Raquel C. Bono, MD

ADVISOR

For nearly 30 years Vice Admiral Raquel C. Bono, MD, MBA, FACS, served with honor and distinction as a highly respected Naval Officer and the first woman surgeon in the military to hold the rank of Vice Admiral.
Currently working as the Chief Health Officer, Viking Cruises whose Health and Safety Program permitted uninterrupted cruising during the pandemic. She previously served as the Washington State COVID-19 Health System Response and Pandemic Management director. Bono is also a Senior Fellow with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. As the former chief executive officer (CEO) and director, Defense Health Agency (DHA), Vice Admiral (Dr.) Bono led a joint, integrated combat support agency that enabled all branches of the U.S. military – Army, Navy, and Air Force – medical services to provide health care services to combatant commands. Dr. Bono integrated an unprecedented $50 billion worldwide health care enterprise composed of 50 hospitals and 300 clinics that provide care to 9.5 million military beneficiaries; oversaw the Department of Defense (DoD) deployment of the electronic health record (EHR) system; and advanced the development of the largest federated health system with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
A board-certified trauma surgeon, Dr. Bono is an inspiration and role model for all surgeons, especially female surgeons across the country and in the military. Dr. Bono received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, Austin; her Master of Business Administration from Washington State University, Spokane; and her medical degree from Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, Lubbock. She completed her surgical internship and residency at the Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, VA and performed a trauma and critical care fellowship at the Eastern Virginia Graduate School of Medicine, Norfolk.