Jonathan Woodson Confirmed by U.S. Senate as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs

Jonathan Woodson, MD, Associate Dean for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs and Professor of Surgery has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. Dr. Woodson will be the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense regarding health issues and oversee the entire U.S. military medical enterprise. This includes the services’ care of wounded and basic health care for close to 10 million active and retired service and family members through Tricare. He also will be responsible for setting medical health standards for enlistments and deployments, developing health and medical program policies, and overseeing the Uniformed Services University for Health Sciences.

Dr. Woodson has truly been a dedicated leader on this medical campus as a BUSM faculty member for more than 20 years and as the Associate Dean for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs for the last five years. He has been integral in significantly increasing the enrollment of underrepresented minorities at BUSM as director of the EMSSP Program and director of the Minority Student Summer Program. He has served on numerous committees both at the School and BMC, and chaired the BUMC Task Force on Diversity and Health Outcomes Disparities. He will be taking a leave of absence from BU while he is on government service.