian Health Service, where her involvement made a difference to numerous patient lives. Today she works at the FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs to ensure that consumer goods imported to the United States are safe and meet Federal standards. CDR Girard takes pride in protecting the American public and in being a part of the Commissioned Corps.
Captain Gary D. Baker
Pharmacist, Indian Health Service
Serving in the wilds of Alaska.
CAPT Gary Baker works with the Indian Health Service and is based in Ketchikan, AK. Every day he works to improve the lives of the more than 5,000 American Indians and Alaskan Natives served by the health center. Not only does CAPT Baker work as part of the patient's clinical management team, he also operates an anticoagulation clinic, and has even helped in emergency medical crisis situations. CAPT Baker is very proud of the Commissioned Corps response to national disasters.
Lieutenant Commander Connie Jung
Pharmacist, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Responding to the 2005 hurricanes.
LCDR Connie Jung is "proud to be a part of a special group of clinicians and researchers who are strongly dedicated to promoting the public health." This dedication was clearly evident when LCDR Jung was deployed to Baton Rouge, LA, following the 2005 hurricanes. Within hours of arriving in Louisiana, LCDR Jung set up a fully functioning pharmacy to support the emergency needs of patients affected by the storms. Today, LCDR Jung works with the FDA as a regulatory review officer and is stationed in Rockville, MD.
Captain Robert J. Tosatto
Director of the Medical Reserve Corps Program, Office of the Surgeon General
Redirecting former Soviet bioweapons scientists.
Captain Robert J. Tosatto is a trained pharmacist with a master's degree in public health and business. His unique career has involved leading a bioweapons nonproliferation program in one of the world's poorest regions. His work as the director of the Office of Eurasia in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Global Health Affairs helped prevent thousands of deaths from tuberculosis, food-borne illnesses, and other infectious diseases. It also was instrumental in redirecting the expertise of former Soviet bioweapons scientists towards peaceful outcomes. Today he is the director of the Medical Reserve Corps, which plays an important role in local public health. "The Corps provides many career opportunities and allows you to have an impact on the health of the Nation," says CAPT Tosatto.
Lieutenant Commander Sean Belouin
Pharmacist, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Removing dangerous drugs from the market.
LCDR Sean Belouin's work as a pharmacist in the Commissioned Corps affects millions of Federal workers—he currently serves on a drug testing team at SAMHSA that is involved in regulating all of the labs that test employees of the Federal Government for substance abuse. Previously in his Commissioned Corps career, LCDR Belouin served at the FDA as part of a project that uncovered fraudulent dietary supplements and removed them from the market, where they posed a significant threat to public health. "There is so much fluidity to move around and do different things in the Commissioned Corps," says LCDR Belouin. "You truly are in control of your own career destiny."
If you are a pharmacy student or pharmacist interested in the Commissioned Corps, take the next step! E-mail us your questions, call us at 800-279-1605, or apply online now.