president
jonathan woodson, md, mss, facs
The late Congressman F. Edward Hébert, whose vision it was to establish Uniformed Services University, said that when he passed away, what he wanted to be remembered for -- more than any other aspect of his political career – was this university. Mr. Hébert can be proud of his legacy and USU’s outstanding contributions to the Department of Defense and to the Nation.
Ask anyone on campus why they are here and you’ll get the same answers: because they believe in the mission, because they want to be a part of something bigger, and because they want to serve our nation’s military members, retirees, and their families. At USU, we understand that it is our sacred responsibility to care for those who defend us. We owe them all our very best.
"AT USU, WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS OUR SACRED RESPONSIBILITY TO CARE FOR THOSE WHO DEFEND US."
USU is an exceptional institution, distinctive in our mission of graduating individuals who have learned to care for those in harm’s way, whether that is through patient care, research, health policy, or health professions education. Our learning environment encourages our students to sharpen the values that will shape their lifelong contributions to their fellow man and they leave USU with the knowledge and skills they need to be immediately successful in their careers.
Our faculty, staff, and alumni have made remarkable achievements that advance military medicine around the globe. Their extraordinary efforts have saved lives in our military treatment facilities, VA hospitals, forward-deployed locations, and throughout the world.
We continue to make strides to advance military readiness. Our field training exercises are a model for the nation and for our international partners and our dive medicine, wilderness medicine, and cold weather medicine operational readiness training continues to draw praise from top military leadership.
We are very proud of what we have done in our short history and of the many ways our students and alumni are making the world a better place.
Jonathan Woodson, MD, MSS, FACS
President
President's Vision
RESEARCH & SCHOLARSHIP
Our research has resulted in 744 life-saving patents, including a therapy to help prevent a serious lung disease in children, vaccines for the prevention of pneumococcal and meningococcal diseases, diagnostic tests for the presence of Shigatoxin, and a treatment for Nipah and Hendra virus infections, given to Australia and India for compassionate use to save lives. We’ve developed hemostatic bandages, radiation countermeasures, an antibody for the diagnosis of prostate cancer, and vaccines for the prevention of recurrence of breast cancer.
LEADERSHIP & SERVICE
We educate health care leaders – it’s our core mission. We are leaders in American medical education in preparing and developing officers, with leadership development integrated across all years of the curriculum. Our faculty development program reaches 1700+ learners throughout the Military Health System, supporting the growth and development of MHS leaders and faculty carrying out the mission nationally and internationally.