Timothy Bonjour has extensively worked to advance academic, clinical training, and research which contributes significant value to the readiness of PAs and other healthcare providers caring for active duty servicemembers, veterans, and beneficiaries whether they are stateside or on the battlefield. Throughout his career, Lt Col Bonjour has led the Department of Defense’s largest post-graduate allied health education training platform with 24 programs advancing military healthcare.
Timothy J. Bonjour, “T.J.”, Lieutenant Colonel (retired), United States Air Force (USAF), enlisted in the US Air Force in 1988 retiring in 2018 after nearly 30 years of service. During his active-duty enlisted service, he served as an aide-de-camp with the 552d Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) unit. His next assignment began as a by-name request to serve in an enhance role on the Pentagon Air Staff as the Executive Officer to the USAF Chief and Vice Chief of Staff. In 1997, he attended the Interservice PA Program (IPAP) at Ft. Sam Houston, TX which culminated in his being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in May of 1999 at Langley Air Force Base (AFB), VA.
Timothy Bonjour quickly became intimately involved in US Air Force PA education in 2002, serving as the Interservice PA Program (IPAP) Program Director for Clinical Phase II training at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, and thereafter committed to build institutional education models for the Department of Defense. After 2 utilization assignments, Lt Col Bonjour completed his emergency medicine fellowship at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH in 2006 where he also served as the interim program director beginning the transformation of Air Force PA education.
In 2010, Lt Col Bonjour integrated US Air Force and US Army Emergency Medicine PA Residencies, Baylor University Graduate School, Doctor of Science program and served as the only US Air Force member to lead an integrated program. Next, he integrated US Air Force and US Army/Baylor University Doctor of Science General Surgery PA Residencies in 2014 followed by the US Air Force and US Army/Baylor University Doctor of Science Orthopaedic PA Residencies in 2015.
Lt Col Bonjour was the founding Interservice PA program director for new clinical training sites at Travis AFB, CA, David Grant Medical Center, and Joint Base San Antonio, Brooke Army Medical Center. Furthermore, he established new specialty training sites at Nellis AFB, NV and University Medical Center for emergency medicine and orthopaedic surgery at Travis AFB, CA. In 2019 he began a psychiatry PA program at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium, Brooke Army Medical Center and Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center/(SAUSHEC) as directed by the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. He opened each of the 4 post-graduate PA programs to tri-service partners in 2018. His educational pursuits and efforts were recognized by AAPA in 2014 awarding him the Federal Services PA of the Year Award for his efforts in PA education.
During his active-duty career, Timothy Bonjour participated in multiple deployment operations. His combat operations included OPERATION DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM, OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM, and supporting various worldwide state department and joint special operations contingencies. He is an experienced subject matter expert in emergency medicine, accomplished world-wide speaker, and course instructor. He has led instructional courses for foreign government military and civilian agencies in emergency medicine, trauma, and casualty care management.
Lt Col Bonjour currently serves as the Associate Dean of Graduate Allied Health Education at SAUSHEC, where he oversees the Department of Defense’s largest post-graduate allied health education training platform for 24 specialty programs collaborating with 58 physician graduate medical education programs. These force generation programs include 4 PA specialties and 6 doctoral programs along with accreditation requirements delivering high quality, competent medical specialists to the Military Health System.
Lt Col Timothy Bonjour earned his Bachelor of Science degree from University of Nebraska in 1999 and his Master’s Degree in 2001 respectively. In 2012, he completed his Doctor of Science in Physician Assistant Studies with a focus in Emergency Medicine from Baylor University. His university appointments include Associate Dean of Graduate Allied Health Education at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium; Associate Professor at Baylor University’s Graduate School/Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, the Interservice PA Program, and the University of Texas Health Sciences Center; and as an Assistant Professor for Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland.
Timothy Bonjour is a life member of the Veterans Caucus of the American Academy of Physician Associates. He served their Board of Directors as president-elect, president, past president, and Director at Large, from 2018‐2024. He continues to serve as the treasurer for the Caucus with a continued focus on endowments for veterans pursuing PA education.
Lt Col Bonjour is happily married to Sarah J. Bonjour and has 3 children and 2 grandchildren.
Acknowledgments: This biography was written by CAPT Robin Hunter-Buskey and Lt Col (ret) T.J. Bonjour and was submitted to the Society in January 2025. Photographs are courtesy of Lt Col (ret) Bonjour.
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Disclaimer: The authors’ views do not reflect the official policy of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
