PHILLIPS, Dr. Christopher J. Age 58, died unexpectedly at home in San Diego on Thursday, July 16th, 2020. He was born in Dayton, Ohio, on September 5th, 1961, the son of Jack and Lynn (Stang) Phillips. Chris graduated Valedictorian from Miamisburg High School in 1979. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering with honors from the University of Dayton in 1983. He was awarded an Air Force Scholarship to attend Medical School at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis where he graduated in 1987. After his residency, Dr. Phillips served from 1990 1997 with Offutt AFB, Nebraska; Brooks AFB, Texas; and Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio as a Flight Surgeon and Chief of Clinical Operations, Hyperbaric Medicine. A lifelong learner, Chris received his Masters in Public Health in Health Care and Prevention in 1998. The following year, he earned his Preventive Medicine degree, from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In 2000, he became board certified in Preventive Medicine. From 1999 2006, Chris worked in Population Health Support as a Preventive Medicine Consultant, Chief, Population Health Informatics at Brooks AFB, Texas where he specialized in Medical Data Analysis. Dr. Phillips left an incredibly important legacy behind. His vision for population health and his contributions to achieving the systems we have today cannot be understated. As one of the original developers of the Population Health Portal, Chris applied his medical expertise and informatics skills to develop a program that supported clinicians in achieving best outcomes for patients through prevention. His vision was truly a leap forward in using healthcare data to achieve higher quality care. For his work, Chris was awarded a "Hero of TRICARE" award, an honor very few individuals have received. The impact of his life's work is far reaching and has affected millions of American lives. Today Medicare uses the same system (called HEDIS) to pay providers that excel in prevention. After Chris retired as a Lt. Colonel from the USAF, he went on to obtain a second Master's Degree in Epidemiology. He continued his epidemiological research at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, where he was routinely consulted by the National Institutes of Health for his understanding of medical data. During his career, Chris and his colleagues published over 29 academic research articles. Chris was preceded in death by his beloved father Jack R. Phillips. He is survived by his mother Lynn (Stang) Phillips; his sister Carla Kay (Phillips) Lane and her husband Mark; nieces Ellie Kay (Lane) Gossett and her husband Mike, Katie Elizabeth Lane, grand-niece, Lucy Kay Gossett. He will be laid to rest with military honors at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego, CA. With heavy hearts, we say goodbye to a loving son, brother, uncle and good friend.