Recognizing employee excellence that carries ‘the legacy of military medicine’

Rear Adm. Matthew Case, Defense Health Agency acting deputy director, and Sgt. Maj. Manuel Cruz, DHA senior enlisted leader for the assistant director for health care administration, hosted an employee recognition ceremony at Defense Health Headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia, Jan. 20.

“Today’s awardees have done a lot of great work,” Case said, adding that DHA’s Acting Director Dr. David Smith sent his regards and congratulations from Japan where he was touring military hospitals and clinics.

Employees receiving awards demonstrate DHA’s commitment to readiness, noted Cruz.

“DHA’s mission is to improve health and build readiness, and readiness begins with each of you,” he said. “Every time you schedule an appointment, run a lab result, or write a policy — you keep our service members deployable. Each of you carry on the legacy of military medicine. Thank you for what you do. It’s an honor and privilege to serve with you.”

The ceremony recognized the exceptional work of service members and civilians of the second quarter of 2025 and those earning Continuous Process Improvement certifications. DHA honorees included:

DHA Service Members of the 2nd Quarter 2025

• Junior Noncommissioned Officer: Tech. Sgt. Mychal Sturdivant, assistant project officer, Facilities Enterprise Product Delivery Branch, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Sturdivant directs five high-impact projects valued at $158 million, excelling as an assistant project officer, primary government purchase card holder, and risk management manager — all while pursuing a Master of Business Administration and representing DHA’s inaugural team at the 15th Medic Rodeo at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico.
• Senior Noncommissioned Officer: Master Sgt. Gisela Solis, superintendent, Medical Education and Training Campus, Information Technology & Multimedia Division, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Solis leads 38 personnel at METC with a mission to guarantee robust cyber defense and network compliance across 48 tri-service courses, directly ensuring military medical education readiness and fostering the professional growth of her team.
• Company Grade Officer: Lt. j.g. Brandon Andriot, program manager, Competitive Plans Demonstration and Eligibility, Enrollment, and Encounter Pilot, TRICARE Health Plan Program Management Office, Falls Church, Virginia. Andriot directs large teams, manages more than $100 million in contracts, and spearheads a demonstration project impacting 137,000 beneficiaries.
• Field Grade Officer: Cmdr. Raben Talvo, product officer, Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record, Program Executive Office Medical Systems/Chief Information Officer, Falls Church, Virginia. Talvo transformed the Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record into a critical platform for more than 60,000 daily users across the Department of War and Department of Veterans Affairs and secured $4.3 million in funding to sustain and expand ILER’s capabilities — cementing the system’s role as a foundational tool for military health surveillance and operational decision-making.

DHA Employees of the 2nd Quarter 2025

• Category 1: Brandon Windom, pharmacy technician, Defense Health Network-Central, 436th Medical Group, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. Windom manages significant fiscal resources with unparalleled accuracy, including securing critical savings, correcting a $90,000 vendor error, and optimizing pharmacy operations while exceeding the average technician in both prescription accuracy and fill rate and streamlining processes to optimize operations.
• Category 2: Michael Scott, II, warehouse operations manager, Medical Education & Training Campus, San Antonio, Texas. Scott oversaw the processing of 1,075 orders, resulting in $1.875 million in materiel, with a 99% accuracy rate, and facilitated the delivery of $2.1 million in medical supplies to support nearly 5,000 students. His proactive leadership in freight management yielded a savings of 75 man-hours and $18,750 while he refined standard operating procedures to ensure continued clarity and resource management.
• Category 3: John Henley, department head, Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, California. Henley significantly enhanced inpatient mental health services by spearheading the 1 West Ward reopening, increasing bed availability by 25%, acquiring vital equipment, and developing key policies.

