Vet News: Commission to Seek New VA Under Secretary for Health

WASHINGTON, May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi today announced the formation of a 10-member commission to recommend candidates for the post of Under Secretary for Health within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

"We are seeking a proven physician-leader with strong managerial and clinical skills, plus a firm commitment to Veterans," Principi said. "Our goal is to build upon our past successes to enhance the quality of care for our nation’s Veterans."

VA’s Under Secretary for Health directs nearly 200,000 full- and part-time employees -- including 132,000 direct care providers -- in one of the largest health care systems in the world. VA offers care at more than 1,300 sites nationwide to nearly 5 million Veterans.

Under a formula set by law, the search commission’s composition reflects interests in such areas as clinical care, research and education.

The position of Under Secretary for Health is a presidential appointment for a term of four years subject to Senate confirmation. Under federal law, the search commission must recommend at least three candidates. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs will forward the list to the President along with any comments by the Secretary.

The commission is expected to make its recommendations by the end of July.

Department of Veterans Affairs 2004 Under Secretary for Health Commission Membership

• Commission Chairperson: Gordon H. Mansfield, Deputy Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs
• Linda Burnes Bolton, Dr.PH, RN, FAAN, Chair, National Commission on VA Nursing, Los Angeles, Calif.
• William Ted Galey, M.D., former Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Integrated Service Network Director, Portland, Ore.
• David W. Gorman, Executive Director, Disabled American Veterans, Washington, D.C.
• Kenneth W. Kizer, M.D., M.P.H., former Under Secretary for Health, Washington, D.C.
• George E. Thibault, M.D., Chairman, Special Medical Advisory Group, Department of Veterans Affairs, Boston, Mass.
• David N. Tornberg, M.D., M.P.H., Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Clinical and Program Policy, Department of Defense, Falls Church, Va.
• Sister Patricia Vandenberg, CSC, Eastern U.S. Area Coordinator, Sisters of the Holy Cross, Silver Spring, Md.
• Robert E. Wallace, Executive Director, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Washington, D.C.
• Al Zamberlan, former Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Director and Medical Center Director, Ann Arbor, Mich.
• Commission Executive Secretary: Thomas J. Hogan, VA Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Resources

SOURCE U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs