WASHINGTON – Dr. Michael J. Kussman was recently appointed Deputy Under Secretary for Health, the second highest job within the health care system of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“Dr. Kussman is a leader of enormous talent and ability,” said Dr. Jonathan Perlin, VA’s Under Secretary for Health. “He has devoted his career to advancing the health of America‘s heroes. We’re fortunate to have him in this critical position.”
Kussman has been Acting Deputy Under Secretary since April 2004. Previously within VA, he served as Chief Officer of Patient Care Services.
In his new post, Kussman will play a key leadership role in a system that cares for 5.1 million veterans yearly.
With a health care budget of about $30 billion, 196,000 health care professionals and 1,300 sites of care, VA is the largest integrated health care system in the country. It is also the largest provider of graduate school medical education and a major contributor to medical research.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside outstanding VA employees who, each day, carry forward the mission of service to the men and women who bravely served in our military,” Kussman said.
Before joining VA, Kussman was the commander of the Army’s Walter Reed Health Care System. A retired Army brigadier general, he also commanded the European Regional Medical Command, where he was responsible for Army health care throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
A graduate of the Army War College and an honors graduate of the Command and General Staff College, Kussman also holds the Distinguished Service Medal, the nation’s highest peacetime award, along with other military decorations.
A native of Troy, N.Y., Kussman earned a bachelor’s degree and a medical degree from Boston University, and a master’s degree in management from Salve Regina University.
He is board-certified in internal medicine and serves on the faculty of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences.
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