By Anne Riker Garlington
As the Air Force’s associate deputy surgeon general, University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions alumnus Stephen “Steve” Mounts, M.H.A., M.B.A., provides guidance and expertise to a $6.1 billion, 44,000-person integrated health care delivery and readiness system serving 2.6 million beneficiaries at 76 military treatment facilities worldwide.
Mounts, who received a master’s in health administration and master’s in business administration in 1999, is the first senior executive service leader and the most senior civilian serving in support of the Air Force Medical Service.
In this role, he reports directly to the Air Force and Space Force surgeon general in support of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Air Force Chief of Staff, the Space Force Chief of Space Operations and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs on matters pertaining to the health of all service members.
He is directly responsible for Air Force medical service strategy and future concepts, operational medical policy development, congressional and public affairs, and he guides planning, programming, budgeting and execution of military medical personnel and programs in support of Air Force and Space Force missions.
For more than 30 years, Mounts served on active duty as a Medical Services Corps officer. Prior to his retirement in the grade of colonel, he served as the deputy to the assistant director of the Healthcare Administration in the Defense Health Agency.
He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and while on active duty, successfully commanded twice at the squadron level, once at the group level, and has served in multiple Major Command and Headquarters’ staff positions.
Recently, Mounts answered questions about his career and time at UF:
Question: How have your degrees from UF helped your career?
Answer: Both degrees were extremely valuable, exposing me to the practical aspects of health care and business administration, which were critical for my role in the Air Force, as well as having a positive impact in my current role.
Q: What was the best lesson you learned while at UF?
A: In both of my master’s programs, we did a lot of group work. I enjoyed collaborating with people and engaging as a team. Being accountable for an outcome alongside a group of people on a routine basis was refreshing and taught me a lot about myself.
I have carried that group work experience into my role in the Air Force. We emphasize diversity, acceptance and working toward a common goal. It doesn’t matter what you look like or where you came from, as everyone is on equal footing. Motivating groups to achieve something greater together, rather than relying on individuals working alone, has been a key lesson and approach I’ve adopted.
Q: Other than your current position, which of your career opportunities have made the most impact on you as an individual?
A: I had the unique opportunity to serve as the executive officer to the Air Force surgeon general, then Lt. Gen. Paul K. Carlton Jr., from November 2000-January 2022. I was a captain at the time and serving alongside our top Air Force medical leader was a tremendous opportunity to see enterprise level leadership. There is no greater professional development program than firsthand experience with a senior leader of his caliber.
We also experienced the events of September 11, 2001, together while at the Pentagon, which is a day we will never forget. In the days that followed, I grew more certain I had made the right choice to serve our country, the American people and defend our way of life.
Q: What is your current role?
A: I support the Air and Space Force surgeon general with keeping military personnel healthy and at optimum performance while preparing military medical personnel for world-wide contingency operations. We serve in a military headquarters working for the Department of Defense and specifically the Department of the Air Force in the Washington D.C. area. We partner with the Defense Health Agency, which oversees day-to-day health care delivery in the Military Health System (MHS).
As a health care administrator from the Air Force, have managed clinics, hospitals and medical centers, and now focus on finding the best ways to keep Airmen and Guardians medically ready to perform their jobs, or what we call “a ready force.” I also monitor how well we recruit, train and educate military medics to provide care when and where necessary.
Q: What is one of your biggest challenges now?
A: We are going through a major organizational change to better position the Air Force Medical Service to be successful in the new MHS model. In 2017, there was significant legislation that directed the MHS to transfer the oversight and management of military health care facilities to the Defense Health Agency, leaving each of the military services’ surgeons general responsible for readiness and expeditionary operations.
A change of this scale is very complex, and we are beginning to reorganize the Air Force Medical Service to establish a medical command structure. We know it’s the right thing to do and we are going to be very deliberate about ensuring we maintain our mission and take care of our people as we navigate these changes.
Q: What does public service mean to you?
A: I enjoy helping people to accomplish things in a smarter way. Creating ways to problem solve to improve the health care for our country is very rewarding, whether it’s locally in a neighborhood or at a national organization level. Our men and women in uniform and their families sacrifice a lot to serve our nation, and they deserve high quality health care when they need it.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: My wife and I like to keep an active lifestyle and a high level of personal fitness. Although I’m no longer in uniform, it is beneficial as a senior leader in military health care to set the example for others. We also enjoy traveling to Europe, being outdoors and socializing with friends.