Eric Elster
Dean and EVP
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Customer
Dr. Elster assumed the role of Dean of the School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Maryland, on May 3, 2021, and became the Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs on September 24, 2024. The unique USUHS program, the nation’s only federal medical school, ranks among the top in the country. In his role, Dr. Elster leads the undergraduate medical education of over 700 uniformed medical students and more than 400 civilian and military graduate students. Additionally, he oversees the School of Medicine’s extensive research enterprise, which spans a wide range of medical fields and supports critical advancements in military and civilian medicine. Previously, he served as Chair and Norman M. Rich Professor of Surgery at the USU Department of Surgery and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Dr. Elster served as the 3rd Norman M. Rich Chair and Professor of Surgery at USUHS and Walter Reed from 2008 to 2021. He also directs the Surgical Critical Care Initiative, a joint military-civilian program developing clinical decision support tools for critically ill patients. He is a member of several prestigious organizations, including fellowships in the American College of Surgeons, Society of University Surgeons, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, Southern Surgical Association, Halsted Society, Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons, Association of Master Education, and the American Surgical Association. He co-chaired the Military Health System Strategic Partnership with the American College of Surgeons and served as the inaugural president of the Excelsior Society. Dr. Elster has published over 250 scientific manuscripts in leading journals such as JAMA, Annals of Surgery, American Journal of Transplantation, and Science Translational Medicine, receiving numerous research grants across various aspects of surgery.
Dr. Elster completed his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of South Florida in Tampa under the U.S. Navy’s Health Professionals Scholarship Program. After his internship, he served with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) and then completed a general surgery residency at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, he served as ship’s surgeon aboard the USS Kitty Hawk in the Persian Gulf. Upon his return, Dr. Elster completed a solid organ transplantation fellowship at the National Institutes of Health and directed a translational research program at the Naval Medical Research Center focused on diagnostics and therapies for traumatic injuries, transplantation, and advanced operative imaging. Dr. Elster was last deployed as a surgeon and Director of Surgical Services at the NATO Role 3 Military Medical Unit in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he led surgical care in a high-stakes, combat environment.
Dr. Elster served as the 3rd Norman M. Rich Chair and Professor of Surgery at USUHS and Walter Reed from 2008 to 2021. He also directs the Surgical Critical Care Initiative, a joint military-civilian program developing clinical decision support tools for critically ill patients. He is a member of several prestigious organizations, including fellowships in the American College of Surgeons, Society of University Surgeons, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, Southern Surgical Association, Halsted Society, Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons, Association of Master Education, and the American Surgical Association. He co-chaired the Military Health System Strategic Partnership with the American College of Surgeons and served as the inaugural president of the Excelsior Society. Dr. Elster has published over 250 scientific manuscripts in leading journals such as JAMA, Annals of Surgery, American Journal of Transplantation, and Science Translational Medicine, receiving numerous research grants across various aspects of surgery.
Dr. Elster completed his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of South Florida in Tampa under the U.S. Navy’s Health Professionals Scholarship Program. After his internship, he served with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) and then completed a general surgery residency at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, he served as ship’s surgeon aboard the USS Kitty Hawk in the Persian Gulf. Upon his return, Dr. Elster completed a solid organ transplantation fellowship at the National Institutes of Health and directed a translational research program at the Naval Medical Research Center focused on diagnostics and therapies for traumatic injuries, transplantation, and advanced operative imaging. Dr. Elster was last deployed as a surgeon and Director of Surgical Services at the NATO Role 3 Military Medical Unit in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he led surgical care in a high-stakes, combat environment.
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