President Michael H. Mittelman, OD, MPH, MBA, FAAO, FACHE
Dr. Michael H. Mittelman, inducted in July 2013 as the sixth president of Salus University (established by the Pennsylvania College of Optometry), now Salus at Drexel University, brings a remarkably unique global perspective to Salus/Drexel, American professional medical education, and the rapidly changing landscape of research and healthcare delivery. Beginning as a Navy optometrist following his 1980 graduation from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Dr. Mittelman served with distinction for more than three decades in the U.S. Navy in a succession of increasingly responsible, mission-critical command positions. Prior to his appointment by the Salus University Board of Trustees, Dr. Mittelman was Deputy Surgeon General of the Navy and had achieved the rank of Rear Admiral (Upper Half). His exemplary career included posts around the world – covering land, sea and air responsibilities – as he became one of the most influential medical professionals to serve in the American military.
A partial listing of his accomplishments include:
- The first Navy aerospace optometrist
- The first optometrist to command a major naval hospital (Naval Hospital, Okinawa, Japan)
- The first and only clinician to lead the Navy Medical Service Corps.
- The first non-medical doctor to serve as a combatant command surgeon in the U.S. Pacific Command, which is the nation’s largest covering more than 60 percent of the world’s population, including China, Russia, North Korea, and India
- The first non-medical doctor to serve as the command surgeon for the U.S. Joint Forces
- Command and Allied Command Transformation (NATO)
While serving in Japan, Dr. Mittelman directed the comprehensive U.S. military medical response as part of Operation Tomodachi (Operation Friends) following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The life-saving emergency response operation involved dozens of naval vessels, more than 150 aircraft, and upwards of 24,000 service personnel.
In addition to being a highly decorated naval officer, Dr. Mittelman has been recognized by his medical peers. He is a:
- Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Society of Federal Healthcare Professionals (AMSUS)
- Secretary of The Seeing Eye Board of Trustees
- Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE)
- Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO)
- Diplomate in the FAAO Section in Public Health and Environmental Vision
- Member of the American Optometric Association and recipient of its 2012 Distinguished Service Award
- Past president of the Armed Forces Optometric Society and recipient of its Orion Award
- Recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Service Award of the American Optometric Association (AOA)
- 2022 Veterans of Influence honoree from the Philadelphia Business Journal
- 2024 inaugural recipient of the Rear Admiral (RADM) Michael H. Mittelman Award for Excellence in Navy Aerospace Optometry
Dr. Mittelman, a New York native (City of Long Beach, Nassau County), earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Jacksonville University in 1975 and a Master of Public Health degree (MPH) from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1990. He graduated from the Naval War College non-resident program in 1991. Dr. Mittelman earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Temple University in 2019. The father of three daughters, he and his wife now reside in Pennsylvania.