Commencement

Vice Admiral Raquel Cruz Bono, MD, MBA, FACS is the first female surgeon in the U.S. military to hold the rank of vice admiral. A board-certified trauma surgeon, Dr. Bono is an inspiration and role model for all surgeons, especially female surgeons across the country and in the military.

She is currently the CEO of Medical iSight, a 3D imaging and guidance software company for intra-procedural navigational guidance. Previously, she was the chief health officer for Viking Cruises, establishing an industry-leading C-suite model that re-started and sustained the cruise line during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic. Before Viking, she was a gubernatorial appointee as the director of Washington State COVID-19 Health System Response Management, subsequently leading the state’s Pandemic Health Response.

Dr. Bono is a Senior Fellow with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. As the former chief executive officer (CEO) and director, Defense Health Agency (DHA), she led a joint, integrated combat support agency that enabled all branches of the U.S. military – Army, Navy, and Air Force – medical services to provide health care services to combatant commands. Dr. Bono integrated an unprecedented $50 billion worldwide health care enterprise composed of 50 hospitals and 300 clinical facilities that provide care to 9.5 million military beneficiaries; oversaw the Department of Defense (DoD) deployment of the electronic health record (EHR) system; and advanced the development of the largest integrated health system with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Her leadership positions in the DoD include: CEO/director, DHA (2015-2019); CEO/director, National Capital Region Medical Directorate (2013-2015); acting commander, Joint Task Force (JTF), National Capital Region (2013); command surgeon, U.S.

Pacific Command (2011-2013); chief of staff, TRICARE, DoD (2008-2010); commanding officer (CEO), Naval Hospital, Jacksonville, Florida (2005-2008); and was deployed to the first Gulf War as head of casualty receiving, Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm (1990-1991).

Dr. Bono received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, Austin, her Master of Business Administration from Washington State University, Spokane and her medical degree from Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, Lubbock. She completed her surgical internship and residency at the Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Virginia, and performed a trauma and critical care fellowship at the Eastern Virginia Graduate School of Medicine, in Norfolk, Virginia.