DHA Competitive Awards for the 2nd Quarter 2025

• APEX Award: Catherine Husband, process improvement coordinator, Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, Fort Polk, Louisiana. Husband, a distinguished graduate of the Army Forging New Leaders Program, was instrumental in deploying DHA’s Leadership Daily Briefs at Bayne Jones, building the dashboard and training staff to improve data analytics, consolidate services, and increase efficiency.
• DHA Excellence in Leadership: Jade Makfinsky, chief of safety and occupational health, U. S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Makfinsky embodies leadership, fostering growth and resilience through dedicated coaching and mentoring, shaping future leaders and strengthening the organization's critical safety mission.
• DHA Good Steward Award: Yvette Guerrero, financial management analyst, assistant director for resources and personnel, Cost Accounting Branch, Falls Church, Virginia (Guerrero retired on Dec. 30, 2025). Guerrero’s expertise with MHS GENESIS revolutionized uniform business office efficiency. Her training and documentation efforts were pivotal to achieving a positive audit opinion by 2027, and she doubled Veteran’s Health Administration collections in 2025. She achieved an 87% claim payment-success rate, while improving regulatory compliance through patient identification and outpatient pharmacy billing functionalities.
• DHA Innovation Award: Jessica Heffner, chief of health plans management, Clinical Operation, Defense Health Network-West, Irwin Army Community Hospital, Fort Riley, Kansas. Confronted with a backlog of more than 6,800 referrals, Heffner engaged with TriWest to identify crucial information gaps then redesigned Irwin’s referral process to create a streamlined and efficient system that dramatically reduced patient wait times.
• DHA People’s Choice Award: Dariel Ramirez, health system specialist, Office of Medical Affairs, Defense Health Network-West, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. Ramirez developed three critical tools: a Basic Life Support Expirations Report, a Peer Review Tracker, and a Joint Commission Element of Performance Observation Review Tool to automate processes, reduce errors, and enhance data-driven decision making.
• DHA Positive Spirit Award: Chad McGrath, patient safety program lead, Office of Medical Affairs, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. McGrath transforms performance improvement across Defense Health Network-West by implementing the TeamSTEPPS training program for 14 facilitators and 88 students, enhancing staff satisfaction and patient outcomes.
• DHA Rising Leader Award: Sven Perryman, deputy administrator, Lackland Medical Group, 59th Medical Wing, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Perryman expertly manages strategic resource allocation and coordination to improve fiscal solvency, while strongly advocating for adequate manpower to ensure quality care for the growing trainee population at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.

Continuous Process Improvement Certifications

• Maj. Artinsia Shakir: Defense Health Headquarters, Virginia - Lean Leader
• Maj. Lorraine Jones: Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Texas - Lean Leader
• Latavia Sherman: Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center, Virginia - Lean Leader
• Aleka Ramoutar: Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Texas - Lean Leader
• Brandy Waiamau: U.S. Army Dental Health Activity, Hawaii - Lean Leader
• Maj. Andrea Deese: 86th MDG, Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany - Lean Leader
• Julia Sears: Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center, Maryland - Lean Leader
• Lt. Col. Michael Guindon: Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii - Lean Leader
• Staff Sgt. Michael Swindle: U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, Maryland - Lean Leader
• Imani Walton: Defense Health Network Central, Texas - Lean Leader
• Dr. Jessica Tegan Langdon: Womack Army Medical Center, North Carolina - Lean Leader
• Megan Cruz: Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas - Lean Leader
• James Conley: Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center, Virginia - Lean Leader
• Michelle Rathbun: Womack Army Medical Center, North Carolina - Lean Leader
• Audra Roulet: Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii - Lean Leader
• Paula Marie Hoewischer: Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas - Lean Leader
• Brianna Perez: 59th Medical Wing, JBSA-Lackland, Texas - Lean Leader
• Maj. Jaden Mason: Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Georgia - Lean Leader
• Staff Sgt. Barbara Allen: Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas - Lean Leader
• Lt. Col. Cody McDonald: Ireland Army Health Center, Kentucky - Lean Leader
• Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Franklin Johnson: 86th Medical Group, Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany - Lean Leader
• Lt. Cmdr. Katharine Adams: U.S. Coast Guard Commandant, Virginia - Lean Leader
• Dr. Sarah Lynn Weaver: Naval Health Clinic Quantico, Virginia - Lean Leader
• Quintis Reese: Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii - Lean Leader
• Julius D. Titachu: Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Maryland - Lean Leader
• Lt. Cmdr. Lisa Marie Bruscato: Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, North Carolina - Lean Leader

Employees who reach length-of-service milestones and DHA Lean Six Sigma program graduates will receive certificates and pins in separate ceremonies held by their respective directorates and networks.