Lee Norman, MD, MHS, MBA, The University of Kansas Hospital senior vice president and chief medical officer, has been named State Surgeon of Kansas by the Kansas Adjutant General, Major General Lee Tafanelli. Norman, an officer in the Kansas Army National Guard, will remain in his current hospital position.
As State Surgeon, Dr. Norman will serve as senior medical advisor to the Adjutant General and have responsibility for troop readiness, medical policy, and oversight of the medical assets related to the civil support team, the military unit that provides on-site chemical and biological surveillance at major sporting events and public gatherings. Additionally, he will serve as liaison between local, regional, and statewide emergency management organizations and state and federal health agencies.
Dr. Norman is a standing member of the Kansas Intelligence Fusion Center Bio-Threat Team, a multi-disciplinary group which monitors infectious disease trends with the goal of reducing disease risk to residents of Kansas and beyond.
In the video, Dr. Norman explains what the word “surgeon” in the title means and what he’ll be doing, why preparedness is so important for the state, the three most important things he wants to accomplish and why the concept of “citizen soldiers” is so important.