AANP Fellow Rear Admiral Susan Orsega appointed as Acting U.S. Surgeon General!

AUSTIN, TEXAS — The American Association or Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) applauds the appointment of Rear Admiral Susan Orsega, MSN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, to the position of Acting U.S. Surgeon General. Orsega, a nurse practitioner (NP) and AANP Fellow, has served as the Director of Commissioned Corps Headquarters (CCHQ) at the Office of the Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services since March 2019. In her current role, she directs the personnel, operations, deployment and policy for 6,100 members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, as well as the development of the Reserve Corps. She is responsible for CCHQ’s operations in the COVID-19 deployment of officers.

“Rear Admiral Orsega is a longtime champion of public health whose visionary leadership has strengthened health care equity and access for our nation,” said AANP President Sophia L. Thomas, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PPCNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP. “Her experience and training as an NP, combined with her unrivaled expertise in both public health and disaster response, are exactly what our nation needs to navigate our country’s current health care challenges. We wish to extend our sincere and heartfelt congratulations to Rear Admiral Orsega. We are honored that an AANP Fellow will serve in this capacity and look forward to working with her as we combat COVID-19 and meet the health care needs of all Americans.”