PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Command of the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC) and Defense Centers for Public Health – Portsmouth (DCPH-P) changed Friday when Capt. Matthew McLean relieved Capt. Brian Feldman during a ceremony conducted at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) military treatment facility, April 7.

Rear Adm. Matthew Case, commander, Naval Medical Forces Atlantic (NMFL) and director, Tidewater Market, presided over the ceremony.
In his remarks, Case cited Feldman’s leadership as well as the tremendous impact that DCPH-P/NMCPHC’s contributions have on Navy and Marine Corps mission readiness.



“Capt. Feldman has steered the course of this command for the past two years,” said Case. “Under his leadership, it continues to endure as a high reliability organization that demonstrates a strong desire to succeed in unprecedented times.”

Case concluded his remarks by welcoming Capt. McLean as the incoming NMCPHC commander and DCPH-P director and, thanking the men and women of NMCPHC/DCPH-P for their many contributions to protect the warfighter and ensure mission readiness.

Feldman’s tenure was spent responding to high-level public health issues that included COVID-19, the Monkey Pox outbreak, and the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii. Feldman was also responsible for the Phase One execution of the NDAA-directed transition to the Defense Health Agency (DHA).

Most of Feldman’s remarks were spent acknowledging the hard work and dedication of the Navy public health team across the across the enterprise. "No words can sufficiently capture the incredible work you do and have done. Your contributions to mitigate the pandemic while maintaining the demanding pre-COVID public health mission are unprecedented, ” said Feldman, who will be assigned as the commander of Navy Medical Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Portsmouth and director of NMCP upon completion of his tour of duty with NMCPHC and DCPH-P. “Remember, each one of you, the work you, no matter your role, rank or position, plays a critical role in Navy Medicine’s optimization of people, platforms, performance and power and service to our customers – many represented here in the audience.”

McLean, the new NMCPHC Commander and DCPH-P Director, is a New York native and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Elmira College in 1994 with a BA in Biology-Chemistry before matriculating in the combined M.D.-Ph.D. program at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. He defended his Ph.D. thesis in the field of cardiac development with honors in November 1999 and graduated with both degrees in 2001. He received his commission on Sept. 14, 2001, via the Navy Financial Assistance Program and completed his pediatric internship and residency at the Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester, New York. McLean has served in wide variety of clinical roles throughout his Navy career. His shore assignments have included several MTFs, where his duties have ranged from division head to medical director. In 2019 he reported aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) as the medical department head and senior medical officer. In his role, he successfully transitioned the medical staff through a difficult maintenance period and basic phase certifications markedly complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

McLean’s deployments include Operation Continuing Promise (2009), Operation Unified Response, Haiti (2010) and African Partnership Station (2012) aboard the High-Speed Vessel (HSV) 2 Swift and contributed to Continuing Promise 2018 during its stop in Honduras.

His personal awards include a two Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, Navy Achievement Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal and the Armed Forces Service Medal. He is qualified as a Surface Warfare medical department officer.

Upon assuming command, McLean thanked Feldman for his exceptional leadership and for instilling a culture of excellence. “You never failed to live out your three guiding principles for the command: commitment to people, communication and culture of excellence,” said McLean. “Those remained your rudder guidance to take us to the right port not necessarily the closest port. In this commitment you continually asked for feedback, listened and digested the volumes you received with humility. As a command we are better because fear of failure never prevented you from trying or changing course. If you never try, you can never make a difference. Thank you for making a difference.”

NMCPHC, DCPH-P is part of the DHA Public Health and Navy Medicine teams, committed to delivering high-quality healthcare and public health services to servicemembers, their families and other beneficiaries world-wide.

Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.