The 27th Annual 

Food and Drug Administration

Promotion Ceremony

for the 

United States Public Health Service 

Commissioned Corps

Friday, September 22, 2023

1:00 P.M. EDT

FDA White Oak Campus

Great Room Auditorium

10903 New Hampshire Avenue

Silver Spring, Maryland
Arrival of the 2023 USPHS Promotees 

Arrival of the Official Party 

Presentation of the Colors and the National Anthem

USPHS Surgeon General’s Honor Guard 

USPHS Music Ensemble 

Public Health Service March

USPHS Music Ensemble

Introduction

 RDML Sean Boyd

Director, Office of Regulatory Programs

LT Jazmin Reed (Adjutant)

Science Policy Analyst, Center for Tobacco Products

Welcome/Opening Remarks

Janet Woodcock, M.D.

Principal Deputy Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration

RADM Denise Hinton

Deputy Surgeon General

Call to Orders/Promotion and Recognition of Officers

RDML Richardae Araojo

Associate Commissioner for Minority Health 

RDML Emil Wang

Chief Engineer Officer, U.S. Public Health Service

LT Jazmin Reed

Closing Remarks

RDML Emil Wang

* Exceptional Proficiency Promotion

To Captain:

Beer, Catherine (ORA) Health Services

Coburn, James* (OC) Engineer

Deconti, Selena (CDER) Pharmacist

Degarmo, Stacey (CDER) Pharmacist

Egelebo, Christopher (CBER) Nurse

Munoz, Monica* (CDER) Pharmacist

Noe-Varga, Michelle (CTP) Dietitian

Patel, Hiren (CDER) Pharmacist

Rodriguez, Michelle (OC) Scientist

To Commander:

Ahima, Ohenewaa (CDER) Medical

Andrada, Frances (CDER) Nurse

Argaw, Melka (ORA) Health Services

Bandukwala, Abbas (CDER) Engineer

Corser, Christine (CDER) Pharmacist

Daniel, Nicholas (CDER) Pharmacist

Deshields, Lysette (CDER) Pharmacist

Dhanormchitphong, Pariban (CDER) Pharmacist

Diria, Khadar (CBER) Health Services

Ellis, Patricia (CDRH) Dietitian

Eng, David (CDER) Pharmacist

Felix, Andrew (ORA) Health Services

Foss, David (CDER) Pharmacist

Galvez, Steven (ORA) Environmental Health

Garner, Kimberly (CDER) Environmental Health

Gould, Catherine (CDER) Pharmacist

Hull, Kimberly (ORA) Environmental Health

Imam, Malik (CDER) Pharmacist

Ireland, James (ORA) Pharmacist

Jangchup, Tenzin (ORA) Pharmacist

Janusziewicz, Ashlee (OC) Pharmacist

Kanakri, Muhammad (CTP) Pharmacist

Kim, Elizabeth (CDER) Nurse

Lee, Daniel (CDER) Pharmacist

Lwin, Eithu (CDER) Pharmacist

2023 Promotions
To Commander (continued):

Macklin, Yvette (CDER) Nurse

Mathew, Shiny (CDER) Scientist

Ogbonna, Casmir* (CDER) Pharmacist

Ogoegbunam, Ogochukwu (CDRH) Pharmacist

Ogonowski, Pamela (ORA) Health Services

Oleszczuk, Zachary (CDER) Pharmacist

Onserio, Timothy (CDER) Nurse

Page, June (CDER) Pharmacist

Peter, Thomas (ORA) Engineer

Reyes, Melissa (CDER) Medical

Richardson, Diane (OC) Health Services

Ruvalcaba, Rogelio (CDER) Dietitian

Simpson, James* (CDRH) Engineer

Singh, Doan (CDER) Pharmacist

Smith, Candrea (CTP) Nurse

Thor, Shannon (OC) Pharmacist

Tollon, Michael (ORA) Engineer

Tran, Quynh Anh (ORA) Pharmacist

Valles, Karla (CDER) Pharmacist

Vehovic, David (CDER) Pharmacist

Voqui, Jessica (CDER) Pharmacist

Wilkinson, Kelli (ORA) Environmental Health

Witkovskie, Christian (ORA) Environmental Health

Wong, Rebecca (CDER) Pharmacist

Yung, Stacy (CDER) Nurse

To Lieutenant Commander:

Abouraya, Mahmoud (CVM) Veterinarian

Antwi, Lewis (ORA) Environmental Health

Blaise, Yvesna (ORA) Engineer

Brown, Steven (ORA) Nurse

Chen, Shanly (CDER) Pharmacist

Chon, David (ORA) Health Services

Edwards, Alexandra (CBER) Pharmacist

Ejike-King, Lacreisha (CTP) Scientist

Ferry, Jason (ORA) Environmental Health

Gadson, Christy (ORA) Nurse

Garcia, Christie (OC) Nurse

* Exceptional Proficiency Promotion

To Lieutenant Commander (continued):

