Raquel Bono
For nearly 30 years Vice Admiral Raquel C. Bono, MD, MBA, FACS, served with honor and distinction as a highly respected Naval Officer and the first woman surgeon in the military to hold the rank of Vice Admiral. Bono is a Senior Fellow with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Previously, she was the Chief Health Officer for Viking Cruises. She was a gubernatorial appointee as the Director of Washington State COVID-19 Health System Response Management. As the former chief executive officer (CEO) and director, Defense Health Agency (DHA), Vice Admiral (Dr.) Bono led a joint, integrated combat support agency that enabled all branches of the U.S. military – Army, Navy, and Air Force – medical services to provide health care services to combatant commands. A board-certified trauma surgeon, Dr. Bono is an inspiration and role model for all surgeons, especially female surgeons across the country and in the military. Dr. Bono received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, Austin; her Master of Business Administration from Washington State University, Spokane; and her medical degree from Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, Lubbock. She completed her surgical internship and residency at the Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, VA and performed a trauma and critical care fellowship at the Eastern Virginia Graduate School of Medicine, Norfolk.
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“In Washington State, they had expertise in a particular flavor of crisis–forest fires and mudslides. The country had never seen anything like this. I think in a global crisis, there has to be some fluency that leaders develop between public health, natural disasters, and emergency response. You also have to cultivate or acquire the capabilities–fluency, credibility, and top cover – to go between sectors.”
Raquel Bono
Senior Fellow, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Retired Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy
Former Director, U.S. Defense Health Agency Former Director, COVID-19 Health System Response Management State of Washington
For nearly 30 years Vice Admiral Raquel C. Bono, MD, MBA, FACS, served with honor and distinction as a highly respected Naval Officer and the first woman surgeon in the military to hold the rank of Vice Admiral. Bono is a Senior Fellow with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Previously, she was the Chief Health Officer for Viking Cruises. She was a gubernatorial appointee as the Director of Washington State COVID-19 Health System Response Management. As the former chief executive officer (CEO) and director, Defense Health Agency (DHA), Vice Admiral (Dr.) Bono led a joint, integrated combat support agency that enabled all branches of the U.S. military – Army, Navy, and Air Force – medical services to provide health care services to combatant commands. A board-certified trauma surgeon, Dr. Bono is an inspiration and role model for all surgeons, especially female surgeons across the country and in the military. Dr. Bono received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, Austin; her Master of Business Administration from Washington State University, Spokane; and her medical degree from Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, Lubbock. She completed her surgical internship and residency at the Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, VA and performed a trauma and critical care fellowship at the Eastern Virginia Graduate School of Medicine, Norfolk.
“In Washington State, they had expertise in a particular flavor of crisis–forest fires and mudslides. The country had never seen anything like this. I think in a global crisis, there has to be some fluency that leaders develop between public health, natural disasters, and emergency response. You also have to cultivate or acquire the capabilities–fluency, credibility, and top cover – to go between sectors.”
Watch full interview