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Joan Engel, |
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A native of St. Marys, PA, Rear Admiral (Upper Half) Joan M. Engel is a 1961 graduate of Mercy Hospital School of Nursing, Buffalo, NY. She received a Bachelor of Education in Public School Nursing from Clarion University, Clarion, PA in 1969. She subsequently entered the Navy Nurse Corps and was commissioned a Lieutenant. In 1981, Rear Admiral Engel earned a Master of Science in Nursing with a dual major in Community Health Nursing and Nursing Administration from the University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama. On January 31, 2000 Rear Admiral Engel retired as the Assistant Chief, Operational Medicine and Fleet Support, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Washington, DC, a position she held since August 1996. In this capacity she exercised day-to-day executive management and oversight for the implementation of all medical programs that pertain to Navy and Marine Corps operational support; and the development and implementation of medical research, development, test and evaluation requirements for Navy Medicine. From October 1994 to August 1998, Rear Admiral Engel served as the 18th Director, Navy Nurse Corps. As Director, she advanced the roles of over 5,000 Nurse Corps officers and provided critical interface with numerous national subcommittees and collaboration with federal legislative actions to ensure support for the health care system well into the future. During this time, she concurrently served as the Assistant Chief, Personnel Management, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED). With the disestablishment of the Health Sciences Education and Training Command in October 1995, she became the Assistant Chief, Education, Training and Personnel, directing the accession and training of 11,000 Medical Department officer personnel and the training of 29,000 hospital corpsman and dental technicians. Rear Admiral Engel’s clinical assignments: Branch Clinics Iwakuni, Japan and LaMaddalena, Sardinia; and Naval Hospitals in Millington TN; Charleston, SC; Jacksonville, FL; Newport, RI; and Pensacola, FL. Administrative highlights include: Nurse Corps Detailer, BUMED; Assistant Chief of Staff for Logistics, Naval Medical Command, Northeast Region, Great Lakes, IL; Naval Inspector General staff, Washington, DC; Naval Medical Inspector General staff, BUMED; Deputy Director, Navy Nurse Corps, Washington, DC. She was the first non-physician to serve as the Assistant Chief, Operational Medicine and Fleet Support and was the first Nurse Corps officer to be selected by board action for promotion to Rear Admiral (Upper Half). Her military awards include: Legion of Merit (three awards); Meritorious Service Medal (four awards); Navy Commendation Medal (two awards), and National Defense Medal (two awards). She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and a Wharton Fellow. She is a member of the American Nurses Association, Pennsylvania Nurses Association, the American Organization of Nurse Executives, Sigma Theta Tau, the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States, and holds an honorary fellowship in the American Academy of Medical Administrators. She is also an honorary Master Chief Petty Officer. In 1998, she received Distinguished Alumni Awards from Clarion University and the University of Alabama, School of Nursing. In 2002, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Public Service Degree from Clarion University and the President’s Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians. Since her retirement, Rear Admiral Engel worked for a short time as a consultant for GeoCenter, Inc. Rockville, MD. She is currently serving as the President of the Pensacola Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, and Chair of the Chapter’s ROTC/JROTC Awards Program. She is the Chair of the Scholarship Committee of the Northwest Florida Waves Unit #53. She is a member of the Escambia County Veterans Roundtable and a member of the St. Michael Interparochial School Board. Rear Admiral Engel is married to Lieutenant Colonel Walter R. Limbach, United States Marine Corps (retired). They reside in Pensacola. |
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