Emeritus Trustee
Kenneth P. Moritsugu, MD
Great Falls, Virginia
“The PA Foundation is a key component of the profession, representing the charitable service element of the PA environment. It complements the educational and clinical aspects of the profession, rounding out the essential elements which define physician associates/assistants.”
Dr. Kenneth P. Moritsugu, M.D., M.P.H.,F.A.C.P.M., serves as an emeritus trustee on the PA Foundation Board of Trustees. Dr. Moritsugu is the President and Chief Executive Officer of First Samurai Consulting, LLC, a firm specializing in health consulting focused on public health systems and policies, “putting the patient at the center of everything we do.”
Dr. Moritsugu is the former Vice President for Global Professional Education and Strategic Relations for Johnson & Johnson’s Diabetes Solutions Companies, and former WorldWide Chairman of the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institutes (JJDI), a global initiative to provide awareness and training in state-of-the-art science, information, and technology relevant to diabetes prevention, awareness, diagnosis, and treatment. Since its inception nearly seven years ago and through his tenure, the JJDI has provided training and education to over 10,000 health care professionals world-wide, through residential programs, remote offerings, and on-line activities, to help improve the care and the health of people with diabetes. He retired from Johnson & Johnson in 2013.
Rear Admiral Moritsugu was the Acting Surgeon General of the United States, in 2002 and again from July 2006 until his retirement from the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) in September 2007. As Acting Surgeon General, he served as the nation’s top doctor, communicating the best available science and information to the American people to help protect, promote, and advance their health and safety. He was the operational commander of the 6,500 Commissioned Corps health professionals. A career officer in the USPHS for 37 years, he served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the United States from 1998. In these roles, he was responsible for the development and issuance of twenty major documents from the Office of the Surgeon General of the United States.
Dr. Moritsugu was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. After attending Chaminade College for two years, he received his Baccalaureate Degree with Honors in Classical Languages from the University of Hawaii in 1967, a Medical Doctor degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine in 1971, and a Master of Public Health in Health Administration and Planning from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1975.
Dr. Moritsugu has been a leader in the PA profession since his tenure as Director of the Division of Medicine of the DHHS. He was appointed a Lifetime Member of the American Academy of Physician Associates, and of the Veterans Caucus of the AAPA. After several terms on the board of the PA Foundation, he received the distinction of Emeritus Trustee.
Dr. Moritsugu is Board Certified in Preventive Medicine; holds Fellowships in the American College of Preventive Medicine, the Royal Society of Public Health, the Royal Society of Medicine, and the National Academy of Public Administration; and is a Certified Correctional Health Professional. He is an Adjunct Professor of Global Health at the George Washington University School of Public Health, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
Dr. Moritsugu resides in Great Falls, VA with his wife, Lisa R. Kory. He has two daughters, Erika Lizabeth Moritsugu, Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in Washington, DC; and Emily Renee Moritsugu.
The recipient of numerous awards and recognitions from national and international organizations, Dr. Moritsugu has been granted twelve honorary degrees, and holds the Distinguished Service Medals from the US Public Health Service, the US Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He serves on the Boards of ten non-profit organizations and two academic institutions.
Dr. Moritsugu is a physician-administrator with extensive experience and a proven track record of successful leadership, policy development, program implementation, evaluation, and administration, in a variety of health care settings. These include health professional development, health care delivery to large underserved populations, emergency response, health policy, correctional health, nation-wide health care delivery systems, managed care, the uniformed services of the United States, mental health, prevention, obesity and overweight, diabetes, bioterrorism, pandemic influenza, health literacy, underage drinking, and road safety.