Dr. Kiser is a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral and a seasoned physician, educator, and admissions expert with 40+ years of experience in medicine and leadership. He serves as a Professor at the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine, where he previously chaired the admissions committee. Dr. Kiser has read thousands of applications and interviewed hundreds of students during his tenure at the UIW School of Osteopathic Medicine and Texas A&M University College of Medicine.
Dr. Kiser was born at Tachikawa Air Force Base in Japan into a career Army family. Dr. Kiser earned a BS in biology from Abilene Christian University and an MD from the University of South Florida College of Medicine as a Health Professions Scholar. His academic journey continued with a Master of Arts in social science from Pacific Lutheran University, a Master of Strategic Studies from the Air War College, an MBA from Western Governors University, a Master of Theology from Campbellsville University, and a Master of Science in bioethics from Creighton University.
After graduating from medical school, Dr. Kiser completed an internal medicine internship at the Naval Medical Center in Oakland, California, and a family medicine residency at the Naval Medical Center in Charleston, South Carolina. Dr. Kiser also completed a fellowship in academics and faculty development at the Madigan Army Medical Center.
Dr. Kiser devoted over 30 years of distinguished service to the United States Navy, retiring as a rear admiral. His career spanned a wide array of roles: staff physician both at sea and ashore, faculty member at multiple teaching hospitals, Director of Residency Training at the Navy’s largest family medicine program, and Family Medicine Specialty Leader, overseeing a community of more than 500 physicians. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Dr. Kiser’s leadership extended to commanding roles across the globe. He served as Commanding Officer of the United States Naval Hospital Guam, surgeon for the United States Pacific Fleet, and Commander of Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia—one of the Navy’s premier academic medical centers. His final assignment was as the inaugural Commandant of the Medical Education & Training Campus at Fort Sam Houston, where he successfully unified diverse service cultures and training programs to elevate the standard of enlisted medical education across all uniformed services.
Dr. Kiser has served on the faculty of the University of the Incarnate Word for over 13 years, holding the rank of Professor in the School of Osteopathic Medicine. His previous academic appointments include the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Texas A&M University, and the University of Washington. He has lectured and published widely—nationally and internationally—on topics such as professional development, ethos and ethics, medical humanities, humanitarian disaster response, evidence-based healthcare, and change management. He is also an American Academy of Family Physicians Fellow.
A passionate mentor and coach, Dr. Kiser has guided hundreds of individuals throughout his career. He is deeply committed to cultivating leadership and creating space for emerging leaders to thrive. Students he has coached have been accepted to medical programs at the University of the Incarnate Word, Texas A&M University, and other UT and osteopathic medical schools.
As a long-standing member of several medical school admissions committees—and current Chair at UIW—Dr. Kiser champions the idea that the most meaningful matches occur when an applicant’s “why” aligns with that of the medical school, fostering mutual growth and transformation. His dedication to student success earned him election into the Gold Humanism Honor Society and numerous teaching and mentorship awards.
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