Commander Corey Gustafson, a doctor at U.S. Naval Hospital (USNH) Naples, was named the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) Physician of the Year for 2019.
Gustafson, who recently returned from a 6-month deployment on the USNS Comfort, works primarily in the USNH emergency room and also serves as the co-Director of Expeditionary Medicine, a new position within Navy Medicine.
“I love being part of Navy Medicine and military medicine as a whole,” says Gustafson. “Locally, I’ve enjoyed implementing vigorous and comprehensive training into the ER. Moreover, across the fleet, my time on the USNS Comfort was incredibly rewarding. We were able to provide care to nearly 70,000 patients throughout the Enduring Promise mission.”
AMSUS, The Society of Federal Health Professionals, honors the contributions of outstanding federal healthcare professionals each year through its awards program. Only eighteen individuals across all the military branches are selected for the highly competitive awards. To be named the Federal Physician of the Year, nominees must have made outstanding contributions as a clinician, researcher, educator, or healthcare executive.
Gustafson easily fits the bill for those requirements. He led the integration of USNH and Naval Support Activity (NSA) Naples training planning/execution that delivered robust, integrated, large-scale training scenarios that challenged first responder competencies and readiness. Additionally, he explored the NATO Medical Center of Excellence capabilities, which resulted in USNH staff participation in the NATO 2019 Vigorous Warrior exercise that included advanced medical care scenarios. This partnership will continue with future involvement during Vigorous Warrior 2021. During his deployment on the USNS Comfort, Gustafson served as the Medical Site Officer in Charge (OIC) in Colón, Panama; Castries, Saint Lucia; and Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Gustafson is humble about the positive impact he has brought not just to USNH but also to military medicine. “It’s truly an honor to receive this award,” says Gustafson. “However, it is more indicative of the myriad people behind it who deliver the day-to-day healthcare than just myself. A physician can only do so much without a team of nurses, Corpsmen, and support staff alongside.”
Following his time in Naples, Gustafson will return to the fleet to serve as the OIC for Fleet Surgical Team 5 and Commander, Amphibious Task Force (CATF) surgeon based out of San Diego, California.
“We are extremely proud to have Doctor Gustafson on our Naples team,” says Captain Richard Knittig, USNH commanding officer. “He is a direct supporter of our mission to offer world-class care while keeping warfighters in the fight.”
USNH Naples, the largest naval hospital in Europe, serves a diverse population of over 9,800 beneficiaries. Over 500 staff members at the main hospital, branch health clinic, and Navy Liaison Detachment in Landstuhl, Germany work tirelessly to keep warfighters in the fight and provide care for their families. To learn more, visit https://www.med.navy.mil/sites/napoli/SitePages/home.aspx.