Shan K. Bagby

Shan K. Bagby is a United States Army brigadier general and the 28th Chief of the Army Dental Corps. Bagby also serves as the Commanding General, Regional Health Command-Central. Bagby, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, was the Army's first Foundational Black American dental officer promoted to brigadier general.

Bagby, a commissioned officer for more than 30 years, has held many command and staff positions. Of note, Bagby served as Commanding General, Brooke Army Medical Center, the Military Health System's largest and most complex hospital and sole Level I Trauma Center. He previously served as Deputy Commanding General (Support) for United States Army Medical Command, working directly for the United States Army Surgeon General and Commanding General, United States Army Medical Command. Bagby is a Fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and Board Certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Early life and education Bagby enrolled in the ROTC at Rutgers University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics. He also participated in the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program at Rutgers and received a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve upon graduation in May 1989.

Bagby earned a Doctor of Dental Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, followed by an internship and residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery from Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, and a fellowship in oral and maxillofacial surgery (trauma) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas. He earned his Master of Healthcare Administration from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and a master's degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Bagby is a fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and is board certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Bagby is also a member of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS), Association of the U.S. Army, Baylor University Alumni Association, Rutgers University Alumni Association, University of Pittsburgh Alumni Association, American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, American College of Dentists, American College of Healthcare Executives, American Dental Association and Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Military career Bagby has held a variety of command and staff positions and rising to the rank of brigadier general. Bagby's historic promotion as the first black Army dental officer to become a general officer took place on Sept. 1, 2018. “I stand on the shoulders of great ancestors in the past and great mentors in the present of every gender, every race, every nationality and every walk of life.” Bagby said during his promotion ceremony.

He recently served as Deputy Commanding General (Support) for U.S. Army Medical Command, working directly for the U.S. Army Surgeon General and Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command.

On June 26, 2020, Bagby again made history as the first African-American Commanding General of Brooke Army Medical Center. As Commanding General, Bagby oversees more than 23,000 personnel assigned to RHC-C, which supports over 500,000 beneficiaries in eight states. He also continues to serve as the Chief, U.S. Army Dental Corps.

Awards and honors

Badges

Medals Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clustersBronze Star MedalMeritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clustersArmy Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clustersArmy Achievement Medal with one oak leaf clusterMeritorious Unit CommendationNational Defense Service MedalIraq Campaign Medal with two bronze service starsArmed Forces Service MedalHumanitarian Service Medal Global War on Terrorism Service MedalOverseas Service Ribbon (2 awards)

Army Surgeon General’s “A” Proficiency Designator

Member of the Order of Military Medical Merit

Publications and manuscripts

Bagby SK; Examining Intuition's Role as a Decision Making Tool for Military Leaders. United States Army War College Class of 2015 Strategy Research Project. Bagby SK; Acute Management of Facial Burns. Oral & Maxillofacial Surg Clin N Am 2005 Aug; 17(3):267-72 Patterson AL, Bagby SK; Posterior Vertical Body Osteotomy (PVBO): A Predictable Rescue Procedure for Proximal Segment Fracture During Sagittal Split Ramus Osteotomy of the Mandible. Journal of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery 1999 Apr; 57(4): 475–7 Black E, Atchison K, Shetty V, Leathers R, Bagby S, Delrahim S: The Relationship of Substance Abuse to Orofacial Injuries in an Inner City Population. Int. J Oral Biology 1998; 23, 47 – 52 Bagby SK, Rutherford FC, Gleason-Jordan IO; Solid-Type Gastrointestinal Epithelial Choristoma of the Tongue: Report of a Case. Journal of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery 1998 Aug; 56(8): 988-90 Bagby SK, Black E; Substance Abuse and Its Relationship to Orofacial Injuries in an Inner City Population. National Institute for Dental Research Abstracts 1997 Jan