William Winkenwerder, Jr.

William Winkenwerder, Jr. served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) beginning in October 2001, following nomination by President George W. Bush and confirmation by the U.S. Senate. [Galvin, Robert. 4 August 2005. “The Complex World of Military Medicine: A Conversation with William Winkenwerder.” Health Affairs. http://www.healthaffairs.org/ ] He left the Pentagon in mid-2007. [Garmone, Jim. 27 February 2007. “Head of DoD Health Affairs to Step Down.” http://www.army.mil/-news/2007/02/27/2000-head-of-dod-health-affairs-to-step-down/ ] He is currently Chairman of The Winkenwerder Company LLC, a health strategy and consulting firm, a Senior Advisor to Deloitte Consulting and the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, and a board member and advisor to several companies. [ Deloitte Consulting LLP. 6 August 2007. William Winkenwerder, Former Department of Defense Assistant Secretary, Joins Deloitte Consulting LLP. http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/press_release/0,1014,sid%253D2283%2526cid%253D164978,00.html]

At the DoD, Dr. Winkenwerder was the principal medical advisor to the Secretary of Defense and served as the leader of the Military Health System (MHS). With a $40 billion budget and over 130,000 personnel, the MHS cares for 9.2 million people through an extensive network (TRICARE) of private physicians and hospitals, and 70 military hospitals worldwide.

During his tenure, military medical personnel achieved significant advances in battlefield medicine, initiated new programs to address mental health, implemented a worldwide electronic health record system (AHLTA), and responded to numerous humanitarian crises. Dr. Winkenwerder also lead the decision to merge the Walter Reed Army and Bethesda Naval Medical Centers, served on the AHIC Commission charged by President Bush to develop a plan for electronic health records for all Americans, and was the Chairman of the 90 country International Committee of Military Medicine. [Williams, Rudi. 2 May 2006. “Walter Reed to Continue Legacy at New Location, General Says.” Base Realignment Closure 2005. http://www.belvoir.army.mil/brac.asp?id=brac-walterreed] He also announced a policy directive for the medical treatment of Guantanamo detainees in June 2006. [Wood, Sgt. Sara. 7 June 2007. “DoD Instruction Consolidates Detainee Medical Care Policy.” Defense Link News http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=16107]

Prior to serving at the Pentagon, Dr. Winkenwerder worked in the private sector for more than 15 years, and held senior positions at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Prudential Healthcare (now Aetna) and Emory University. A graduate of Davidson College and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, he is board certified in internal medicine and received an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Winkenwerder has been honored for his work by the American Medical Association, the University of North Carolina, the Wharton School and the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. He has appeared frequently in the national media and before Congress, and continues to speak to audiences through out America and internationally on health issues. [Washington Speakers Bureau, www.washingtonspeakers.com ]

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