Robert A. Whitney

Robert A. Whitney (born 27 July 1935) is an American veterinarian and public health administrator. He served as acting Surgeon General of the United States from July to September 1993.

Biography
Whitney was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Oklahoma State University in 1959 and his master's in pharmacology from Ohio State University in 1965. Whitney is a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, initiated at Oklahoma State University. A career United States Public Health Service officer, Whitney was appointed deputy surgeon general September 1, 1992. Since 1971, he held a number of positions of increasing responsibility in the National Institutes of Health. From 1989 to 1992, he was director of the NIH National Center for Research Resources.

Prior to joining the PHS, Whitney was director of the U.S. Army training program in laboratory animal medicine and served a year in Vietnam (1970) as commander of a veterinary medical detachment.

Whitney is a diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine and served as chief veterinary officer of the Public Health Service from 1985-1989. His awards include U.S. Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit from the for his US Army service.