Distinguished Baylor Alum Appointed Interim Army Surgeon General
Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, director of media relations, (254) 710-6275
On March 12, Acting Secretary of the Army Pete Geren announced that Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, a Distinguished Alumna of Baylor University, has assumed duties as interim Army Surgeon General and Commanding General of Army Medical Command, following the retirement of Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley.
Gen. Pollock graduated from Baylor in 1986 with a master's degree in healthcare administration from the Army-Baylor graduate program at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. In 2006, the Baylor Alumni Association honored her with the Distinguished Alumni Award.
She was recognized that year along with fellow Baylor graduates Dr. William T. McKinney Jr., professor of psychiatry and director of the Asher Center for the Study and Treatment of Depressive Disorders at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago; Judge Priscilla Richman Owen, who serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans; and Gary Keller, co-founder and chairman of the board of Austin-based Keller Williams Realty Inc., the fourth-largest real estate franchise operation in North America.
According to an Army Public Affairs news release, Geren will convene a required advisory board to recommend a slate of candidates from among officers in the Army Medical Department for consideration as the next Surgeon General. The officer ultimately selected must be approved by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate.
"We must move quickly to fill this position - this leader will have a key role in moving the way forward in meeting the needs of our wounded warriors," Geren said. "We have an Army Action Plan underway under the leadership of the Vice Chief of Staff, Army, General Dick Cody, and the Surgeon General has a critical role in the execution of that plan. I am confident Maj. Gen. Pollock will ably lead the Army Medical Department during this transition period."
Maj. Gen. Gale S. Pollock became the U.S. Army Deputy Surgeon General in October 2006. In addition to her Baylor master's degree, she received a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Maryland. She attended the U.S. Army Nurse Anesthesia Program and is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). She received her master of business administration from Boston University, a master's in national security and strategy from the National Defense University, and an honorary doctorate of public service from the University of Maryland. She is also a Fellow in The American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).
Pollock's last position was Commanding General, Tripler Army Medical Center, Pacific Regional Medical Command, U.S. Army Pacific Surgeon; and Lead Agent, TRICARE Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii. Her military education includes the Department of Defense CAPSTONE Program; the Senior Service College at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces; the U.S. Air Force War College; the Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executives; the Military Health System CAPSTONE program; the Principles of Advanced Nurse Administrators; and the NATO Staff Officer Course.
Her past military assignments include Special Assistant to the Surgeon General for Information Management and Health Policy; Commander, Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Benning, Ga.; Commander, U.S. Army Medical Activity, Fort Drum, N.Y.; Staff Officer, Strategic Initiatives Command Group for the Army Surgeon General; Department of Defense Healthcare Advisor to the Congressional Commission on Service Members and Veterans Transition Assistance; Health Fitness Advisor at the National Defense University; Senior Policy Analyst in Health Affairs, DoD; and Chief, Anesthesia Nursing Service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
Pollock's awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with 2 oak leaf clusters), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (with 4 oak leaf clusters), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal. She earned the coveted Expert Field Medical Badge, and is proud to wear the Parachutist Badge. She received the Army Staff Identification Badge for her work at the Pentagon and earned the German Armed Forces Military Efficiency Badge "Leistungsabzeichen" in gold.