SILVER SPRING, Md. – Naval Medical Research Command (NMRC) hosted leaders from across the Naval Medical Research & Development (NMR&D) enterprise for a two-day Commander’s Conference on Oct. 24-25

The annual conference was attended by commanding officers, executive officers, senior enlisted leaders and science and technical directors from the enterprise’s eight commands: NMRC, Naval Health Research Center (NHRC), Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory, Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) Dayton, NAMRU EURAFCENT, NAMRU INDO PACIFIC, NAMRU San Antonio and NAMRU SOUTH.

Attendees presented in and contributed to several discussions over the course of the conference, which serves as a touchpoint for the enterprise commands to appraise their individual work, the accomplishments of the enterprise in the past year and strategies for the year ahead. In her opening remarks, Capt. Franca Jones, NMRC commander and leader of the NMR&D enterprise, reviewed several command values to guide the enterprise in the months to come, emphasizing the importance of focusing on “people first, the mission always.”

“People are our greatest resource,” Jones said. “We need to take care of our staff, our Sailors, and ourselves.”

Additionally, NMR&D leaders discussed a range of issues relevant to operations, from logistics to ensuring continued alignment of enterprise efforts to support Navy Medicine, the Navy and the larger DoD.

“This meeting brings together wisdom from across the enterprise to align our research with each other and the Navy,” said Dr. Kenneth Earhart, chief science executive with NHRC. “It also highlights the important role that Navy medical research plays in our national security by addressing the readiness of service members and their families.”

“Coming together with our fellow commanders like this is incredibly helpful,” added Capt. Jonathan Stahl, commanding officer, NAMRU INDO PACIFIC. “It furthers our understanding of NMR&D priorities as they align to Navy Medicine and the larger Fleet.”

Enterprise leaders meet at various events with focuses on military medicine and medical research over the course of each year. The annual Commander’s Conference provides a forum that specifically accommodates a dialogue between all members of each command’s leadership triad and top scientists.

The enterprise, led by NMRC, is engaged in a broad spectrum of activity from basic science in the laboratory to field studies in austere and remote areas of the world to investigations in operational environments. In support of the Navy, Marine Corps, and joint U.S. warfighters, enterprise researchers study infectious diseases, biological warfare detection and defense, combat casualty care, environmental health concerns, aerospace and undersea medicine, medical modeling, simulation, operational mission support, epidemiology and behavioral sciences.