U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Health Service Corps Deputy Medical Director Jamal Gwathney, MD, MPH, CCHP, has been elected to a three-year term on the NCCHC Certified Correctional Health Professional (CCHP) Board of Trustees. Dr. Gwathney, who joined ICE three years ago, has been in correctional medicine for 12 years, previously serving as a clinical director and medical officer for the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons. He earned his CCHP certification in 2019.
Dr. Gwathney’s term on the Board of Trustees begins on October 20, 2024, and will continue through 2027. In this role, he will contribute to the critical task of overseeing the CCHP program, which includes responsibilities such as shaping examination content, evaluating scoring processes, and awarding CCHP and specialty certifications to qualified candidates.
Throughout his career as a United States Public Health Service commissioned officer, Dr. Gwathney has received numerous accolades, including USPHS Clinical Physician of the Year, Presidential Unit Citations, a Meritorious Service Medal, and two Outstanding Service Medals. He has been involved in key public health initiatives, including the federal government’s COVID-19 response, the Ebola response, and the Flint, Michigan water crisis. In 2016, Dr. Gwathney was honored with the University of Maryland Alumni Association Humanitarian Award.
Dr. Gwathney is a distinguished alumnus of the University of Maryland, where he graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Cell Physiology & Neurobiology. He earned his Master of Public Health from Loma Linda University and his MD from the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and has served in several faculty positions, most recently as an associate clinical professor at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine.
In his candidate statement, Dr. Gwathney emphasized his pioneering efforts in introducing new services within the Bureau of Prisons, the importance of innovation in delivering quality correctional health care, and the urgent need to expand the pool of qualified clinical providers.
Upon receiving news of his election, Dr. Gwathney said, “I’d like to thank all those that supported this candidacy and I will do my very best to uphold and advance the mission and vision of the NCCHC and CCHP Board.”