COLONEL ROSS F. GRAHAM
Col (Dr) Ross F. Graham is the Commander, 1st Special Operations Medical Group, and Director, Hurlburt Military Treatment Facility, Hurlburt Field, Florida. In these capacities he leads 400 personnel supporting combat power by delivering highly reliable, patient-centered healthcare to 13,000 beneficiaries across three wings, 40 tenant units, and Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command. His team ensures the no-fail medical readiness of the Air Force’s most deployed wing while preparing medics for peer war.
Col Graham received his commission from the Air Force Academy in 2002 and Doctor of Medicine from the Uniformed Services University in 2011. He completed Emergency Medicine residency training at the San Antonio Military Medical Center in 2014. Col Graham is a prior Air Force pilot, an Air Force flight surgeon, and a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician. He has served as a Chief of Medical Staff, both deployed and in garrison. Additionally, he served as commander of a 170-member Operational Medical Readiness Squadron that provided full spectrum outpatient medical and dental care for 5,500 Airmen across Hawaii, including enroute patient staging for 200 annual INDOPACOM aeromedical evacuation missions. During this time, he led 15th Medical Group COVID operations and was consulted by the Hawaii Military Healthcare System as he authored COVID operational and clinical guidance used across Oahu. Col Graham has also served as Deputy Chief, HQ PACAF Medical Readiness Division where he was INDOPACOM’s Air Force component architect for austere, contested, expeditionary medical readiness with a 26-member team. Prior to his current position, Col Graham served as Chief of Operational and Aerospace Medicine at Joint Base Andrews where he oversaw medical readiness accomplished by 1,200 clinical staff at five joint and total force locations in the National Capitol Region serving 28,000 total force patients across five wings and Headquarters Air Force. He is happily married with five children.
EDUCATION
2002 Bachelor of Science, History, U.S. Air Force Academy, CO
2006 Life Support Officer Aircraft Accident Investigation, Brooks Air Force Base, TX
2007 Squadron Officer School in residence, Distinguished Graduate, Maxwell AFB, AL
2011 Doctor of Medicine, Uniformed Services University (USU), Bethesda, MD; research externships at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC), and the National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI)
2014 Emergency Medicine Residency, San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), San Antonio, TX
2016 Healthcare Management Course, Joint Medical Executive Skills Institute, Ft Sam Houston, TX
2017 Air Command and Staff College by correspondence, Maxwell AFB, AL
2019 Aerospace Medicine Primary Course, Top Graduate – Daedalian’s Tredici Award, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
2022 Master of Strategic Studies in residence with highest academic distinction, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL
2023 Contingency Wartime Planning Course, LeMay Center, Maxwell AFB, AL
2023 Joint Senior Medical Leaders Course, Defense Medical Readiness Institute, Falls Church, VA
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2002 – January 2003, Media Specialist, 34th Education Squadron, U.S. Air Force Academy, CO
2. February 2003 – March 2004, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus Air Force Base, MS
3. April 2004 – July 2004, T-37 Pilot Instructor Training, Randolph AFB, TX
4. August 2004 – July 2007, T-37 Instructor Pilot; Check Pilot; Wing Life Support Officer, 37th Flying Training Squadron, Columbus AFB, MS
5. August 2007 – May 2011, Medical student, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD
6. June 2011 – June 2014, Resident, then Chief Resident in Emergency Medicine, SAMMC, San Antonio, TX
7. July 2014 – June 2017, Assistant Professor of Military/Emergency Medicine; ED Medical Director; EMS Medical Director; ED Flight Commander; Deputy Chief of Medical Staff, 99th Medical Group, Nellis AFB, NV (July 2016– January 2017, Chief of Medical Staff, 379th Expeditionary Medical Group, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar)
8. July 2017 – June 2019, Chief of Medical Staff, 42d Medical Group, Maxwell AFB, AL
9. July 2019 – June 2020, Commander, 15th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, JBPH–Hickam, HI
10. July 2020 – June 2021, Commander, 15th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron, JBPH–Hickam, HI
11. July 2021 – May 2022, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL
12. June 2022 – August 2022, Chief, Global Health Engagement Branch, HQ Pacific Air Forces, JBPH-Hickam, HI
13. September 2022 – June 2024, Deputy Chief, Medical Readiness Division, HQ Pacific Air Forces, JBPH-Hickam, HI
14. July 2024 – June 2025, Chief of Aerospace and Operational Medicine, 316th Medical Group, JB Andrews, MD
15. July 2025 – Present, Commander, 1st Special Operations Medical Group; Director, Hurlburt Military Treatment Facility, Hurlburt Field, FL
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Pilot, Flight Surgeon, Parachutist
Flight Hours: 1,300
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, F-16, C-12
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with one silver oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award with one silver oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Air Force Overseas Ribbon-Long with one oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Expeditionary Service Ribbon
Air and Space Longevity Service with one silver oak leaf cluster
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air and Space Training Ribbon
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2002 Top Cadet in Military History, Major Richard Ira Bong Award, US Air Force Academy, CO
2004 Top Graduate, T-37 Pilot Instructor Training, Randolph AFB, TX
2011 Air Force Association’s Malcolm Grow Award for Outstanding Officership, USU, Bethesda, MD
2011 Hooper Award in Preventive Medicine for Outstanding Scholarship, USU, Bethesda, MD
2014 Emergency Medicine Outstanding Senior Resident Research Award, SAMMC, TX
2018 Air Education & Training Command Chief of Medical Staff Commitment to Excellence Award, Maxwell AFB, AL
2020 Goldfein-Wright Inclusive Leadership Team Award (as Squadron Commander), JBPH-Hickam, HI
2022 PACAF Headquarters Team of the Year (as Deputy Division Chief), JBPH-Hickam, HI
PUBLICATIONS
1. “Wing Level Operator Optimization – Case studies in human performance optimization,” Graham RF, Nelson P, et al., Presentation to AF’s annual SGP symposium, Brooks City-Base, TX, 2006.
2. “Medical Self Sufficiency in Austere Environments,” Graham RF, Comparative research presentation to Medical Directorate, JSC, NASA, August 2008.
3. “Hepatitis E Infectious Disease Risk Assessment “Go-By,” Graham RF, et al., NCMI, February 2011.
4. “A casualty tracking system modeled after air traffic control methodology employed in a combat support hospital in Iraq,” Graham RF, et al., Military Medicine, March 2011.
5. Intra-articular Morphine versus Lidocaine for Acute Knee Pain, Graham RF, et al., Journal of Special Operations Medicine, Summer 2014.
6. “Accelerating Change to Survive,” Graham RF, Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, April 2023.
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 29, 2002
First Lieutenant May 29, 2004
Captain May 29, 2006
Major Nov 25, 2014
Lieutenant Colonel May 30, 2019
Colonel June 1, 2024
(Current as of July 2025)