United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
| United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps | |
|---|---|
Seal of the USPHS Commissioned Corps | |
| Founded | 16 July 1798 (226 years, 11 months and 1 day) |
| Country | United States |
| Type | Uniformed service |
| Role | Medical services |
| Size | 8,000 active duty officers 3,000 ready reserve officers 11,000 total officers (effective 1 October 2023) |
| Part of | U.S. Public Health Service |
| Headquarters | Division of Commissioned Corps Personnel and Readiness, North Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. (Rockville mailing address) |
| Motto(s) | "Protecting, promoting and advancing the health and safety of the Nation!" and "In officio salutis" (core values: Leadership, Service, Integrity, and Excellence) |
| Colors | Blue and Yellow-Gold |
| March | "Public Health Service March" ⓘ |
| Anniversaries | Centennial, 1989 |
| Engagements | Spanish–American War World War I World War II War in Afghanistan Iraq War |
| Decorations | Presidential Unit Citation (2015 & 2021) |
| Website | usphs.gov |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Donald J. Trump |
| Secretary of Health and Human Services | Robert F. Kennedy Jr. |
| Assistant Secretary for Health | Dorothy Fink (acting) |
| Surgeon General | RADM Denise Hinton (acting) |
| Deputy Surgeon General | RADM Denise Hinton |
| Director | RDML Rick Schobitz |
The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHSCC; also referred to as the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service) is the uniformed service branch of the United States Public Health Service and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States (along with the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, Space Force, and NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps). The commissioned corps' primary mission is the protection, promotion, and advancement of health and safety of the general public.
Along with the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps, the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is one of two uniformed services that consist only of commissioned officers and has no enlisted or warrant officer ranks, although warrant officers have been authorized for use within the service. Officers of the commissioned corps are classified as noncombatants, unless directed to serve as part of the military by the president or detailed to a service branch of the military. Members of the commissioned corps wear uniforms modeled after the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard, with special Public Health Service Commissioned Corps insignia, and hold naval ranks equivalent to officers of the Navy and Coast Guard, along with corresponding in-service medical titles. Commissioned corps officers typically receive their commissions through the commissioned corps's direct commissioning program.
As with its parent division, the Public Health Service, the commissioned corps is under the direction of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The commissioned corps is led by the surgeon general, who holds the rank of vice admiral (O-9). The surgeon general reports directly to the Department of Health and Human Services assistant secretary for health. The assistant secretary for health may be appointed to the rank of admiral (O-10) if they are also a serving uniformed officer of the commissioned corps.