Program Success 21 Black History 2021
FAMU Alum Promoted to Assistant U . S . Surgeon General
Florida A & M University ( FAMU ) alumnus , Rear Adm . Cedric Guyton , was promoted on February 1 to Assistant Surgeon General in the U . S . Public Health Service ( USPHS ). Before his promotion to Rear Adm ., Guyton already served in the role of deputy director , Division of Commissioned Corps Services .
As the deputy director of the Division of Commissioned Corps Services , Guyton is responsible for providing leadership and oversight of the development and implementation of officer recruitment , readiness and deployment , career management including assignments , separations , and promotions , and training services necessary to successfully manage the 6,100 active-duty officers of the USPHS Commissioned Corps .
Guyton said his promotion is a great lesson that it “ does not matter where you start your journey ; you just need to know where you want to go .
“ My promotion is a great reflection of the dedication and hard work of my village – my mother , my father , and my family ,” Guyton said . “ My family ensured that as an African American male , I made it out of the backwoods of Thomasville , Georgia .”
In his new role , Guyton is operationally in-charge of four senior leaders and 30 officers and civilian employees . He is also responsible for advising the director of Commissioned Corps Headquarters on the annual $ 28 million budgetary development process .
A two-time graduate of the FAMU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences , Institute of Public Health , ( COPPS ), he received a PharmD in 1998 and a master ’ s in Public Health in 2004 .
“ FAMU instilled in me the confidence , determination , and educational tools to survive and thrive in any professional environment .
My experiences in the COPPS while obtaining my doctorate and eventually MPH , prepared me to sit in the Pentagon to present IT budgets and project plans , fill prescriptions in underserved communities , and manage and lead public health programs within many divisions of Health and Human Services ,” said Guyton , who earned his bachelor ’ s from Albany State University .
“ I was raised to never make an excuse about where you come from but to focus on where you want to go ,” Guyton added . “ My promotion was proof that the experiences and expertise I obtained at the highest of seven hills propelled me the top of my career within the United States Public Health Service . I have been truly blessed with a great family , mentors , and professors .”
Guyton ’ s earlier assignments as a Public Health Service officer included serving as the lead project officer within the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation ( CMMI ) Policy and Programs Group and CMMI liaison to the Health and Human Services ( HHS ) Office of the National Coordinator ( ONC ). Prior to serving in CMMI , Guyton served as Defense Health Information Management Systems director of interagency and imaging , when he was responsible for management of $ 120 million in Health IT development , integration , and sustainment contracts .
In his first Corps assignment , Guyton served as clinical staff pharmacist in Whiteriver , Ariz ., and Tucson Area Indian Health Service ( IHS ) in 2007 as chief pharmacist of the San Xavier Indian Health Center . He also served as a Tucson Area IHS clinical applications coordinator and teleradiology program project officer during his tour .
Clyde Perry Brown , D . Ph ., a professor in the Institute of Public Health , was Guyton ’ s adviser in the master ’ s program . Guyton was a joy to teach and interact with , Brown said .