The University of Chicago UChicago CPOST

Joan Zajtchuk completed undergraduate, medical school and surgical residency at the University of Chicago. After her residency training (1971), she volunteered for active duty serving in Vietnam with her husband. This deployment to the 24th EVAC Hospital influenced their joint decision to pursue Army careers rather than in civilian academic medicine. Recognized as a pioneering woman surgeon and officer, she was promoted ahead of her peers twice. She was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal at Army retirement for developing the prototype for telemedicine used in deployments (1996).

She held professorial-level teaching positions and is well-published in clinical and basic science journals. She served on national specialty advisory boards. She was Chair and Program Director Oto/Head & Neck (1982-1990) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC). As consultant to the Army Surgeon General and Defense/Health Affairs, she addressed issues of manpower and training skills in her specialty needed for war-time deployments.

She represented military medicine on the first Department of Defense (DOD) mission to the Republic of China (1982). As the Commander, JTF Bravo Medical Element, Honduras (1985), she expanded the scope of the medical training exercises and revised the Manual of Low Intensity Conflict. She developed humanitarian assistance and medical exchange programs with foreign militaries. She was Class President, The Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Washington, D.C.(1990-1991). As the first military officer invited to the Russian Military Medical Academy, St. Petersburg (1991), she paved the way for DOD medical exchange programs with Russia. As the first woman Deputy Commander, WRAMC (1991-1994), she directed all medical center clinical operations and fifty graduate medical education (GME) training programs. She was the Chairperson in the consolidation of Triservice healthcare services and GME programs in the National Capital Area. As Special Assistant to the Army Surgeon General (1994-1996), she developed policies for peace-time health care and deployment medicine so that the DOD became the world leader in the digital health care technology revolution.

She received numerous US military awards. Her foreign awards include the Silver Health Medal, Republic of Vietnam (1971) and the Military Medal (3rd Grade), by order of The Sultan of Oman (1993). Her civilian awards include the Oto/H&N Academy Distinguished Service Award for Humanitarian Assistance (1990) and the Distinguished Service Award (1993) and the Alumni Service Award (2024), University of Chicago.

After Army retirement, she was Associate Dean, Medical Student Programs and Faculty Development, Rush Medical College (1998-1999) and Advanced Technology and International Health (1999-2003). The Oto/H&N Academy honored her as a woman pioneer in the permanent exhibit: “History of Women in Otolaryngology” (2019). She is a Life Member of the UChicago Medicine and Biological Sciences Council. She is Board Member of the Ryan Opera Center, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the premier training program for rising young opera singers (2004-present). She and her husband Russ Zajtchuk donated their historical military artifacts to the Army Medical Department Museum, San Antonio, TX. Their artifacts will be used for the development of a new exhibit, The Digital Revolution in Army Medicine.