Bush To Nominate Houston Doctor To Defense Post

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Houston Chronicle
February 24, 2007
By Todd Ackerman, Houston Chronicle
President Bush has announced his intent to nominate prominent Houston cardiologist Dr. Ward Casscells to be the next assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs.
Casscells, vice president for biotechnology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, would succeed Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., who has held the office since shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
"It's an honor just to be nominated," said Casscells, 53. "I can't imagine it would be an easy job. They've got a variety of needs there and everything needs constant innovation and improvement."
White House spokesman Blair Jones said the nomination must be forwarded to the Senate, which will control the schedule for his confirmation.
"Dr. Casscells has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the field of medicine," Jones said. "His background and experience as a health care professional makes him a natural choice for this position, and we urge the Senate for a swift confirmation."
If nominated and confirmed, Casscells would be responsible for the overall supervision of the Department of Defense's health and medical affairs, known as the Military Health System (MHS). The secretary serves as principal adviser to the secretary of Defense for all agency health policies, programs and activities.
The MHS provides care for 9.2 million people through a $39 billion health care system consisting of a worldwide network of 70 military hospitals, 500 military health clinics and an extensive array of private sector health care partners.
Casscells, a U.S. Army Reserve colonel, returned last December from Iraq, where he served as liaison to the U.S. ambassador to Iraq and the Iraqi health minister. He called it "a pretty gripping experience, a tough place to work."
Casscells was commissioned last June.
Casscells' interests include the avian flu, which led to his deployment to the Middle and Asia to assess the possibility of a worldwide pandemic; and disaster preparedness, which led to roles responding to the Oklahoma City bombing and the 2004 Asian tsunami.
If confirmed, Casscells said he would take a leave of absence from UT-Houston.
 
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