WASHINGTON, March 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that White House doctor Ronny Jackson will replace David Shulkin to be the next Veterans Affairs secretary.
Jackson, a rear admiral of the U.S. Navy, has served as White House physician during the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
He, who has been monitoring Trump's health since the latter took office, came to public attention earlier this year when he showed up at the White House briefing room to defend Trump's physical and mental health amid concerns over the president's fitness for office.
Jackson was appointed as physician to the president by former President Barack Obama in 2013, after having served on the White House medical team since 2006.
"Admiral Jackson is highly trained and qualified and as a service member himself, he has seen firsthand the tremendous sacrifice our veterans make and has a deep appreciation for the debt our great country owes them," Trump said in a statement announcing the nomination.
Over his time serving the White House, Jackson, 50, has directed the Executive Health Care for the President's Cabinet and Senior Staff, served as physician supervisor for the Camp David Presidential Retreat, held the position of physician to the White House and led the White House Medical Unit as its director.
A native of Levelland, Texas, Jackson graduated from Texas A&M University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology, then went on to attend medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch. After graduating in 1995 with his Doctor of Medicine, he began his active duty naval service.
Qualified in submarine and hyperbaric medicine, Jackson was successively appointed as instructor at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Florida and diving safety officer at the Naval Safety Center in Norfolk, Virginia.
In 2001, Jackson returned to Portsmouth Naval Medical Center in Virginia to begin his residency in emergency medicine.
Upon completing his residency in 2004, he was assigned as clinical faculty in the Emergency Medicine Residency Program at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia.
In 2005, he joined the 2nd Marine Regiment, Combat Logistics Regiment 25, in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
From there he was deployed as the emergency medicine physician in Taqaddum military base in central Iraq during the Iraq War.
The department that Jackson is about to run is responsible for the benefits and health care of 9 million military veterans in more than 1,700 government-run health facilities, as well as national veterans' memorials and cemeteries.