Salt Lake doctor and Navy Reserve Rear Adm. James Fowler has been named as the Navy's surgeon general for reserve affairs.
Fowler, 57, has a medical practice at St. Mark's Hospital, was formerly deputy surgeon general for reserve affairs and now heads the medical corps for all Navy Reserve medical department activities.He was commissioned as a Navy officer in 1959 and served as a flight surgeon, including war-time duty in Vietnam, where he flew 120 medical evacuation missions. He was released from active duty in 1969. His Navy rank is equivalent to that of a two-star general.
Fowler is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon specializing in surgery of the hand and upper extremities. Besides practicing medicine at St. Mark's Hospital, he is a clinical associate professor at the University of Utah Medical Cen-ter.
Fowler said his responsibilities as surgeon general require him to spend about one-third of his time in Washington. That poses a challenge to his Salt Lake medical practice but works out because of supportive associates, office staff and patients. Most of his surgical calendar can be coordinated with his military responsibility, but he handles fewer emergency cases than he did in the past.
Fowler said he also visits the Navy's reserve center at Fort Douglas about three times a week. "That gives you a feel for how things are going at the grass-roots level."
Maintaining that contact is important in Fowler's job because of his role as a policymaker. It also helps him appreciate balance needed in the Navy, especially at a time when the military is cutting back its strength in all branches, he said. "We need to take care of our people. At the same time, we need to bring down our infrastructure."
Downsizing, or "rightsizing," the Navy is a task with complexities different than in other branches of the military, especially in the medical corps, because one-third of the Navy's medical staff is aboard ship at any given time.
An aircraft carrier, for example, is like a town with a population of 5,000. The staff on board cannot be reduced by a given percentage and still function properly, so the activity of entire vessel has to be taken into consideration when making cuts.
The Navy Reserve has a Utah presence that is small - and shrinking. A medical unit in Ogden is closing. "That is certainly inconvenient for them, but it is best for the Navy," he said. Reservists from Ogden will have the option of commuting to Salt Lake City for reserve drills, he said.
Positive changes for the Navy Reserve, supported by the Pentagon, include better integration with the active military and better training.
And despite the military's shrinking size, "There are still a lot of spots open for medical personnel."
Fowler, a Georgia native, has lived in Salt Lake City with his wife, Ute, for 20 years.