Commanding Officer

Captain David Barrows is a native of Los Angeles, California. He received a direct commission as a Navy ensign in 1997. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from University of California, Los Angeles, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He received a Doctor of Medicine from the University of California, Davis in 2001.

At Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business he received his Master of Health Care Delivery Science in 2020.
 

He completed a General Surgery internship at Cottage Health in Santa Barbara, California in 2001 and a residency in Anesthesiology at the National Capital Consortium in Washington, DC in 2007. He went on to complete a fellowship in Pain Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center in 2010. He holds board certifications in Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine, and Addictionology.
 

His Navy career began in 2002, where he served as the Battalion Surgeon for the 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division and deployed to Iraq in 2003 with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. After residency, he stayed on at National Naval Medical Center and deployed as an anesthesiologist in 2008-2009 with the 1st Medical Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group to Al Taqqadum, Iraq.
 

After returning to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after fellowship, Barrows served as Anesthesiologist, pain management physician, and Associate Program Director of the National Capital Consortium’s pain management fellowship.
 

From 2012 to 2017 he served as the Department Head of Anesthesia and Pain Management and subsequently as the Director of Surgical Services at Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune.

In 2017 he transitioned to the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. During his tenure, he established and irected the Trauma Strategy Management Office and the Navy Clinical Communities. He led the development of the Navy Medicine Trauma Strategy, and served as the Acting Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Navy Medicine. He also supported the Defense Health Agency in the development of clinical communities.
 

From June 2020 to May 2022, Barrows served as the Executive Officer of Naval Hospital Jacksonville and Navy Medicine Readiness & Training Command Jacksonville. During his tour he led the Defense in Support of Civilian Authority mission in Jacksonville to provide the local population with COVID vaccinations in concert with the State of Florida and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
 

He assumed command of Naval Readiness and Training Command Guam and Director of Naval Hospital Guam in June 2022.
 

His personal military awards include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medals (two awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals (two awards), Army Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and Combat Action Ribbon.