Hammel, Charley (CDER) Nurse

Heinze, Eric (ORA) Nurse

Ishaq, Zohaib (ORA) Health Services

Jaiyeola, Olubunmi (CDER) Pharmacist

Jayasekara, Pushpa (ORA) Scientist

Johnson, Michelle (ORA) Scientist

Kang, Jueichuan (CTP) Scientist 

Katherine, Drew (ORA) Engineer

Kim, Colleen (ORA) Pharmacist

Lee, Morgan (OC) Engineer

Lim, Nora (CDER) Pharmacist

Lumbu-Kinard, Karen (CBER) Environmental Health

Mathis, Phillip (ORA) Environmental Health

Oyewole, Rachel (CDER) Pharmacist

Parra, Christian (ORA) Engineer

Samson, Marsha (CDER) Scientist

Sile, Inel (ORA) Nurse

Simmons, Warren (CDER) Pharmacist

Simpson, Jerome (ORA) Health Services

Simpson, Khadija (ORA) Health Services

Song, Eugene (ORA) Health Services

Strait, Tristian (ORA) Environmental Health

Tack, Colin (ORA) Engineer

Tian, Geng (CDER) Engineer

Todd, Andrew (ORA) Environmental Health

Wapniak, Rachel (ORA) Dietitian

Wondimu, Tekalign (ORA) Pharmacist

Woodard, Lauren (CDRH) Scientist

Wrona, Patricia (ORA) Environmental Health

Xu, Kerui (CTP) Scientist

Zenebe, Helina (CDER) Pharmacist

To Lieutenant:

Toms, Seneca (ORA) Environmental Health

Vasquez, Alyssa (ORA) Health Services

* Exceptional Proficiency Promotion
Chair: CAPT Bradley Cunningham

Co-Chair: LCDR Evelyn Hong

CAPT (Ret.) Randy Anderson

CAPT Blakeley Fitzpatrick

CAPT Jamila Mwidau

CAPT Michael Smith 

CAPT Van Tran

CDR Margaret Caulk

CDR Courtney Drevo

CDR Steven Galvez 

CDR Renee Humbert

CDR Brook Kerns

CDR Nasser Mahmud

CDR Cesar Perez

CDR Jonas Santiago 

CDR David Schwab 

CDR Tiffany Taliaferro

LCDR Jennifer Adams 

LCDR Amina Bashir

LCDR Surjit Basi 

LCDR Chelsea Bostic 

LCDR Louis Corbin

LCDR Mavis Darkwah 

LCDR Alexa Deptola 

LCDR Alesha Harris

LCDR Michelle Johnson 

LCDR Mark Larson 

LCDR Oliver Ou

LCDR Phillip Williams 

LCDR Stacy Yung 

LT David Chon 

LT Jazmin Reed

LT Lillian Smith

2023 Promotion Ceremony 

Planning Committee

Source: https://www.usphs.gov/

History

Today - The USPHS Commissioned 

Corps continues to fulfill its mission 

to protect, promote and advance our 

nation’s health and safety under the 

leadership of the Assistant Secretary of 

Health and the U.S. Surgeon General.

2008 - The Department of Defense and 

the Department of Health and Human 

Services establishes the DoD-USPHS 

Partnership for Psychological Health, 

enabling USPHS Commissioned Corps 

officers to provide behavioral health 

services to military members and 

their families.

2005 - More than 2,400 officers provide 

disaster relief to the Gulf Region amidst 

Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.

1986 - Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett 

Koop writes “Understanding AIDS,” a 

USPHS Commissioned Corps brochure 

that is sent to all 107 million households 

in the U.S., the largest public health 

mailing ever at the time. 

1964 - Surgeon General Dr. Luther 

Terry releases a landmark report on 

smoking-related lung cancer and 

bronchitis, the first report detailing 

the connection between tobacco and 

chronic disease. 

1944 - The U.S. Public Health 

Service Act of 1944 broadens USPHS 

Commissioned Corps’ scope and 

paves the way for nurses, scientists, 

dietitians, physical therapists and 

sanitarians to join. By 1945, the USPHS 

Commissioned Corps quadruples its 

numbers from 625 to nearly 3,000. 

1902 - Congress broadens the reach 

of the USPHS Commissioned Corps. 

In addition to their disease prevention 

duties, officers are now authorized to 

research human diseases, water sanitation, 

water supplies and sewage disposal. 

1889 - Congress establishes the 

United States Public Health Service 

Commissioned Corps within the 

Marine Hospital Service, organizing 

officers along military lines with titles 

and pay corresponding to Army and 

Navy grades.

1878 - The Marine Hospital Service plays 

a pivotal role in thwarting the spread of 

global epidemic diseases like smallpox 

and yellow fever in the United States.

1871 - John Maynard Woodworth, 

the first supervising surgeon, adopts 

a military model for his medical staff, 

assigning a cadre of mobile, uniformed 

physicians to various marine hospitals.

1870 - The Marine Hospital Service 

centralizes hospital administration 

under the leadership of the supervising 

surgeon, a role that is known today as 

the surgeon general. 

1801 - The network expands as more 

marine hospitals are established in 

the major port cities from Boston to 

New Orleans.

1798 - John Adams signs into law the 

Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled 

Seamen, which triggers the creation 

of the marine hospitals along major 

American waterways.
Special thanks to the families, friends, and 

colleagues of our newly promoted officers. 

Without your unwavering support, we would 

not be here today celebrating one of the most 

significant events in an officer’s career.

The Public Health Service March

The mission of our Service

is known the world around,

In research and in treatment 

no equal can be found.

In the silent war against disease 

no truce is ever seen,

We serve on the land, air and the sea 

for humanity,

The Public Health Service team!

 Copyright, 1978

 George King III