Photo By Robert Hammer | Dr. Mark Rubertone, the chief of functional information technology support for the...... read more read more
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Dr. Mark Rubertone, chief of functional information technology support for Defense Health Agency’s Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division within DHA-Public Health, received the Department of War’s Distinguished Civilian Service Award during a ceremony Dec. 3, 2025, at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. “I'm deeply grateful and humbled by this recognition,” said Rubertone. “Receiving this award is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire team I've had the privilege to lead and work alongside. It means a great deal to me — not just as an individual achievement — but as validation of the importance of public health data and health IT in supporting our nation's warfighters.” The award is DOW’s highest recognition for career civilian employees whose work improves the efficiency and impact of the entire department. Describing Rubertone as an “icon in the Military Health System,” DHA Public Health Deputy Director Sean Friendly said, “His development of the Defense Military Surveillance System has tracked every military member medical encounter since 1997. This system is critical to execute comprehensive health surveillance on our military family.” Rubertone said the award is “truly a reflection of the incredible team I've been fortunate to work with throughout my career and in particular during the past 10 years at DHA. The success we've achieved is entirely attributable to their expertise, dedication, and unwavering commitment to our mission.” Modernizing health data for readiness As functional IT support chief, Rubertone led teams to upgrade tools used for tracking the burden of disease, injury, and illness among beneficiaries across the Military Health System. Those systems helped public health experts study trends ranging from musculoskeletal injuries to COVID-19 and measure the effectiveness of prevention and treatment efforts. The data collected was vital for leaders in Congress, the Department, and the Department of Health and Human Services to set policy and allocate services. “Over 30 years ago, Dr. Rubertone created several important tools for military force health protection and readiness that are widely used today,” said Navy Capt. Carlos Williams, deputy chief of AFHSD. “The impact of these tools on warfighter readiness comes from how they are used to track, interpret, validate, and communicate essential health threats that directly affect the force.” Rubertone underscored his commitment to warfighter lethality, stating, “My work, at its core, is about ensuring our warfighters are healthy, protected, and ready to answer the call of duty. We accomplish this by providing data and tools necessary to identify threats to their health, track injury and illness trends, and measure the effectiveness of preventive measures.” Air Force Col. Cecilia Session, chief of AFHSD’s epidemiology and analysis branch, highlighted Rubertone’s ability at translating complex data into clear, reliable information for commanders and policymakers. “His unique skill set allows him to act as the bridge over the gap between information technology and public health epidemiology,” she said. “As the DHA’s systems evolve to incorporate advances in information technology, he is the vanguard of modernizing and integrating our health data systems.” Rubertone also played a key role in bringing data from MHS GENESIS into DOW's surveillance systems as the electronic health record rolled out between 2017 and 2024. That work helped link information from clinics and hospitals around the world to long-standing tools such as the Defense Medical Surveillance System and the Department of Defense Serum Repository. In creating these tools, “his visionary ideas have been a cornerstone of force health protections and readiness,” said Dr. Shauna Stahlman, deputy chief of epidemiology and analysis at AFHSD. “His leadership shows that when we preserve the past with purpose, we equip the future with possibility.” Data-driven service provides ‘meaningful change’ for readiness The Distinguished Civilian Service Awards are reserved each year for a small number of career civilians whose work has a department-wide impact. The award honors a career that has shown how advanced health surveillance and secure, integrated data systems serve what DHA calls “medicine for the mission” — protecting the force, promoting health, and ensuring the military remains ready to respond. Data, Rubertone said, “has the power to drive meaningful change, especially when it comes to public health and national security.” At the cornerstone of his renowned career, Rubertone emphasized, is his dedication in using this data to help the warfighter. “There's a constant challenge to innovate, to adapt to evolving threats, and to find new ways to use data to improve the health and readiness of our warfighters,” he said. “I'm driven by a deep sense of service and a desire to use my skills to make a positive impact.”
| Date Taken: | 12.12.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.12.2025 09:42 |
| Story ID: | 553991 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 50 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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