Stephen Holt was appointed as Chief Medical Officer for the VA Heart of Texas Healthcare Network (VISN 17), Arlington, Texas, on Oct. 23, 2022. During his VA career, Holt, a retired Air Force colonel, has worked as the acting VISN 17 chief medical officer for clinical services at VA North Texas Healthcare System in Dallas, Texas; the assistant chief of staff for education at VA Central Texas Healthcare System in Temple, Texas; the deputy chief of staff at the North Texas VA; the VISN 7 chief medical officer in Duluth, Georgia; and the executive medical center director at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in Chicago. Prior to his current appointment, Holt served as the executive medical center director at VA North Texas. Board certified in aerospace medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine, Holt also served as the aerospace medicine consultant to the U.S. Air Force Surgeon General, overseeing 3,500 personnel at 77 worldwide locations. Previously board certified in occupational and environmental medicine, he was the residency director and the graduate education chair for the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine Occupational Medicine Residency. Recognized as the 2011 VA Employee of the Year, Holt holds a medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Services, a master’s degree in Public Health, and master’s in National Resource Strategy. VISN (Veterans Integrated Service Network) 17 encompasses most of the state of Texas – approximately 240,000 square miles – and has administrative offices in Arlington and San Antonio. Currently, VISN 17 oversees seven medical centers located in Dallas, Temple, Big Spring, Amarillo, El Paso, San Antonio, and Harlingen.