Chief Professional Officer

RADM Epifanio Elizondo

RADM Epifanio Elizondo

I am proud to serve as Chief Professional Officer for the Health Services Category. I currently serve as Regional Health Administrator (RHA) in Region VI (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana) where I oversee the regional offices of Women's Health, Minority Health, Population Affairs, Medical Reserve Corps, and the HIV/AIDS Policy Program.

Educationally, I hold bachelor degrees from the University of Washington and Wichita State University. My graduate education includes masters’ degrees in Health Care Administration and Physician Assistant Studies (Internal Medicine) from Wichita State University and the University of Nebraska, respectively. At Kansas State University I earned a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Adult Occupational and Continuing Education with a minor in Health Care Delivery Systems.

I have more than 30 years experience in clinical medicine, health education, and public health. Within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) I’ve had the privilege of serving as the Regional Minority Health Consultant, Deputy Regional Health Administrator, and Regional Health Administrator. With the Federal Bureau of Prisons I served as Chief Physician Assistant in Washington D.C., Assistant Health Services Administrator, and as a clinician. Prior to cross-service transferring to the Commissioned Corps I served as a Navy Hospital Corpsman, Army Warrant Officer, Army Medical Service Corps Officer, and Air Force Biomedical Sciences Corps Officer.

My tenure in the Corps has been nothing short of great and much more rewarding than I could have imagined. During Hurricane Katrina, and Rita I was granted an opportunity to serve as the Deputy SERT Commander in Austin, Texas and as the SERT Commander in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. And as if that wasn’t enough good fortune for a career, I was afforded a most appreciated opportunity to serve as the first commander of Rapid Deployment Force Team 4.

Now, I have been entrusted with this great opportunity to serve as your Chief Health Services Officer. I am humbled to have been appointed as a CPO and look forward to working with not only one of the largest categories in the Corps, but also the most professionally diverse. I enter this assignment as I entered all the others, appreciating the past, but looking forward to the future. Working together we will move the category forward and take it to new heights in the future.

Onward and Upward!!!