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Rear Admiral (RADM) Michael R. Milner, a physician assistant, is the Regional Health Administrator (RHA) for Region I (Boston). RADM Milner was appointed to the position of RHA on 15 August 2003 by the Assistant Secretary of Health (ASH) and is the principal Federal public health official and senior US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officer for Region I. He is responsible for the six New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. His regional portfolio includes, under the direction of the ASH, the Offices of Women's Health, Minority Health, Family Planning (Title X), the HIV/AIDS Regional Resource Network and the Medical Reserve Corps initiative sponsored by OSG. Additionally, he works closely with the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response to provide regional leadership for emergency planning, preparedness and response to all-hazards public health emergencies. As of April 1, 2007, RADM Milner was appointed to serve as one of five national Pandemic Influenza Senior Federal Health Officials by the Assistant Secretary. He is currently the only Physician Assistant with this designation.

RADM Milner previously served in the Boston Regional Division of the Health Resources and Services Administration as the Regional Director of the National Health Service Corps. This Federal program provides healthcare personnel to underserved communities through scholarships and loan repayment programs.

Prior to coming to the New England area, RADM Milner worked with the Indian Health Service (IHS) in Phoenix, Arizona. He served as the Chief Physician Assistant Consultant to the Director of IHS from 1991 to 2001. In this capacity, he worked to improve the health of Native Americans and Alaska Natives by increasing the awareness of the value of non-physician providers in rural and underserved tribal clinics. He helped develop clinical practice guidelines for the care of patients with diabetes and hypertension as a member of the IHS Disease Management Team. He served as the Clinical Coordinator for the Clinical Diabetes Research Unit of the Phoenix Indian Medical Center, a unit sponsored by the National Institutes of Health that investigates the causes of diabetes mellitus in the Pima Indian community in central Arizona.

RADM Milner was selected as the chief professional officer for the health services category, effective August 1, 2006, by former Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Richard Carmona. As Chief Health Services Officer, RADM Milner is responsible for providing leadership and coordination of the diverse Health Services category of the Commissioned Corps of the US Public Health Service (Corps) for the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG) and the Department. The Health Services category represents over 850 Corps officers in more that 50 health professional disciplines. RADM Milner provides guidance and advice to the Surgeon General and the Health Services Professional Advisory Committee on matters such as recruitment, retention, and career development of Health Services officers.

Before receiving his commission in the Corps in 1989, RADM Milner served in the US Air Force. He trained as a medical corpsman in 1973 and entered Physician Assistant training in 1982, graduating in 1984 from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, physician assistant program. After completing the clinical phase of his training, he received a commission in the US Air Force Biomedical Science Corps and was assigned to the 832nd Medical Group Hospital at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, where he worked in the Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine Departments.

He has a bachelor of science degree from the University of Cincinnati, a bachelor of science degree, with distinction, from the University of Oklahoma, a master of medical science degree from St. Francis University physician assistant program in Loretto, Pennsylvania, and a doctor of health science degree from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

His professional memberships include the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the USPHS Academy of Physician Assistants, Association of Military Surgeons of the United States, Commissioned Officers Association, Reserve Officers Association, American Public Health Association, and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

RADM Milner is a Regular Corps career officer with an extensive background in primary care clinical practice, emergency preparedness, and multicultural team building. He has served in several national USPHS deployments including service as a Secretary's Emergency Response Team (SERT) Leader for the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July 2004, SERT Leader after Hurricane Charley/Frances in 2004, and as Deputy Commander of the Louisiana Hurricane Katrina response under RADM Craig Vanderwagen, USPHS. He was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral (0-7) in the US Public Health Service on 1 October 2006 by order of Secretary Michael O. Leavitt, US Secretary of Health and Human Services and is the first Physician Assistant to hold the flag officer rank in any uniformed service. He has the designation of Assistant Surgeon General and represents the Secretary of HHS and the US Surgeon General in his official capacity. His awards include two PHS Outstanding Service Medals, a PHS Commendation Medal, an Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, two Air Force Commendation Medals, an Air Force Achievement Medal, two PHS Crisis Response Awards, the PHS Field Medical Readiness Badge, and the Air Force Good Conduct Medal.