Throughout her tenure in the military, Major General (Dr.) Telita Crosland has accomplished many firsts. Currently, she is the deputy surgeon general of the United States Army and chief of the U.S. Army Medical Corps. She is the first African American woman to serve in this role in the Army’s 246-year history.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions and professional achievements, she has been inducted into the highly selective Order of Military Medical Merit within the Army Medical Department.

Crosland has made significant contributions to fighting COVID-19 since the pandemic emerged. In her dual roles as the Medical Command deputy commanding general of operations and the Army deputy surgeon general, she has assisted the Army Surgeon General in the clinical and operational areas.

During the COVID-19 pandemic and under her leadership, Army Medicine mobilized over 50,000 Soldiers, including 203 from the retired reserve, deployed 45 Urban Augmentation Military Task Forces, expanded laboratory testing from 9 to 46 labs, tested 1.4 million patients, synchronized the procurement of 171 COVID testing platforms, established 13 vaccination support teams (361 total Soldiers), delivered over 565 million critical items in support of COVID-19, expanded virtual behavioral health care by 128%, and delivered $5 million worth of civilian PPE in support of defense support to civil authorities.

Over her 28-year career, Crosland has served in various leadership positions in South Korea and Germany. She served as commander of the U.S. Army Health Clinic in Grafenwoehr, Germany, and the U.S. Army Medical Department Activity (Hospital) in Heidelberg, Germany. She also served as deputy commander of the U.S. Army Health Clinics in Landstuhl, Germany. Crosland also deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as a duty staff physician. She provided matchless world-class combat healthcare support to more than 8,500 American and Allied force soldiers in southern Iraq

In addition to serving overseas, she served as commander of the U.S. Army Medical Department Activity (Hospital) in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Crosland created the vision and space for Blanchfield Army Community Hospital to start virtual primary care for patients. More importantly, she provided Medical Command with a template and insight for the successful implementation of virtual care across the enterprise. Finally, she launched a virtual pilot that delivered on-demand specialty consultation to deployed forces through collaboration with other military hospitals. They include the 5th Special Forces Group, Eisenhower Army Medical Center, and Regional Health Command –Atlantic and Regional Health Command– Europe.

Before assuming her current position, she commanded the Regional Health Command–Atlantic, the largest of the U.S. Army’s four healthcare regions, with more than 25,000 military and civilian employees providing medical, dental, and public health support to approximately 600,000 service members, retirees, and their families at Army medical centers, hospitals, and clinics from Wisconsin to Puerto Rico.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Crosland graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point. She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 1993, and her Master of Public Health degree from the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy. She is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Crosland is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. In addition, she is a recipient of the Surgeon General’s “A” proficiency designator.

Crosland works to identify and develop people to their full potential, growing junior leaders into senior leaders while preparing the next generation of Soldier-leaders to take on the challenges of tomorrow’s battlefield and defend the nation.