List of United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps four-star admirals

There have been 4 four-star admirals
Admiral (United States)
In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, admiral is a four-star flag officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below Fleet Admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health...

in the history of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. All four were directly commissioned

Direct commission officer

A direct commission officer is a uniformed officer who has received a commission without the typical prerequisites for achieving a commission, such as a four year service academy, a four year or two year college ROTC program, or one of the officer candidate school or officer training school...

into the regular corps. One

James O. Mason

James Ostermann Mason was the United States Assistant Secretary for Health from 1989 to 1993 and the Acting Surgeon General of the United States from 1989 to 1990. As the ASH he was also a former four-star admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps...

was already an officer in the regular corps and the other three were originally civilians

Civilian

A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...

who were appointed to the regular corps and to grade upon taking office.

List of admirals

The following lists of four-star admirals are sortable by last name, date of rank. The date listed is that of the officer's first promotion to admiral, and may differ from the officer's entry in the U.S. Public Health Service register. The year commissioned is taken to be the year the officer was directly commissioned which may precede the officer's actual date of commission by up to two years. Each entry lists the admiral's name, date of rank, active-duty position held while serving at four-star rank, number of years of active-duty service at four-star rank (Yrs), year commissioned and source of commission, number of years in commission when promoted to four-star rank (YC), and other biographical notes.

The list is sortable by last name, date of rank, number of years of active-duty service at four-star rank, year commissioned, and number of years in commission when promoted to four-star rank.

#	Name	Date of rank	Position	Yrs	Commission	YC	Notes
1	masonJames O. Mason James O. Mason James Ostermann Mason was the United States Assistant Secretary for Health from 1989 to 1993 and the Acting Surgeon General of the United States from 1989 to 1990. As the ASH he was also a former four-star admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps...	1989-10-0101 Oct 1983	Assistant Secretary for Health United States Assistant Secretary for Health The United States Assistant Secretary for Health serves as the Secretary of Health and Human Services's primary advisor on matters involving the nation's public health and, if serving as an active member in the regular corps, is the highest ranking uniformed officer in the Public Health Service... (ASH) 1989–1993.	4	1983 (direct Direct commission officer A direct commission officer is a uniformed officer who has received a commission without the typical prerequisites for achieving a commission, such as a four year service academy, a four year or two year college ROTC program, or one of the officer candidate school or officer training school... )	6
2	satcherDavid Satcher David Satcher David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D. FAAFP, FACPM, FACP is an American physician, and public health administrator. He was a four-star admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and served as the 10th Assistant Secretary for Health, and the 16th Surgeon General of the United...	1998-02-1313 Feb 1998	Assistant Secretary for Health United States Assistant Secretary for Health The United States Assistant Secretary for Health serves as the Secretary of Health and Human Services's primary advisor on matters involving the nation's public health and, if serving as an active member in the regular corps, is the highest ranking uniformed officer in the Public Health Service... /Surgeon General Surgeon General of the United States The Surgeon General of the United States is the operational head of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government... (ASH/SG) 1998–2001.	3	1998 (direct Direct commission officer A direct commission officer is a uniformed officer who has received a commission without the typical prerequisites for achieving a commission, such as a four year service academy, a four year or two year college ROTC program, or one of the officer candidate school or officer training school... )	0	Reverted down to a vice admiral Vice admiral (United States) In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, and the United States Maritime Service, vice admiral is a three-star flag officer, with the pay grade of... in 2001 after completing three years as ASH but remained as Surgeon General Surgeon General of the United States The Surgeon General of the United States is the operational head of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government... until 2002.
3	agwunobiJohn O. Agwunobi John O. Agwunobi John O. Agwunobi, MD, MBA, MPH served as the 12th Assistant Secretary for Health from December 17, 2005 to September 4, 2007. During his term as the ASH, he was a serving member of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a uniformed service, and held the rank of a four-star...	2005-12-1717 Dec 2005	Assistant Secretary for Health United States Assistant Secretary for Health The United States Assistant Secretary for Health serves as the Secretary of Health and Human Services's primary advisor on matters involving the nation's public health and, if serving as an active member in the regular corps, is the highest ranking uniformed officer in the Public Health Service... (ASH) 2005–2007.	2	2005 (direct Direct commission officer A direct commission officer is a uniformed officer who has received a commission without the typical prerequisites for achieving a commission, such as a four year service academy, a four year or two year college ROTC program, or one of the officer candidate school or officer training school... )	0
4	garciaJoxel García Joxel García Joxel García is a Puerto Rican physician and a former four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. He served as the thirteenth Assistant Secretary for Health , U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from March 13, 2008 to January 20, 2009...	2008-03-2828 Mar 2008	Assistant Secretary for Health United States Assistant Secretary for Health The United States Assistant Secretary for Health serves as the Secretary of Health and Human Services's primary advisor on matters involving the nation's public health and, if serving as an active member in the regular corps, is the highest ranking uniformed officer in the Public Health Service... (ASH) 2008–2009.	1	2008 (direct Direct commission officer A direct commission officer is a uniformed officer who has received a commission without the typical prerequisites for achieving a commission, such as a four year service academy, a four year or two year college ROTC program, or one of the officer candidate school or officer training school... )	0

List of admirals

See also