MG Thomas R. Tempel, Jr., CG of the Regional Medical Command - Central

Today’s guest is Major General Thomas R. Tempel, Jr., the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Regional Health Command – Central, and the Chief of the US Army Dental Corps. The Regional Health Command - Central is one of four geographic commands in the US Army Medical Department. The Regional Health Command - Central is the largest geographic command, and covers from Louisiana to Minnesota in the east and Southern California to Idaho in the west. It includes fourteen subordinate commands, including 12 hospitals and outpatient clinics, as well as the Dental Command - Central and the Public Health Command - Central. The Command provides care for more than 440,000 military beneficiaries, and in 2016 delivered 5.8 million clinic visits, 7,600 live births, and 57,000 admissions. Major General Tempel is a third generation member of the Army Medical Department. He entered active duty in 1991 as an Army dentist, serving with a variety of operational units including the 1st Special Forces, and commanded the 464th Dental Company while deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He later served in a series of clinical leadership roles including the Commander of the US Army Dental Command and the Commander of the Western Regional Medical Command before coming to his current role. I really enjoyed talking with Major General Tempel about his unusual career. We conclude with a brief discussion about his leadership philosophy, but I think you will get a sense of the kind of leader he is throughout the interview. For more information about this podcast, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org