AHA Honors Two Federal Health Care Leaders With 2026 Federal Health Care Executive Awards

WASHINGTON (April 17, 2026) - The American Hospital Association (AHA) today announced that two federal hospital leaders will be honored for their outstanding service to the health care field. These awards recognize uniformed and non-uniformed federal health care executives who have distinguished themselves through a single significant achievement or multiple sustained achievements that have contributed to the mission of the federal health system. The awardees will be honored at the AHA's 2026 Annual Membership Meeting.

"Our federal health systems have contributed substantially to advancing care to better serve patients across both the federal and private sectors," said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. "We are honored to recognize Commander Vince Deguzman and Captain Elizabeth Adriano for their selfless leadership and devoted service to their patients and communities."

2026 Federal Health Care Executive Special Achievement Award: Commander Vince Deguzman, director for clinical support services, U.S. Navy Medicine and Training Command Okinawa, Okinawa, Japan

As the director for clinical support services at the U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Okinawa, the Navy's largest forward-deployed medical treatment facility, Commander Deguzman led transformative clinical and operational initiatives that advanced readiness, quality and access. He led a multi-million-dollar diagnostic imaging modernization initiative and helped establish the facility's first electromyography and pelvic-floor therapy programs, expanding rehabilitative capabilities and improving musculoskeletal recovery for patients. In addition, he championed the introduction of novel blood products that improved trauma survivability while expanding support for neonatal care and critical medical evaluations.

Deguzman pioneered the first joint blood-bank collaboration between Yokota Air Base and Yokosuka Naval Base, creating a scalable distribution network that strengthened blood-supply resilience for eight military treatment facilities, joint operations and pre-positioned ships. Also, Deguzman broadened his impact through service as president of the American College of Healthcare Executives Overseas Chapter, leading professional development and leader engagement efforts for more than 200 military and civilian health care professionals across Europe and the Pacific.

2026 Federal Health Care Executive Award for Excellence: Elizabeth Adriano, M.D., director, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, Calif.

The leadership of Capt. Adriano has resulted in significant improvements in patient care and substantial cost savings, and has strengthened the image of the federal health care system. Adriano spearheaded the expansion of the Virtual Medical Operations Center to 26 military treatment facilities. Her vision for joint tele-critical health capability has empowered smaller facilities to deliver advanced care, minimizing the need for outside transfers, enhancing 24/7 tele-critical care support and improving access to specialized medical services. Adriano championed the development and implementation of the Maxillofacial Restoration Program, which prioritizes restoring the entirety of a patient's health and function, and involves a team across nine clinical pathways, integrating specialized services and leveraging telehealth and 3D printing. Length of stay and the need for post-operative pain medication have been substantially reduced, and the return-to-duty rate and ability to eat by mouth for discharged patients have improved dramatically.

###

About the American Hospital Association (AHA)
The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA advocates on behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, our clinician partners - including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers - and the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides insight and education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.