Dana Thomas, MD

Dr. Dana Thomas is a highly accomplished physician-scientist, retired two-star admiral, and expert in occupational and aerospace medicine, medical epidemiology, and public health leadership, with 25 years of service spanning the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Public Health Service, U.S. Army, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She retired in 2024 as the Assistant Commandant for Health, Safety, and Work Life for the U.S. Coast Guard and as Assistant Surgeon General for the U.S. Public Health Service. In this role, she oversaw a network of 43 clinics and 126 bays, managed a $1 billion annual healthcare budget, and successfully implemented strategies that resulted in zero active duty COVID-19 deaths among Coast Guard personnel. Her leadership emphasized safety, just culture, workforce resilience, and innovative, evidence-based public health solutions.

Dr. Thomas’ career combines clinical expertise, translational science, and public health policy. She played critical roles in national and global health responses, including serving as Chief of Staff for the Puerto Rico Department of Health during the Zika epidemic and leading studies on the health impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Coast Guard responders. She completed the prestigious Epidemic Intelligence Service fellowship and has published extensively on infectious disease, environmental exposures, and occupational health. In addition to her research, she has taught at George Washington University and the Uniformed Services University, and now focuses on concierge forensic occupational medicine, providing independent medical evaluations, expert opinions, and guidance to individuals, employers, and legal professionals to prevent workplace illness and injury.

• 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.