Brig. Gen. W. Bryan Gamble assumed the duties of deputy director, TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) in October 2011. As the TMA deputy director, Gamble directs the coordination of health care for 9.6 million uniformed service members, retirees and their families worldwide.
Before his assignment to TMA, Gamble commanded the Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Fort Gordon, Georgia from July 2009 to October 2011, and served as commander, Southeastern Regional Medical Command from July 2009 to October 2009. During this tour, he increased patient satisfaction, improved support for the rehabilitation of wounded, ill and injured service members in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, established a pilot site for reserve component integrated physical disability processing, and established an integrated approach for inpatient drug/alcohol rehabilitation, pain management, post-traumatic stress/traumatic brain injury care and physical/occupational therapy – the Fortitude Center concept. Gamble concurrently served as deputy commander, Southern Regional Medical Command and Readiness from October 2009 to October 2011 while commander of Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center.
Gamble’s distinguished U.S. Army medical career began in 1987 with his first assignment to Bassett Army Community Hospital as a general surgeon. In 1989, he began training in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and deployed with the 85th Evacuation Hospital during the first Gulf War. Upon completion of his training, Gamble joined the teaching staff at Walter Reed, was named assistant professor of surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and appointed consultant at the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute. Gamble then served as deputy commander for clinical services at the U.S. Army Aeromedical Center (USAAMC), Fort Rucker, Alabama from 1995 to 1997, and was appointed as consultant to the Army surgeon general for plastic and reconstructive surgery from 1995 to 2002. While at USAAMC, Gamble deployed in support of the Bosnian and Macedonian missions, training medics in the use of telemedicine. In 1997, Gamble served as division surgeon, 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Stewart, Georgia, deploying for Bright Star and Intrinsic Action missions. In 1999, he served as medical director and director of clinical operations for TMA in the office of the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. Assigned in 2000 as command surgeon at the National Defense University, Fort McNair, Virginia, he subsequently attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and earned a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy. In 2002, he assumed command of U.S. Army Medical Department Activity – Alaska at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and upon completion of that tour, Gamble served as the assistant deputy for health policy for the assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs from 2004 to 2005. In 2005, Gamble commanded Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, which serves the U.S. European Command region and is the primary receiving hospital for casualties from the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility. During this time, he oversaw the establishment of the first American College of Surgeons-accredited Level II Trauma Center outside the United States. Upon completing his tour of duty at Landstuhl in 2007, Gamble served as the CENTCOM command surgeon at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, where he was responsible for joint and coalition health services for military operations comprising 27 nations on the Arabian Peninsula, Horn of Africa, Red Sea and in Central Asia, including Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom from 2007 to 2009.
Gamble was born in North Carolina and raised in Connecticut. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1978 with degrees in food science and pre-medicine, and entered the Army through the Health Professions Scholarship Program. He earned his Doctorate of Medicine from Jefferson Medical College in 1982 and completed a residency in General Surgery at Saint Elizabeth's Hospital of Boston in 1987.
Gamble is a graduate of the U.S. Army Medical Department Advanced Course, Command and General Staff College and the Senior Service College. He earned the Flight Surgeon and Expert Field Medical Badges and has earned Board Certification in both general surgery and plastic surgery.