TX-13: Ronny Jackson (R)
PROFILE
About Jackson:
Dr. Ronny Jackson is familiar name to some, his having served as the attending physician and later, a medical advisor, to President Donald Trump.
Jackson retired from the U.S. Navy as a Rear Admiral in December 2019,after 25 years of active service.
Born and raised in the small town of Levelland, Texas, Jackson has been working since the age of 14, and been everything from a grocery store clerk to an oil field roustabout.
After graduating from Texas A&M University at Galveston, Jackson attended medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch. During his time in medical school, he served in the Navy Reserves, and upon graduating in 1995, he was assigned to the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth Virginia, where he began his active duty military career as an officer in the United States Navy.
A recipient of an “intern of the year” award in 1996, Jackson went on to become the honor graduate of the Navy’s Undersea Medical Officer Program in Groton, Connecticut.
As a fully qualified Navy Deepsea diver trained in hyperbaric and submarine medicine, Jackson subsequent naval assignments included serving as the diving medical officer with explosive ordnance disposal, special operations, naval special warfare, and Navy salvage diving teams, stationed in Norfolk, Va., Groton, Ct., Panama City, Pannama, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Sigonella, Italy.
In 2001, after 5 years in the Navy diving community, Jackson returned to the Naval hospital in Portsmouth to complete his residency in Emergency Medicine, finishing at the top of his class and receiving the honor graduate designation.
In 2005 he was assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps and joined the 2nd Marines, Combat Logistics Regiment 25, in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. From there, he deployed to Iraq as the emergency medicine physician in charge of resuscitative medicine for a combat surgical shock trauma platoon in Taqaddum, Iraq.
In 2006, while still in Iraq, Jackson was selected as a White House physician in the George W. Bush Administration. The Navy extended his active duty at the White House numerous times over the next 14 years, with increasing levels of responsibility. He has served three administrations, directed the executive health care for the President’s cabinet and senior staff, served as physician supervisor for the Camp David presidential retreat, held the position of physician to the White House, and led the White House medical unit as its commanding officer.
On Jan. 20, 2017, Jackson was asked to remain at the White House and was formally appointed by President Donald Trump as physician to the President. In March 2018, he was nominated by the president to be the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. In January 2019, President Trump appointed Jackson as assistant to the president and to the newly established role of chief medical advisor to the White House and the Executive Office of the President.
His awards include, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards), the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards), as well as other individual, unit and campaign awards.
He is also designated as a diving and undersea medical officer, naval parachutist, Fleet Marine Force warfare qualified officer, and submarine warfare qualified medical officer.
Jackson has been married to his wife Jane for 27 years and they have 3 children.