Dana Thomas, MD

Dr. Dana Thomas is a highly accomplished physician-scientist, retired two-star admiral, and distinguished leader in occupational and aerospace medicine, medical epidemiology, translational science, and public health. With more than 25 years of dedicated service across the U.S. Army, U.S. Public Health Service, U.S. Coast Guard, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she has devoted her career to protecting the health and well-being of service members, their families, healthcare professionals, civilian workforces, and the communities they serve. Her professional journey is defined by a deep passion for public service, a commitment to evidence-based medicine, and a determination to transform scientific knowledge into practical solutions that improve outcomes at scale.

After serving in the U.S. Army and U.S. Public Health Service beginning in 1998, Dr. Thomas rose to the rank of Rear Admiral and spent more than five years as an Assistant Surgeon General in the U.S. Public Health Service. She retired in 2024 as Assistant Commandant for Health, Safety, and Work Life for the U.S. Coast Guard and as Assistant Surgeon General. In these roles, she provided strategic oversight of a $1 billion annual healthcare and support-services budget serving more than 200,000 Coast Guard beneficiaries, while overseeing a network of 43 clinics and 126 bays. Her leadership included advancing healthcare policy, expanding behavioral health and non-clinical support, strengthening workforce resilience, and implementing strategies that contributed to zero active-duty COVID-19 deaths among Coast Guard personnel.

Dr. Thomas’ career has been shaped by her dedication to addressing complex public health challenges through clinical medicine, translational science, emergency response, and innovative policy. She served as Chief of Staff for the Puerto Rico Department of Health during the Zika epidemic and contributed to studies examining the health effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Coast Guard responders. As a graduate of the prestigious Epidemic Intelligence Service fellowship, she developed extensive expertise in medical epidemiology, infectious disease, environmental exposures, enhanced surveillance, operational public health, and human research compliance. Whether developing policies to protect disaster responders or creating strategies to mitigate global epidemics, her mission has remained consistent: move evidence into action, facilitate collaboration across diverse sectors, and build resilient systems that support people.

A passionate advocate for safe and healthy workplaces, Dr. Thomas emphasizes the importance of just culture, workforce wellness, and evidence-based innovation in addressing critical healthcare and infrastructure gaps. Her leadership philosophy centers on creating environments where individuals feel supported, protected, and empowered to perform at their best. She has also dedicated herself to education and mentorship, teaching at George Washington University and the Uniformed Services University and sharing her expertise with future healthcare professionals and public health leaders. Through research, teaching, policy development, and interdisciplinary collaboration, she continues to champion rigorous science, clear communication, and practical implementation as essential tools for meaningful healthcare improvement.

Today, Dr. Thomas continues her mission through concierge forensic occupational medicine, where she provides independent medical evaluations, expert opinions, and guidance to individuals, employers, and legal professionals. She brings together decades of clinical experience, scientific expertise, public health leadership, and a genuine commitment to service to help prevent workplace illness and injury and support better decision-making. She remains particularly interested in mission-driven organizations engaged in academic public health leadership, clinical decision support, and evidence synthesis, where science can be translated into meaningful action. Driven by an enduring passion for service and a dedication to improving the systems that support people, Dr. Thomas continues to use her expertise and leadership to advance healthier workplaces, stronger communities, and better health outcomes.

• George Washington University School of Medicine, MD - 1998
• George Washington University School of Public Health, MPH - 1998
• Naval Operational Medical Institute, Pensacola, Florida, Residency in Aerospace Medicine - 2003
• Centers for Disease Control, Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Fellowship - 2014
• Dartmouth College, Master of Healthcare Delivery Science (MHCDS) - 2024

• MD
• MPH
• MHCDS

• Retired as Two-Star Admiral
• Assistant Surgeon General
• U.S. Public Health Service
• Second most popular doctor in occupational medicine on Doximity

• Distinguished Fellow of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM)
• American Medical Association (AMA)
• Aerospace Medical Association

Dr. Thomas has approximately 30 publications to her name, including both first-authored and co-authored papers. Her research spans multiple areas of public health and occupational medicine. She has published extensively on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response, examining downstream health effects on Coast Guard members across cardiological, dermatological, neurological, endocrine, and reproductive health systems. During her time as Chief of Staff for the Puerto Rico Department of Health, she authored multiple papers on the Zika epidemic, including groundbreaking research that proved the association between Zika virus and Guillain-Barre syndrome. Her work during the Zika response focused on preventing unintended pregnancies and birth defects during the epidemic that affected Puerto Rico in 2016-2017. Her publications reflect her expertise in medical epidemiology, infectious disease, occupational health hazards, and public health systems.