Peter M. Rhee, MD, MPH | |
---|---|
Born |
Seoul, South Korea |
September 18, 1961
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/branch | United States Navy |
Rank | Captain |
Commands held | Navy Trauma Training Center at Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center |
Battles/wars |
Operation Enduring Freedom Iraq War |
Awards |
Defense Meritorious Service Medal Navy Commendation Medal |
Other work |
|
Peter Meong Rhee (born September 18, 1961) is an American surgeon, medical professor, and military veteran. During his 24 years in the United States Navy, Rhee served as a battlefield casualty physician in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Formerly a Professor of Surgery and the Chief of Trauma, Critical Care, and Burn and Emergency Surgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine until 2016, he now serves as the Chief of Acute Care Surgery and as Medical Director of the Marcus Trauma Center at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. He rose to national prominence when he served as the attending physician to U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, as well as other victims, following the 2011 Tucson shooting.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Peter Rhee lived for several years in Uganda as his father, also a doctor, worked in the Peace Corps. The elder Rhee moved the family to the United States when his son was 10 to get a better education. The family was raised in a small Pennsylvania town, south of Pittsburgh. His father was an anesthesiologist at Uniontown Hospital. The younger Rhee graduated in 1979 from Laurel Highlands High School in Fayette County. In 1983, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Health Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. In 1987, Rhee earned his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine. He also earned a master's degree in Public Health from the University of Washington Department of Health Services. In 1999, he earned a diploma in Medical Care of Catastrophes from the Society of Apothecaries of London.