Gale S. Pollock | |
|---|---|
 Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, RN, CRNA, BSN | |
| Born | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands | United States Army Medical Command Army Nurse Corps Tripler Army Medical Center Martin Army Community Hospital United States Army Medical Activity, Fort Drum |
| Awards | Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (3) |
Gale S. Pollock is a retiredUnited States Armymajor general who served as the DeputySurgeon General of the United States Army from October 2006 to March 2007, and also as chief of theArmy Nurse Corps. She became actingSurgeon General of the United States Army for nine months following the 20 March 2007 retirement of her predecessor,Kevin C. Kiley, due to fallout from theWalter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal.[2] She was the first woman and the first non-physician to hold the position.
Pollock served in the army for more than 30 years until her retirement in 2008. She is aCertified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.[3] She was a Fellow at Harvard'sAdvanced Leadership Initiative in 2011.[4]
Pollock received aBachelor of Science degree inNursing from theUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore. She attended the U.S. Army NurseAnesthesia Program and is aCertified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). She received herMaster of Business Administration fromBoston University, aMaster of Healthcare Administration fromBaylor University, aMaster of Science in National Security Strategy from theNational Defense University, and an honoraryDoctorate of Public Service from theUniversity of Maryland. She is also a Fellow at the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).
Pollock's military education includes theDepartment of DefenseCAPSTONE Program; the Senior Service College at theIndustrial College of the Armed Forces; theAir 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.
Pollock's last position was Chief, United States Army Nurse Corps and Commanding General ofTripler Army Medical Center of the Pacific Regional Medical Command. She was also Lead Agent of TRICARE Pacific inHonolulu, Hawaii.
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 theArmy Distinguished Service Medal,Legion of Merit (with 2oak leaf clusters), theDefense Meritorious Service Medal, theMeritorious Service Medal (with 4 oak leaf clusters), theJoint Service Commendation Medal, theArmy Commendation Medal, and theArmy Achievement Medal. She also earned theExpert Field Medical Badge, and theParachutist Badge. She received theArmy Staff Identification Badge for her work atthe Pentagon and earned theGerman Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency (Leistungsabzeichen) in gold.
In 2007, anABC News piece and a story byThe Nation journalist Joshua Kors questioned Pollock's involvement in a brewing scandal involvingpersonality disorder discharges from the military.[5] Pollock released a memo claiming that her office had conducted a careful review of a series of personality disorder discharges fromFort Carson, Colorado, a review Kors alleged to be a sham.[5] According to Kors' piece, the Office of the Army Surgeon General had not interacted directly with discharged soldiers, instead relying on the Army officials who made the original diagnoses to confirm their confidence in their diagnoses.[5] Kors article stated that the Surgeon General's office then closed the review, without seeking information from more objective sources, leading to criticism of Pollock by theIraq War Veterans Organization[6][7] andVeterans for America[6]
In the2024 United States presidential election, Pollock endorsedKamala Harris.[8]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Surgeon General of the United States Army (Acting) March 12, 2007 – December 11, 2007 | Succeeded by |