Gerlinger Tad L

COL(Ret) Gerlinger was commissioned from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York and awarded a Bachelor of Science degree. He graduated from medical school at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences(USUHS), Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Gerlinger completed a Transitional Internship at Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, Orthopaedic Surgery Residency at Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, Washington, and a Fellowship in Adult Reconstruction at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois. His military education includes the Army Medical Department Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Army Flight Surgeon Course(Distinguished Honor Graduate), Navy Undersea Medicine Course, Jumpmaster School(Honor Graduate), Airborne and Air Assault School. Additionally, he is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College. COL(Ret) Gerlinger served as the Program Director, San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium(SAUSHEC) Orthopaedic Surgery Residency from 2008 to 2013, and as Chief of Adult Reconstruction, San Antonio Military Medical Center(SAMMC) since 2005. The SAUSHEC Orthopaedic Surgery Residency is the largest Orthopaedic Residency in the Department of Defense(DoD) and SAMMC is the DoD’s only Level I Trauma Center. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and is an Associate Professor of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and an Assistant Professor of Surgery, Rush University. COL(Ret) Gerlinger deployed to Kosovo with Task Force Falcon, Operation Joint Guardian, in 2001. He served with the 274th Forward Surgical Team (Airborne), the first FST deployed into Afghanistan, for Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001. Dr. Gerlinger served with the Joint Special Operations Task Force in the initial actions of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003. He returned to Afghanistan in 2011 with the 936th Forward Surgical Team, serving with the Norwegian Provincial Reconstruction Team at Forward Operating Base Meymaneh. COL(Ret) Gerlinger’s decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal(with Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Commendation Medal(with Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Achievement Medal(2 Oak Leaf Clusters), Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Joint Meritorious Unit Award. He has also been awarded the Combat Medical Badge twice, Expert Field Medical Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, Air Assault badge, and Australian, Romanian and Egyptian Parachutist Badges. COL Gerlinger is a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit, is a Ridder, Den Blodrøde Bondasjes Orden (Knight, Order of the Blood Red Bandage-Norway), has been awarded the Surgeon General’s ‘A’ Proficiency Designator, and is an Eagle Scout. COL(Ret) Gerlinger is a Past President of the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons and former Co-Program Director for the SOMOS/AAOS/OTA Disaster Response Course. He has served as a Representative, Board of Specialty Societies, and on the Education Committee for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a Consultant on the International Committee Disaster Preparedness Project Team, the Central Instructional Course Committee, and the Educational Track Committee for the AAOS. He is also a reviewer for Military Medicine and the Journal of Arthroplasty, and is the originating online co-editor for the ‘Disaster Preparedness Toolbox’, Wheelessonline.com. Currently he serves as a Co-director of the Adult Reconstruction Fellowship at Rush.