W. Craig Vanderwagen

Rear Admiral W. Craig Vanderwagen USPHS - retired is a senior partner with Martin-Blanck and Associates joining this consulting group in November, 2009 after retirement from the US Public Health Service. He was the first Assistant Secretary for Preparedness & Response under the redesignation of the Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness (by the Pandemic & All Hazards Preparedness Act of 2006) and was the second Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He was appointed on July 25, 2006 by the President. RADM Vanderwagen was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and sworn into office as the first Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response on March 23, 2007. RADM Vanderwagen served as the Secretary's principal advisor on matters related to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. He also coordinated interagency activities between HHS, other federal departments, agencies, offices and state and local officials responsible for emergency preparedness and the protection of the civilian population. The overall mission of the office is to lead the nation in preventing, responding to and reducing the adverse health effects of public health emergencies and disasters. He continued to serve in this role under President Obama until July 2009.

History
RADM Vanderwagen was the senior federal health official in the response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Louisiana; led the public health team deployed on USNS Mercy to Indonesia to assist in the 2005 tsunami recovery; served as the Chief of Public Health for the Coalition Provisional Authority and the Ministry of Health in Iraq; and directed a portion of health care provided to Kosovar refugees during the 1999 Balkans conflict. His federal career began with the Indian Health Service Albuquerque Area Office as a USPHS General Medical Officer at the Zuni Indian Hospital. RADM Vanderwagen also served as the IHS Office of Clinical and Preventive Services Director. He was responsible for the full scope of clinical health care programs, including quality assurance and preventive programs for 49 IHS hospitals, hundreds of clinics and health stations. In support of the Surgeon General, RADM Vanderwagen served as the USPHS Chief Professional Officer for the Medical Category of the Commissioned Officers Corps. He provided guidance and advice on matters such as recruitment, assignment, deployment, retention and career development for more than 1,300 USPHS physicians.

RADM Vanderwagen is a family physician who received his medical education at Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine, graduating in 1978. He completed a family practice residency 1981 at the University of New Mexico Hospital. RADM Vanderwagen spent time growing up on the Zuni Reservation where his paternal family has been since the 1890s. He attended high school and college in Northern California. He is married to Suzanne Vanderwagen and has three adult sons.