WASHINGTON — The American Medical Association (AMA) presented Lt. Gen. Mark Ediger, M.D., Surgeon General of the U.S. Air Force, with the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service.

Dr. Ediger has held many leadership roles since joining the Air Force in 1985, including as senior medical commander in the Air Force’s only special operations wing as it responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He was the Air Force component lead for joint medical support for thousands of wounded, ill and injured service members moved through Germany from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. An advocate for data and technology and their potential to assist patients and physicians, Dr. Ediger integrated Air Force medical analytics into a new performance management process and was instrumental in forming requirements for the Department of Defense electronic health record and data management strategy.

“Throughout his distinguished 33-year career, Dr. Ediger has directed 44,000 medical personnel—including four thousand active duty and two-thousand reserve physicians—to deliver high-quality care at home, abroad, and in combat,” said AMA Board Chair Gerald E. Harmon, M.D. “Over a career that has seen the world, medicine, and the challenges facing our armed forces and veterans all change, Dr. Ediger has been an unwavering, tireless advocate, public servant and patriot. His work today will make for a healthier tomorrow.”

Dr. Ediger was one of six honorees chosen this year to receive the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service. The award, named after the founding father of the AMA, recognizes elected and career officials in federal, state or municipal service whose outstanding contributions have promoted the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.

Dr. Ediger received his medical degree from the University of Missouri. The AMA presented Dr. Ediger the Dr. Nathan Davis Award last night at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. as part of the AMA’s National Advocacy Conference.