For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 9, 2007

Fact Sheet: The President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors
President Bush Names Seven Individuals To Join Bob Dole And Donna Shalala On Commission

White House News

      In Focus: Veterans

Today, The White House Released The Names Of Seven Individuals Chosen To Serve On The President's Commission On Care For America's Returning Wounded Warriors. On Tuesday, March 6, President Bush signed an Executive Order to establish this Commission, which will conduct a comprehensive review of the care America is providing our wounded servicemen and women returning from the battlefield.

These Seven Individuals Will Join Commission Co-Chairs, Former Senator Bob Dole And Former U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala. Commission members include two veterans wounded in Iraq, the wife of an Army Staff Sergeant wounded in Iraq, the Chairman and CEO of a non-profit that constructs "comfort homes" for families of hospitalized military personnel and veterans, two leaders in the health care industry, and an expert on veterans affairs and military health care.

• Marc Giammatteo: Marc Giammatteo is a student at Harvard Business School, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and a former Captain in the U.S. Army. In 2004, his leg was severely injured during a rocket propelled grenade attack in Iraq. He has undergone more than 30 surgeries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. From 2004 to 2007, he served as an Unofficial Patient Advocate at Walter Reed. He is a recipient of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
  
  
• Jose Ramos: Jose Ramos is a student at George Mason University, where he is pursuing a major in International Studies and minor in Islamic Studies and Arabic. While serving as a Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class in the U.S. Navy, he treated soldiers who were injured during unconventional warfare in Iraq. In 2004, during his second tour of duty in Iraq, he lost his arm during combat. He also served one tour of duty in Afghanistan.
  
  
• Tammy Edwards: Tammy Edwards is a Research Assistant at The Geneva Foundation. In 2005, her husband, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Christopher Edwards, was severely burned in Iraq when a 500-pound bomb exploded under his vehicle. Since her husband's injury, Tammy has provided support for family members of wounded veterans in her community of Cibolo, Texas. She received her bachelor's degree and her master's degree from Florida State University.
  
  
• Kenneth Fisher: Kenneth Fisher is Senior Partner of Fisher Brothers and Chairman and CEO of Fisher House Foundation, a not-for profit organization that constructs "comfort homes" for families of hospitalized military personnel and veterans. Fisher Houses serve 8,500 families every year at little to no cost. Mr. Fisher has more than 26 years of experience in the real estate industry and attended Ithaca College.
  
  
• C. Martin Harris: C. Martin Harris is Chief Information Officer and Chairman of the Information Technology Division at the Cleveland Clinic. He has been a practicing physician since 1987. He has served on government and private sector commissions that have addressed healthcare interoperability issues, including the Congressional Commission on Systemic Interoperability and as Chairman of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) National Health Information Infrastructure Task Force. Dr. Harris received his MBA from the Wharton School of Business and his MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
  
  
• Edward A. Eckenhoff: Edward A. Eckenhoff is Founder, President, and CEO of the National Rehabilitation Hospital and a Member of the District of Columbia Hospital Association Board of Directors. As the leader of one of the largest medical rehabilitation providers in the Washington-Baltimore area, he is an innovator in the field of rehabilitation medicine. Earlier in his career, he served as Vice President and Administrator at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. He received his bachelor's degree from Transylvania University in Kentucky and his master's degree in Health Care Administration from the Washington University School of Medicine.
  
  
• Gail Wilensky: Gail Wilenksy is an Economist and Senior Fellow at Project HOPE, an international health education foundation. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Task Force on Future Health Care at the U.S. Department of Defense. Earlier in her career, she served as the Chair of the President's Task Force to Improve Health Care Delivery for Our Nation's Veterans and Chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. She also directed the Medicare and Medicaid programs at the U.S. Department of the Health and Human Services. Dr. Wilensky received her bachelor's degree, her master's degree, and her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

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