Florida Veteran Health Heroes

Page 5 DR. HARRY FRANK FARMER JR. Dr. Harry Frank Farmer, Jr., former Florida State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health, entered the medical field in 1976 after being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army where he served on active duty in Vietnam. “I always had an interest in medicine, really starting with my doctoral dissertation which was on the development of public health agencies in the south,” Dr. Farmer said. After earning his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia and completing a residency in Internal Medicine at University Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, Dr. Farmer reentered military service in 1984 and served in the Florida National Guard as a Battalion Surgeon until 1994, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. From 1994 until his retirement, he served as a Flight Surgeon in the U.S. Air Force. He retired from the military in 2004 as a Colonel, having received three Meritorious Service Medals and numerous honors. Dr. Farmer’s service to public health was exemplified not only in the military but in his various civilian roles as well. He served as the President of the Florida Medical Association during one of our nation’s most harrowing times, September 11, 2001. During this time, he served an integral role in preparing Florida’s leaders and physicians for potential bioterrorism attacks, using his military expertise and his public health savvy to protect the public from any and all threats. In 2004, Dr. Farmer was appointed to the Florida Board of Medicine where he was elected to serve as Chairman from 2007 to 2008. In 2011, Dr. Farmer was selected by Governor Rick Scott to serve as Florida State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health. During his tenure with the Department of Health, he focused his efforts on combating Florida’s pill mill and prescription-drug abuse epidemic. He directed the setup of the state’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and provided essential oversight for the closure of hundreds of illegal pill mills throughout the state. He also pushed through integral legislation that changed the landscape of pain management clinic regulation, making Florida a safer place to live, work and visit.