Burke Resident Named To Nonpartisan White House Fellows Program

BURKE, VA — A Burke resident is among 14 people in the 2020-2021 class of the White House Fellows Program announced Thursday.

The fellowship is a nonpartisan program created by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and has continued through both Republican and Democratic administrations. According to a news release, the program "provides professionals from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to engage in public service for one year by serving in various roles in the Federal Government."

Josephine Nguyen of Burke, a commander and physician in the U.S. Navy, was placed as a fellow at the Department of Health and Human Services. Nguyen is the U.S. Navy Surgeon General’s senior dermatology consultant and won the Department of Defense’s 2018 Female Senior Physician Leadership Award. She is the former deputy chief medical executive for the CAPT Lovell Federal Health Care Center and led 1,140 Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense staff. She also served as flight surgeon and was forward-deployed on the USS Kitty Hawk in direct support of aviation squadrons. Her other roles have included the Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow, physician advisor to Congressman Kevin Brady, and national leadership positions in several medical organizations.

The White House Fellows were announced after a competitive selection process. The selections were based on professional accomplishments, leadership skills, potential for more growth, and a commitment to service. The fellows will spend one year as a full-time paid fellow to senior White House Staff, Cabinet secretaries, and other top-ranking government officials.