LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Col. (Dr.) Joyce Adkins, 633d Medical Operations Squadron commander, earned the 2011 National Public Service award at the American Society for Public Administration Banquet in Baltimore March 14.
"I am deeply honored," Colonel Adkins said. "The opportunity to serve and support the men and women who defend our nation's freedom is reward in itself."
Colonel Adkins' career includes more than 26 years of public service across 12 duty assignments in the Air Force and Department of Defense. Regarded as a pioneer in the psychology community, she has been recognized for her clinical skills in mental health, substance abuse and behavioral medicine.
Col. (Dr.) Eric Stone, 633d Medical Group commander, nominated Colonel Adkins for the award in January.
"Colonel Adkins' innovative ideas have played a key role in the transformation of psychological health for our deployed warriors," said Colonel Stone.
Colonel Adkins is a preeminent leader in the field of deployment health, having been instrumental in establishing clinical practice guidelines and communication practices to provide a scientific basis to better meet the healthcare needs of military personnel and their families. She designed and implemented the Post-Deployment Health Reassessment program to identify and treat health concerns following combat deployments and re-engineered psychological health and traumatic brain injury services for military personnel and veterans.