The Surgeon General's Medallion is the fourth highest award of the
Public Health Service
The United States Public Health Service (USPHS or PHS) is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services which manages public health, containing nine out of the department's twelve operating divisions. The Assistant Se ...
and the
United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHSCC; also referred to as the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service) is the uniformed service branch of the United States Public Health Service and one of t ...
. The medal is awarded in the name of the
United States Surgeon General for actions of exceptional achievement to the cause of public health and medicine. It is awarded by the Surgeon General of the United States.
The exact award criteria for the Surgeon General's Medal are open to the interpretation of the sitting U.S. Surgeon General. Typically, the Surgeon General's Medal is presented for such actions as medical breakthroughs in public medicine, disease prevention and control, or exceptional service in a senior position of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Due to the prestige of the Surgeon General's Medallion, the award is authorized for wear on active duty uniforms of the
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...
. When worn on the uniform of a member of the
Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHSCC; also referred to as the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service) is the Uniformed services, uniformed service branch of the United States Public Health S ...
, the ribbon is worn after the
Public Health Service Meritorious Service Medal
The Public Health Service Meritorious Service Medal is an honor award presented to members of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Officer Corps and to members of any Uniformed Services of the United States
The United States h ...
and before the
Department of Commerce Silver Medal
The awards and decorations of the United States Department of Commerce are Awards and decorations of the United States government, civil awards and decorations which are presented to civilian and uniformed personnel of the U.S. Department of Commer ...
, the
Surgeon General's Exemplary Service Medal and 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 ...
.
See also
*
Awards and decorations of the Public Health Service
An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration.
An award may be d ...
References
External links
* https://dcp.psc.gov/ccmis/ccis/documents/CCI_511.01.pdf
* https://dcp.psc.gov/CCMIS/COAP/COAP_award_criteria_m.aspx
Surgeon General's Medallion
{{Orders-medals-stub