The Navy Surgeon General's Health Promotion and Wellness Awards for 2022 and 2023 were announced May 14th. On the list were six of the eight commands within the Navy Medicine Research and Development enterprise.

The 2022 enterprise awardees were Naval Medical Research Command (NMRC), which won the Silver Eagle Award, and Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) INDO PACIFIC, awarded the Bronze Anchor award. The 2023 awardees included Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory (NSMRL), which won the Gold Star award, as well as NAMRU EURAFCENT and NAMRU San Antonio, both of which won the Bronze Anchor award. Naval Health Research Center was awarded the Blue H Bronze Anchor award for both 2022 and 2023.

The Blue H award is available at three levels of achievement: Bronze Anchor, Silver Eagle and Gold Star. Commands achieving 80 percent of the total points possible earn the Gold-level award.

NSMRL was awarded the USN Gold Star for 2023. Commanding officer Capt. Matthew Jamerson congratulated the Health Promotion and Wellness Program Manager, Lt. Jennifer Louie, as well as the members of the Health and Wellness Committee.

“Let’s keep up the great work building our team and individual health and wellness and shoot for another Gold Star in 2024,” Jamerson said.

“Our eight commands, spread throughout the world, work hard every day to understand the Navy and Marine Corps’ most pressing health issues that impact readiness, and develop solutions to ensure the Navy’s warfighting advantage,” said Capt. Franca Jones, commander, NMRC.

Jones also emphasized the importance of recognizing efforts that the enterprise commands have placed on health and wellness, demonstrating that they not only develop solutions to improve health and wellness of the joint warfighter, but embody the principles of health and wellness within their commands.

The Blue H award is managed by the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center and Defense Centers for Public Health-Portsmouth to encourage and reward the promotion of health in Navy and Marine Corps organizations. All Navy commands are eligible to compete in one of three categories: Fleet, Medical and Semper Fit Centers.

The Navy fleet command categories recognize excellence in workplace health promotion policies, activities and outcomes. The medical treatment facility category recognizes excellence in clinical primary prevention services, community health promotion and medical staff health. Health topics recognized include responsible drinking, violence and injury free living, healthy eating, active living, psychological health, sexual health, tobacco free living and weight management.

NMR&D 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, 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.

Story originally posted on DVIDS: NMR&D Enterprise Commands Recognized with Navy Surgeon General Awards