Technology

Chief Pharmacy Officer

Rear Adm. Thomas McGinnis Chief Pharmacy Officer Pharmaceutical Operations Directorate at the TRICARE Management Activity November 30th and December 2nd

Federal News Radio Custom Media@WTOPWFEDcustom

November 23, 2009 11:28 am

2 min read

Listen November 23rd and November 25th

As of December 1, 2005, Rear Adm. Thomas J. McGinnis serves as Chief, Pharmaceutical Operations Directorate, responsible for pharmacy operations of the TRICARE Management Activity.

Rear Adm. McGinnis earned his pharmacy degree from Rutgers University in 1977, completed his Masters in General Administration (ABD) in 1991 from the University of Maryland, and he is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute.

In 1990, he helped establish the new Office of Generic Drugs and served as Special Assistant to the Office Director until joining the Office of the Health Affairs, Office of the Commissioner, in 1991. He became Deputy Associate Commissioner for Health Affairs in 1997. Before joining the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Defense, Rear Adm. McGinnis served as Director of Pharmacy Affairs, Office of Policy, in the Office of the Commissioner. He served as Agency spokesperson with the press and electronic media on pharmacy related topics, including counterfeiting, bar coding and radio frequency identification on drug products, and prescription drug importation. During his tenure at FDA, he served on numerous Agency committees, represented the Agency at a variety of hearings and conferences, and was a featured speaker on important issues related to FDA and the practice of pharmacy. He also served as Incident Commander of the 250-bed Public Health Service (PHS) special-needs shelter in Alexandria, La., during hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Rear Adm. McGinnis has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career in the U.S. Public Health Service. He is a member of the Board of Advisory Associates of Rutgers College of Pharmacy, Navy Mutual Aid Association Nonresident Director, and a member of the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists, Committee on Goals.

He also has received two PHS Commendation Medals, the PHS Achievement Medal, a PHS Citation, three PHS Outstanding Unit Citations, thirteen PHS Unit Commendations, and two PHS Crisis Response Service Awards. In 1994, RADM McGinnis was named Alumnus of the Year by the Rutgers College of Pharmacy Alumni Association.