Sylvia Trent-Adams | |
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Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office January 2, 2019 | |
President | Donald Trump |
Deputy Surgeon General of the United States | |
In office October 25, 2015 – January 2, 2019 | |
President | Barack Obama Donald Trump |
Preceded by | Boris Lushniak |
Succeeded by | Erica G. Schwartz |
Surgeon General of the United States Acting | |
In office April 21, 2017 – September 5, 2017 | |
President | Donald Trump |
Preceded by | Vivek Murthy |
Succeeded by | Jerome Adams |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | ![]() ![]() |
Years of service | 1987–1992 (Army) 1992–present (Health Service) |
Rank | ![]() |

Sylvia Trent-Adams with the surgeons general of the Air Force, Navy and Army in May 2017
Sylvia Trent-Adams (born circa 1965) is a rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who currently serves as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health.[1] She previously served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the United States from October 25, 2015 to January 2, 2019. Trent-Adams also served as acting Surgeon General of the United States from April 21, 2017 to September 5, 2017.
Education[]
Trent-Adams received a bachelor of science in nursing from Hampton University, a master of science in nursing and health policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and a doctorate from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.[2] After attending college on an ROTC scholarship, she served as an officer in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps for five years, on the oncology unit of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.[3]
Career[]
Trent-Adams has held various positions in HHS, working to improve access to care for poor and under-served communities. As a clinician and administrator, she has had a direct impact on building systems of care to improve public health for marginalized populations.[4]
Prior to joining the Office of the Surgeon General, Trent-Adams was the deputy associate administrator for the HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). She assisted in managing the $2.3 billion Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 (Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program) for uninsured people living with HIV disease as well as training for health care professionals.[5]
Trent-Adams began her career in the Commissioned Corps of the PHSCC in 1992.[5] She has published numerous articles and presented to organizations and professional groups. Prior to joining the USPHS, Trent-Adams was a nurse officer in the U.S. Army. She also served as a research nurse at the University of Maryland. Trent-Adams completed two internships in the U.S. Senate where she focused on the prospective payment system for skilled nursing facilities and scope of practice for nurses and psychologists. She has served as guest lecturer at the University of Maryland and Hampton University. Her clinical practice was in trauma, oncology, community health, and infectious disease. She serves as chair of the Federal Public Health Nurse Leadership Council, and the Federal Nursing Service Council.[4]
Acting Surgeon General of the United States[]
On April 21, 2017, Trent-Adams was named acting surgeon general, replacing Vice Admiral Vivek Murthy, a physician, who was relieved as surgeon general by the Trump administration.[6] In assuming the post, Trent-Adams became the second non-physician to serve as surgeon general. Robert A. Whitney, a veterinarian, served as the 17th (acting) surgeon general. She is the second nurse to serve in this role. Richard Carmona, who served in the role under George W. Bush, was both a nurse and a physician.[5][7][8] She was succeeded by Vice Admiral Jerome Adams on September 5, 2017.
Awards and decorations[]
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In 2017, she was awarded the Red Cross' Florence Nightingale Medal,[9] the highest international distinction in the nursing profession.
Personal life[]
Trent-Adams grew up on a farm in Concord, Virginia[10] and graduated from Appomattox County High School in 1983.[11] She is married to Dennis Adams and has two daughters.[3]
References[]
- ↑ HHS.gov Bio: Rear Admiral (RADM) Sylvia Trent-Adams, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.
- ↑ O'Shaughnessy, Patrice (July 2014). "From Candy Striper to Chief Nurse". Wolters Kluwer. pp. 68–69. http://www.nursingcenter.com/journalarticle?Article_ID=2504980&Journal_ID=54030&Issue_ID=2504712. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chandler, D.L. (April 22, 2017). "5 Things You Should Know About New Surgeon General Sylvia Trent-Adams". https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/5-things-know-new-surgeon-general-sylvia-trent-adams-211707607.html. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 (OSG), Office of the Surgeon General. "Biography of the Deputy Surgeon General" (in en-us). https://www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/biographies/bio-dsg.html.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Ivory, Danielle; Harris, Gardiner (April 21, 2017). "Nurse Replaces Surgeon General After Obama Appointee Resigns". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/us/politics/surgeon-general-trump-administration.html. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
- ↑ "Surgeon general dismissed, replaced by Trump administration" (in en). USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/04/21/surgeon-general-dismissed-replaced-trump-administration/100767454/.
- ↑ Who Is Acting Surgeon General Sylvia Trent-Adams? Michele Gorman. Newsweek. April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2017
- ↑ Surgeon general is removed by Trump administration, replaced by deputy for now Lenny Bernstein. Washington Post. April 22, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2017
- ↑ "Florence Nightingale Medal: Honouring exceptional nurses and nursing aides - 2017 recipients". International Committee of the Red Cross. May 12, 2017. https://www.icrc.org/en/document/florence-nightingale-medal-2017-recipients.
- ↑ Koerting, Katrina. "From Appomattox County roots to representing the U.S. for the WHO". http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/from-appomattox-county-roots-to-representing-the-u-s-for/article_3f7c09ae-91ed-11e3-8b14-001a4bcf6878.html. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- ↑ "Sylvia Trent-Adams gets big promotion in D.C. healthcare field". http://www.timesvirginian.com/news/article_bc5def72-8e6f-11e3-ad47-0019bb2963f4.html. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Sylvia Trent-Adams. |
- Sylvia Trent-Adams profile
The original article can be found at Sylvia Trent-Adams and the edit history here.