In the past three years, the number of U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers detailed to the department of Defense has grown dramatically due in part to the expansion of psychological health initiatives at military treatment facilities and installations in the U.S. and abroad.
“We have psychological health social workers, mental health nurses, physicians, physicians’ assistants and traumatic brain injury support personnel, working alongside uniformed and civilian staff in Army, Navy and Air Force installations across the country and also a few stationed overseas,” Cmdr. Sophia Russell, the USPHS Commissioned Corps Liaison Officer for the defense health headquarters and TRICARE Management Activity, says. She adds that a number of PHS officers are assigned to headquarters to work with programs that support the larger military health system mission.
Overall, Russell says some 270 PHS officers are detailed to DoD. To better connect them and their supervisors with a central source of information, a new Web page has been launched.
“The page focuses on the information that PHS officers need during their time serving at DoD/TMA, as well as a place they and their supervisors can go to ask questions and exchange ideas,” Russell explains.
In addition to messages from PHS leaders, the Web page features resources and personnel policies. Officers and their supervisors can find out about awards programs, leave status, promotions and mentoring programs. Russell says the information is also a good way to educate others about services PHS is providing at DoD.
“We want physicians, officers and other uniformed service personnel, including anyone supervising or who is requesting a public health service officer for a program, or just someone who wants to learn more about what public health officers are doing at DoD, to visit our Web page and check out the information.”
The U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, is overseen by the U.S. Surgeon General and includes more than 6,500 public health professionals who fill public health leadership and clinical service roles at federal government agencies.

Visit the Public Health Service Web page.