Uniformed Services University Faculty Honored with 2026 AMSUS Awards for Federal Healthcare Leadership

Two distinguished Uniformed Services University faculty members earned national recognition at the 2026 AMSUS Annual Meeting for their exceptional contributions to military dentistry and psychiatric nursing.

A side-by-side composite image featuring two award presentations on a stage backed by blue curtains and ceremonial flags. In the left panel, a woman in a black suit holds a dark wooden plaque while shaking hands with a man in a dark suit and blue tie. In the right panel, a man in a U.S. Navy uniform holds a similar plaque and shakes hands with another man in a U.S. Navy uniform. A man wearing a dark suit and red tie stands smiling in the background of both photos.
Dr. Jouhayna Bajjani-Gebara (left) and Navy Cmdr. Dr. James Hawkins (right) accept their respective 2026
AMSUS Nursing and Dental awards during the society's annual meeting. (Photo credit: Sharon Holland, USU)

March 3, 2026 by Sharon Holland

Two faculty members from the Uniformed Services University (USU) recently earned national recognition at the AMSUS - Society of Federal Health Professionals Annual Meeting. Selected from nearly 300 submissions across 15 categories, they were honored for their outstanding contributions to federal healthcare professionals nationwide.

Navy Cmdr. Dr. James Hawkins, a faculty member in USU’s Postgraduate Dental College, received the 2026 AMSUS Dental Award. This honor recognizes a federal dentist who has made outstanding contributions as a clinician, researcher, educator, or healthcare executive. Hawkins serves as the chair of the Orofacial Pain department at the Naval Postgraduate Dental School in Bethesda, Maryland, and acts as the Navy Surgeon General’s Specialty Leader in Orofacial Pain.

His career demonstrates a sustained commitment to advancing operational dental readiness and graduate health professions education. Hawkins previously served as the program director for the Orofacial Pain residency and as co-chair of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain Guidelines Committee. An alumnus of USU, he earned a Master of Science in Oral Biology in 2015 and a Master of Education in Health Professions Education in 2024. Furthermore, Hawkins is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain and the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine.

Dr. Jouhayna Bajjani-Gebara, an associate professor in USU’s Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School of Nursing and the Psychiatric/Mental Health Doctor of Nursing Practice program, was presented with the 2026 AMSUS Nursing Award. The AMSUS Nursing Award recognizes a federal registered nurse exhibiting outstanding contributions as a clinician, researcher, educator, or healthcare executive. Bajjani-Gebara brings more than 20 years of experience in mental health practice, research, and education to her role.

As a licensed Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and Psychotherapist in Maryland, her clinical work focuses on adults with mental illness, as well as individuals and families experiencing psychological distress and adjustment challenges. Her scholarship centers on adjustment disorders, resilience, self-transcendence, and well-being. She teaches courses on statistics, evidence-based practice, and psychopharmacology in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program.

Additionally, she serves as the Principal Investigator of the federally funded Adjustment Disorders Research Program. This multi-study research initiative exceeds $4 million and investigates adjustment disorders within the U.S. military. Beyond her primary duties, Bajjani-Gebara has led numerous workshops for primary care physicians and nurses focusing on communication in difficult situations, counseling skills, and psychosocial interventions for war-affected populations. Her recent AMSUS Nursing Award adds to a distinguished list of recognitions, which includes USU’s Senior Research Investigator Award and multiple faculty excellence awards.

Dr. Jonathan Woodson, president of USU, praised the honorees for their dedication to military medicine.

“Dr. Hawkins and Dr. Bajjani-Gebara represent the very best of what the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences stands for—clinical excellence, scholarly rigor, and an unwavering commitment to those who serve,” Woodson said. “Their recognition by AMSUS among such an accomplished field of federal health professionals reflects not only their individual achievements, but also the strength of our faculty in advancing military medicine and federal healthcare.”