Forrest Faison III
Vice Admiral Forrest Faison is a native of Norfolk, Virginia and Cleveland, Ohio, receiving his baccalaureate degree from Wake Forest University. Faison earned his doctorate degree in medicine and surgery from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He completed post-graduate training in general pediatrics at Naval Hospital San Diego and fellowship training in neurodevelopmental pediatrics at the University of Washington. Faison served as the 38th Surgeon General of the Navy from 2015 to 2019. As Surgeon General (CEO), he was responsible for all medical care to the Navy, Marine Corps, and eligible beneficiaries, leading a global team of 63,000 caring for 2.6 million patients in 128 worldwide medical centers, hospitals, clinics, and two 1000 bed hospital ships with an annual operating budget of $9.6 billion and a global medical research enterprise with an annual research portfolio of $3.0 billion. He also led a global medical education enterprise of over 140 graduate education programs training over 1000 physicians per year as well as over 5,000 nurses, paraprofessionals, and medical technicians.
Faison also served as Deputy Surgeon General (COO) from 2013-2015 and as Commander (CEO), Navy Medicine West and Naval Medical Center San Diego where he was responsible for medical care and support to over 850,000 eligible beneficiaries by a staff of 16,000 at 10 hospitals and over 30 clinics from the West Coast to the Indian Ocean. He coordinated Navy’s medical support to the Government of Japan in response to the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami. He served as deputy chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, for Current and Future Healthcare Operations; commanding officer Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton; commanding officer, U.S. Expeditionary Medical Facility; and U.S. Medical Task Force, Kuwait. In that role, Faison led a tri-service task force of subordinate commands and was responsible for all combat support and healthcare operations in Kuwait, Qatar, and Southern Iraq, including all medical logistics support throughout U.S. Central Command. Faison’s other assignments include Director of Department of Defense Telemedicine and Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Navy Medicine.
Faison is board certified and an associate clinical professor in pediatrics and a distinguished professor of military medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He has several publications on neurodevelopmental outcomes of premature infants as well as other publications and book chapters on the topics of the future of Wounded Warrior, use of telemedicine and health informatics in healthcare, and implementing value-based care. He is a senior member of the American Association for Physician Leadership and guest lecturer at the Harvard Business School as well as a member of the teaching faculty for the Masters in Health Care Leadership program at Wake Forest University. He is currently the Senior Vice President and Provost, Northeast Ohio Medical University.
He previously served as the Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation and Chief of Health Strategy at Cleveland State University. Cleveland State University is a large internationally renowned public urban research university with an enrollment of 17,000. Faison led and created programs that assist underserved urban minority students pursuing healthcare careers and also led a regional initiative for Cleveland to improve urban health and disease management in the city and region as a national model. He also led the university’s pandemic response and served as a medical advisor to the Mayor of Cleveland for city pandemic response and planning for reopening. He was also appointed to lead pandemic response coordination and planning for all public universities and colleges in the state of Ohio.
In addition to numerous unit and campaign awards, Faison’s personal awards include the Navy Distinguished Service Medal (three awards), Legion of Merit (six awards); Meritorious Service Medal (three awards); Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal; and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. For an innovative partnership with San Diego county to improve chronic illness care coordination, he was awarded the California Medical Community’s Lighthouse Award for visionary leadership and inspiring health innovation, a first for the Department of Defense. Additionally, the Government of Japan awarded him the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Commendation Medal for his support and collaboration in medical education and research and for his service during the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami.