Dr. Jack Smith is the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Clinical and Program Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, providing medical information, policy formulation, program oversight, advice and consultation to senior Defense officials, Congress and other government agencies. He is also the Acting Chief Medical Officer for the TRICARE Management Activity. His responsibilities cover a broad range of health policy issues and oversight of clinical programs for the Military Health System, which serves 9.5 million beneficiaries around the globe. Current active issues in which Dr. Smith is providing leadership and guidance include care of wounded warriors, the disability evaluation system, centers of excellence, patient safety, quality improvement, the electronic health record, healthy lifestyles, psychological health, and the patient-centered medical home to name just a few.
Dr. Smith is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Medicine and holds a Master of Medical Management degree from Tulane University. He served a full career in the U.S. Navy and has been a Civil Servant since 2005. During his Navy career, he served as Commanding Officer of Naval Hospital, Yokosuka, Japan. Among his operational assignments were service as Senior Medical Officer of Battleship Missouri and as Group Surgeon for Second Force Service Support Group, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic. Other career highlights include participation in a humanitarian relief mission in Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia, and Haitian and Cuban migrant operations in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he served as the Joint Task Force Surgeon for Operation Sea Signal. More recently, he supported medical sector reconstruction projects in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Dr. Smith is a Board Certified Family Physician, a Certified Physician Executive and Fellow of the American College of Physician Executives and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
He and his wife, Sharon, have two sons, a daughter-in-law, and four very lively grandchildren.
