Maj. Gen. Nadja West has been sworn in as the Army's new surgeon general.
West, who most recently served as the Joint Staff surgeon at the Pentagon, was sworn in Friday by Acting Army Secretary Eric Fanning.
She succeeds Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho, who is retiring Tuesday.
In addition to being the Army surgeon general, West also will serve as commanding general of U.S. Army Medical Command.
As part of her new assignment, West will soon be promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. This will make her the first black woman in the Army to hold that rank, according to information from MEDCOM. West also is the Army's first black surgeon general.
West, a West Point graduate, has a doctorate of medicine from George Washington University School of Medicine.
She has served as commanding general of Europe Regional Medical Command, commander of Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and as the division surgeon for the 1st Armored Division.
As surgeon general, West will provide advice and assistance to the Army secretary and chief of staff on all health care matters pertaining to the Army and its military health care system. She will be responsible for the development, policy direction, organization and overall management of an integrated Army-wide health service system.
As commander of MEDCOM, West will oversee more than 48 medical treatment facilities that provide care to nearly 4 million active-duty members of all services, retirees, and their family members.
Horoho served as surgeon general and MEDCOM commander since December 2011. A 33-year soldier and nurse, Horoho was the first woman and first non-physician to hold both jobs.
She will be honored Tuesday during a retirement ceremony at Fort Myer, Virginia.
