David Shulkin out as Secretary of Veterans Affairs

(RNN) - David J. Shulkin is out as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Pres. Donald Trump announced on Twitter Wednesday that his personal physician Ronny L. Jackson will be nominated to serve as the next VA secretary. Robert Wilkie of the Department of Defense will serve as the acting VA secretary.

Shulkin served as the ninth United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He was nominated by Trump and unanimously confirmed by the Senate after serving as the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health from 2015 until 2017 during the presidency of Barack Obama.

"He's fantastic," Trump said of Shulkin. "He will do a truly great job."

Shulkin received his bachelor's degree from Hampshire College and his medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, which is now known as Drexel University.

He completed his internship at Yale University School of Medicine and a residency and fellowship in General Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Presbyterian Medical Center.

He also received advanced training in outcomes research and economics as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania.

Shulkin is the former president and CEO of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.

As a board-certified internist, Shulkin held numerous chief executive roles at Morristown Medical Center, and the Atlantic Health System Accountable Care Organization.

 Shulkin was named one of the “50 Most Influential Physician Executives in the Country” by Modern Healthcare. He was also previously named among the “One Hundred Most Influential People in American Healthcare.”

Trump has pledged to overhaul the VA, a department that has seen a large influx of veterans from the Vietnam War, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Shulkin, 58, was born in Highland Park, Illinois. He is married to Merle Bari, and they have two adult children together. 

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