Paul Cordts
Deputy Director of Healthcare Operations Directorate, Deputy Chief Medical Officer
Defense Health Agency (DHA)
Dr. Paul R. Cordts was appointed into the Senior Executive Service on July 26, 2015. He is presently serving as the Deputy Director and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Healthcare Operations Directorate (HCOD), Defense Health Agency. Dr. Cordts serves as principal staff assistant/advisor to the Director, HCOD in execution of DoD clinical policies, programs and activities, as well as provides oversight for a broad range of quality assessment/quality improvement efforts and safe healthcare delivery throughout the Military Health System (MHS). He assists the Director in management of seven major Divisions: Operations, Readiness, Clinical Support, TRICARE Health Plan, Pharmacy, Warrior Care and Public Health.
Dr. Cordts began his Army career in 1980 as a Distinguished Military Graduate from ROTC at The Johns Hopkins University. He entered the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS; Bethesda, Md.) and graduated with an MD in 1984. He completed his internship and residency in General Surgery at William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, Texas, in 1989 and a Vascular Surgery Fellowship at Boston University Medical Center in 1992. As an Army officer he served at every level, including Program Director, General Surgery and Chief, Department of Surgery, Tripler Army Medical Center, HI; Director, Health Policy and Services, Office of The Surgeon General and Military Treatment Facility commands at Fort Stewart, GA and Fort Campbell, KY. He deployed as a vascular surgeon to Operation Iraqi Freedom. His military awards include: Legion of Merit (4 OLC), Meritorious Service Medal (2 OLC), Army Commendation Medal (2 OLC), and Army Achievement Medal (2 OLC). He has earned the Expert Field Medical Badge, Parachutist Badge and Air Assault Badge.
Dr. Cordts retired from the U.S. Army as a Colonel after 30 years of Service. His final position was as Lead Physician for Army Medicine’s Performance Triad (Sleep, Activity and Nutrition). Immediately following retirement, Dr. Cordts served as the Senior Medical Compliance Officer, Clinical Support Division, HCOD and DHA representative to the High Reliability Organization Task Force, developing Action Plans for the MHS 90-Day Review, directed by the Secretary of Defense. In addition, he co-chaired the Transparency Initiative Group, a Tri-service committee whose role was in developing a framework for MHS Transparency and identifying Access, Quality and Patient Safety measures for useful/user-friendly public reporting.
Dr. Cordts is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, member of the Order of Military Medical Merit and board-certified in General Surgery and Vascular Surgery. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Distinguished Fellow of the Society for Vascular Surgery and Associate Professor of Surgery at USUHS. He has authored/co-authored >20 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 2 book chapters. His wife Patricia is a retired Army Nurse Corps officer. She is a nurse anesthetist and earned a Doctorate of Nursing Practice with Post Graduate Certificate as a Nurse Educator from the University of Nevada, Reno.
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