Lushniak takes oath of office as assistant surgeon general of U.S. (10/01/06)

Lushniak takes oath of office as assistant surgeon general of U.S.

by George Matwyshyn

ROCKVILLE, Md. - During a flag officer promotion ceremony here at the headquarters of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 31, Rear Adm. Boris D. Lushniak was awarded his star and administered the oath of office as assistant surgeon general of the United States. He now becomes the highest-ranking active-duty Ukrainian American officer in the U.S. uniformed services.

Dr. Lushniak, who is a physician and holds a master's degree in public health, as promoted to the rank of assistant surgeon general and rear admiral by direction of the former surgeon general of the United States, Vice-Admiral Richard Carmona, back in April. Dr. Lushniak serves as Assistant Commissioner at the FDA and prior to this promotion was a captain in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS).

As Rear Adm. Lushniak's family and guests waited for the festivities to begin, the PHS Wind Ensemble entertained them with a delightful array of musical selections. Rear Adm. Steven K. Galson, director for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA, graciously welcomed all present and masterfully guided the capacity crowd of over 200 family, friends and co-workers through the afternoon program.

Following corps protocol, as Rear Adm. Kenneth Moritsugu, acting surgeon general, was introduced and entered the room, he was greeted by the ringing of six bells.

When Adm. John Agwunobi, assistant secretary for health, and Ambassador Oleh Shamshur, envoy to the U.S., entered the room, they were greeted with eight bells.

The ringing of the bells is the traditional naval and PHS greeting for officers and dignitaries when boarding a ship or entering a room during an official ceremony. The number of bells rung is dependent on the visitor's status.

When all were settled, the Surgeon General's Honor Guard presented and posted the colors and the PHS Commissioned Corps Ensemble sang a stirring rendition of the national anthem, the "PHS March," "God Bless America" and "America the Beautiful."

Adm. Agwunobi and Rear Adm. Moritsugu gave a detailed history of the Public Health Service, in which they adroitly clarified the service's position in the U.S. uniformed services and traced its origins to a system of marine hospitals created for sick and disabled seamen by the U.S. Congress in 1798. Presently, with the surgeon general at its helm, the corps has been assigned the duty of protecting, promoting and advancing the health and safety of the nation.

Personal remarks about the great moral character and leadership capabilities of the new rear admiral were given by Capt. Richard Driscoll of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, deputy commissioner of the FDA.

The invocation by family friend John Greaney Jr. (in English) and the Rev. Taras Lonchyna of the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Silver Spring, Md. (in Ukrainian) was followed by the Reading of the Orders that proclaimed Dr. Lushniak as assistant surgeon general with the rank of rear admiral.

The promotion ceremony was led by Rear Adm. Moritsugu, with Dr. Patricia Lushniak, and daughters Larissa and Stephanie assisting.

The oath of office was administered by Adm. Agwunobi, as the parents of the new rear admiral, Mykola and Olha Lushniak held a Ukrainian Bible upon which their son placed his hand as he took the oath.

The Bible used in the oath of office ceremony was the same Bible presented to Dr. Lushniak and his wife on their wedding day 15 years ago by the Orden Khrestonostsiv fraternity of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization.

All stood as Rear Adm. Lushniak's personal flag, denoting a one-star admiral, was presented and posted.

The audience attentively listened to Rear Adm. Lushniak's closing remarks. He thanked all present for participating in this joyous event in his life. He gratefully acknowledged the importance of the support from his parents, wife and children, family, superiors and friends. He reflected on the good fortune of his parents being allowed to emigrate to the United States, and of being born in a country where individuals from humble and poor beginnings can reach and achieve their aspirations.

Rear Adm. Lushniak was born and reared in Chicago. He was the youngest of three children of post-World War II immigrants from Ukraine. He graduated from St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral School, in what is now the Ukrainian Village Landmark District of Chicago. He was a parishioner of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral and was very active in the community, especially Plast.

He attended St. Ignatius College Prep and Northwestern University, from which he ultimately earned his medical degree. Dr. Lushniak also obtained a master's degree in public health from Harvard University.

He is board certified by the American Board of Family Practice, the American Board of Preventive Medicine (Occupational), and the American Board of Dermatology. Dr. Lushiak has developed expertise in counterterrorism activities, disaster response, medical epidemiology and occupational skin diseases.

Dr. Lushniak transferred to the FDA after a distinguished 16-year career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (CDC, NIOSH), where he rose to the position of senior medical officer, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies in Cincinnati.

Dr. Lushniak had been assigned to work on public health emergencies in Russia, Kosovo and Bangladesh. He has also volunteered in Ukraine numerous times, sharing his public health experience. He was part of the CDC/NIOSH response team to Ground Zero in New York City, the CDC anthrax team in Washington and a PHS team leader in the Hurricane Katrina response.

Dr. Lushniak has been recognized for his exemplary work with the PHS and has received numerous awards, including the Outstanding Service Medal, the Commendation Medal, two Achievements Medals, two Outstanding Unit Citations and eight Unit Commendations. He also won the Health and Human Services Secretary's Award for Heroism.

In March 2004 he joined the FDA as the chief medical officer, Office of Counterterrorism Policy and Planning in the Office of the FDA Commissioner. He was promoted to assistant commissioner in May 2005.

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