Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

Joan Marie Engel (born December 9, 1940) held the position as the 18th Director of the

Navy Nurse Corps The United States Navy Nurse Corps was officially established by Congress in 1908; however, unofficially, women had been working as nurses aboard Navy ships and in Navy hospitals for nearly 100 years. The Corps was all-female until 1965. Pre-19 ...

from September 1994 to August 1998. She concurrently served as deputy commander for personnel management in the Health Sciences, Education and Training Command, and later as assistant chief for Education, Training and Personnel.

Early life

Rear Adm. Engel was born in

St. Marys, Pennsylvania St. Marys is a city in Elk County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population is 12,738 as of the 2020 census. Originally a small town inhabited by mostly Bavarian Roman Catholics, it was founded December 8, 1842. It is home to Straub Brewer ...

in 1940. She was the first school nurse at Elk County Christian High School.

Navy Nurse Corps career

Engel entered the

in 1969 as a lieutenant. She served in various stateside and overseas naval hospitals, progressing in rank with jobs of increasing responsibility. She became deputy director of the Nurse Corps, serving under the RADM

Mariann Stratton Rear Admiral Mariann Stratton (born 1945) was the Director of the United States Navy Nurse Corps from 1991 to 1994. Early life and education Mariann Stratton was born in Houston, Texas. Stratton joined the Navy Nurse Corps in 1964,J. K. H."A Conve ...

, the 17th

director. Clinical nursing assignments included assignments at the Naval Hospital, Millington, TN; Branch Medical Clinic, Iwakuni, Japan; Branch Medical Clinic, LaMaddalena, Sardinia; and Naval Hospitals in Charleston, SC, Jacksonville, FL, Newport, RI, and Pensacola, FL. Engel's administrative assignments included being the first junior Nurse Detailer, BUMED; the first Assistant Chief of Staff, Logistics, Naval Medical Command, Northeast Region, Great Lakes, IL; Naval Inspector General staff, Washington, D.C., and Naval Medical Inspector General staff, BUMED; and deputy director, Navy Nurse Corps, BUMED. She served as the 18th Director,

from October 1994 until August 1998. Rear Admiral Engel retired in January 2000 as the Assistant Chief, Operational Medicine and Fleet Support, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Washington, DC, a position she held since August 1996.

Education

RADM Engel received her nursing diploma from the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

in 1961. She earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in public school nursing from

Clarion University Pennsylvania Western University, Clarion (PennWest Clarion, formerly Clarion University of Pennsylvania) is a campus of Pennsylvania Western University in Clarion, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was founded in 1867 and offers asso ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in 1969. In 1980, she earned a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

in nursing from the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

School of Nursing. She is a Fellow in the

American Academy of Nursing The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) is a professional organization that generates, synthesizes, and disseminates nursing knowledge to contribute to health policy and practice for the benefit of the public and the nursing profession. Founded in ...

, a Wharton Fellow and holds an honorary fellowship in the American Academy of Medical Administrators.

Awards

Engel has earned the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

(two awards), the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: Singapore *Pingat Jasa Gemilang, or Meritorious Services Me ...

(four awards), the

Navy Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fift ...

(two awards), and the National Defense Medal with bronze star. In 1998, the

Alumni Association presented her with the Distinguished Alumni Award. * Legion of Merit ribbon

with Gold Star * Meritorious Service Medal ribbon

with three Gold Stars *

Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal ribbon

Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fift ...

with Gold Star *

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It was awarded to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four s ...

with bronze star

References

External links

Nurses and the U.S. Navy -- Overview and Special Image Selection
Naval Historical Center

{{DEFAULTSORT:Engel, Joan M. 1940 births Living people People from St. Marys, Pennsylvania United States Navy Nurse Corps officers Clarion University of Pennsylvania alumni University of Alabama alumni United States Navy rear admirals Female admirals of the United States Navy Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing Recipients of the Legion of Merit American nursing administrators 21st-century American women Military personnel from Pennsylvania