ATSU-KCOM announces keynote commencement speaker
Posted: March 29, 2013
Kirksville, Mo. – A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) will welcome back a distinguished alumnus for its annual May commencement ceremony. J.D. Polk, DO, MS, MMM, CPE, FACOEP, ’93, will serve as his alma mater’s upcoming commencement speaker. Dr. Polk serves as principal deputy assistant secretary for health affairs and deputy chief medical officer for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Prior to his work at DHS, Dr. Polk was the deputy chief medical officer and chief of space medicine for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Johnson Space Center and an assistant professor in the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Emergency Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He is the former state emergency medical services medical director for the state of Ohio and former chief of Metro Life Flight in Cleveland, Ohio. He was previously a member of the State Trauma Committee for the state of Ohio.
Dr. Polk has been active in the local, state, and federal emergency services and preparedness planning throughout his career. In addition, he is a member of the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, a fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians, and an associate fellow of the Aerospace Medicine Association.
ATSU-KCOM’s commencement will be held at 10 a.m., May 18, 2013, in Baldwin Hall at Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo.