SILVER SPRING, Md. – Naval Medical Research Command (NMRC) took part in the National Museum of Health and Medicine (NMHM) Military Medical Innovation event on April 25, to promote awareness of in the command’s research efforts on behalf of Sailor and Marine health and readiness.

The Museum, co-located with NMRC aboard the Forest Glen Annex, was open to the public for the event, which featured representatives from DoD organizations presenting technology and advances in military medicine.

NMRC’s exhibit included research equipment and a prop biocontainment unit filled with objects for visitors to interact with through the unit’s built-in gloves, simulating the experience of a scientist handling biological samples. Visitors were also able to get information from NMRC staff on the real-world applications of these tools.

“This was a fantastic event at NMHM,” said Dr. Jill Phan, NMRC Science Director. “Highlighting the work we do at NMRC to improve the medical readiness of our Sailors, Marines, and the Joint Force to kids and adults from the community was amazing.”


“This event allowed us to spark the interest of the next generation of potential scientists,” Phan added, “and gave us the chance to talk to our colleagues about collaborative opportunities with other Navy research organizations. It was fun and fulfilling Saturday and I’m thankful to NMHM for inviting NMRC to participate.”

The event also featured NMHM museum exhibits informing visitors about the history of research, development and innovation in military medicine, such as gas masks, sample processing technology, and surgical tools.

NMHM had several polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines on display in their exhibits during the event, illustrating the increasingly compact size of the devices over time. NMRC had a modern version of the PCR machine on display at the command’s booth, demonstrating to attendees at the event how portable medical technology has become through military medicine research and development.

“We were thrilled that NMRC was able to join us to share information about some of their research and mobile laboratory technology,” said Andrea Schierkolk, NMHM public programs manager. “Visitors loved trying to manipulate the Legos with the gloves inside the tent to get a better understanding of the challenges of working with lab samples in an austere environment.”

NMRC participates in outreach and DoD events to advance Navy Medicine recruiting and retention goals, to spread awareness of U.S. Navy opportunities in STEM fields and to maintain public trust through transparency on command activities on behalf of the U.S. military.

“The most memorable part for me was the families and kids who expressed curiosity about how medical researchers can deploy to areas of need, like the Liberia Ebola outbreak, and the kinds of technology that we have developed and use to do our work safely,” said Lt. Cmdr. Danett Bishop, an NMRC researcher on-hand at the event. “One little boy was asking very deep questions on the Ebola virus and marveled at how we could put such small amount of liquids into tiny tubes and be able to determine if someone was sick.”

For more than 160 years, the National Museum of Health and Medicine has cared for and maintained collections related to military medical innovation and research that has led to advances in the care of U.S. warfighters.

NMRC, headquarters of Navy Medicine Research & Development, 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 Navy, Marine Corps and joint U.S. warfighter health, readiness and lethality, researchers study infectious diseases, biological warfare detection and defense, combat casualty care, environmental health concerns, aerospace and undersea medicine, operational mission support and epidemiology.