Service: Minnesota Army National Guard (1992-2003). United States Army Reserve, Medical Corps (2003-2022).

Rank: Direct Commission, Captain (September 16, 1992). Rank Upon Retirement, Colonel (September 23, 2011).

MOS/Specialty: Career: 60N (Anesthesiology). At Retirement: 60A/60N (Operational Medicine)

Deployment/Assignments: Minnesota Army National Guard (1992 – 1997, 1997-2003). United States Army Reserve: B Company, 452nd Combat Support Hospital, Fort Snelling, MN (2003-2012). Deputy Commander, 4215 Hospital Support Unit, Richmond, VA (March 2012 – Sept 2013). Command Surgeon, 84th Training Command, Fort Knox, KY (Sept 2013 – February 2018). Anesthesiology Consultant to Army Surgeon General (April 2013-April 2018). 75th Combat Support Hospital, Chief of Anesthesia Services, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait (February 2018 – October 2018). Chief, Professional Services, 330th Medical Brigade, Fort Sheridan, IL (October 2018 – February 2019). Deputy Commander, 256th Combat Support Hospital, Twinsburg, OH (February 2019- September 2019). Commander, 806th Army Hospital Center, Twinsburg, OH (September 2019- September 2021).

Awards: Legion of Merit. Meritorious Service Medal. Army Commendation (2nd Award). Army Reserve Component. Achievement Medal (8th Award). National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star. Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal. Global War on Terror Medal. Army Service Ribbon with M Device. Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M device, 3, and 20-year Silver Hourglass. Overseas Training Ribbon. Minnesota Commendation Ribbon.

Bio: I entered military service in my Mayo Clinic Internship as a Captain in the Minnesota Army National Guard, then transferred into the United States Army Reserve when the United States declared war on Iraq in 2003. My initial assignment was with the 452nd Combat Support Hospital based at Fort Snelling, MN. Because of an eye condition, I was not allowed overseas deployments, but was able to mobilize to Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in 2005, 2007 and 2010. WRAMC received casualties from both Afghanistan, Iraq, and clandestine operations across the globe. Without question, providing care to battle-injured service members was the highlight of my professional career. During my 2007 mobilization, with the support of Mark Warner, M.D., I developed the Mayo Clinic Visiting Professor lecture series for the purpose of providing the WRAMC residents and faculty medical lectures at no expense. The monthly Mayo lectures provided quality educational sessions for the military medical personnel while providing Mayo faculty opportunities for Visiting Professorships. This program quickly expanded to other Department of Defense anesthesia training programs, including Brooke Army Medical Center and Portsmouth, VA Naval Station. Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins followed suit, providing similar educational sessions, but on a less regular basis. In the 2010 WRAMC mobilization, then USN Commander John Capacchione and I worked with the Hope for the Warriors foundation to sponsor a “Run for the Warriors” fundraiser to be held during the 2010 American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting. Hope for the Warriors works with the upper echelons of the United States Department of Defense to raise funds for combat-wounded Service Members and their families; providing home remodels to accommodate the injured SMs and/or provide education to the SM’s spouse for employment opportunities. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Board of Directors enthusiastically endorsed the plan for including the fundraiser into the Annual Meeting plans. The “Run for the Warriors” became part of the ASA Annual Meetings for the next decade. Several hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised for the Hope for the Warriors organization during ASA Annual Meetings. Upon promotion to Colonel, opportunities for contributing more than medical care became abundant. As Anesthesiology Consultant to the Army Surgeon General, I was intimately involved in managing the US Army Reserve anesthesiologist deployment schedules and recruiting anesthesiologists to the Medical Corps. I served on Promotion Boards and served as President of many disciplinary boards. As Command Surgeon in the 84th Training Command, I worked for and with remarkably talented officers, many of whom have promoted to Flag officers. These interactions prepared me for my role as Commander of the 806th Army Hospital Center beginning in 2019. In 2018, the US Army Reserve redesigned its concept of its medical assets.  The Combat Support Hospital (CSH) was transitioned into Army Hospital Centers (AHC). The AHC would now be made up of several components (e.g. ambulance companies, mental health units, field hospitals, medical equipment companies, surgical ICU, medical ICU) that could be used independently, as need exists, instead of mobilizing an entire CSH. I took Command of the 806th AHC, Twinsburg, OH, in September 2019, with its 12 units and 1000 service members located across Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.  Although challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, my Command Sergeant Major and I were able to establish and execute the capabilities of the AHC system, with a Forward Resuscitation Surgical Team deployed to Afghanistan, a major multinational military training event in Japan and a humanitarian mission in Honduras. By the time I completed my Command, the 806th AHC had grown to 15 components and 1200 personnel. Without question, Commanding the 806th AHC has been my single greatest professional success and resulted in my Legion of Merit Award.

Anesthesiology Department Association: Worked in the SMH Multispecialty Division, under the leadership of Toby Weingarten, M.D.