Deputy Commander

Captain Chad E. McKenzie
Deputy Commander, Naval Medical Forces Atlantic

Captain Chad McKenzie is a native of Bellefontaine, Ohio. While attending the University of Toledo he was accepted into the Navy Health Services Collegiate Program (HSCP) as an Officer Candidate Seaman and later commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy Medical Service Corps upon his 1996 graduation with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy.

His first assignment was the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland where he served in various pharmacy clinical practice and logistics roles. In 1999, he reported to U.S. Naval Hospital Keflavik, Iceland as the Pharmacy Department Head and subsequently served in both pharmacy and hospital leadership roles at Naval Hospitals Bremerton, Sigonella (Italy), Camp Pendleton, and Oak Harbor. Captain McKenzie gained operational leadership experience in 2010 while deployed as the Pharmacy Mentor to the Afghan National Army under NATO Training Mission Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

In 2015 Captain McKenzie was assigned to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) where he served as both Assistant Deputy Chief of BUMED for Information Management and technology, and Director of Communications and Change Management for Information Management and Technology.  His command leadership assignments include Officer in Charge Branch Health Clinic Diego Garcia, Executive Officer Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River, Commanding Officer U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Naples, Italy and Director U.S. Naval Hospital Naples, Italy, and Commanding Officer Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Great Lakes and concurrently served as Deputy Director Captain James A. Lovell Federal Healthcare Center, the nation’s only integrated Department of Defense-Veterans Administration healthcare facility.  McKenzie is currently assigned as Deputy Commander, Naval Medical Forces Atlantic.

Captain McKenzie is board-certified in pharmacotherapy by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties and holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree through Idaho State University, Executive Master of Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School, and Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.  He is the recipient of the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and Navy Commendation medal in addition to unit, service, and campaign awards.