Executive Officer

CAPTAIN TERESITA ALSTON

Executive Officer

Captain Alston is a native of Beaufort, South Carolina. She was commissioned in the United States Navy in 2002 as an Ensign under the Health Professions Scholarship Program and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Navy Dental Corps upon graduation from dental school in 2006. Captain Alston earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology and Chemistry as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from Columbia College of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. She went on to graduate from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Dental Medicine with a Doctor of Medical Dentistry degree in Charleston, SC. An Advance Education in General Dentistry certificate was earned at 2d Dental Battalion in Camp Lejeune, NC. She received her certificate in Periodontics from the Naval Postgraduate Dental School in Bethesda, MD and a Master of Science in Oral Biology from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD in 2015.

Following commissioning, she reported as a resident in the Advance Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program onboard Camp Lejeune, NC. Upon graduation she was assigned as an Assistant Dental Officer at the H-1 Dental Annex. Captain Alston transferred to Naval Branch Health Clinic Parris Island, SC where she was selected for an Individual Augmentee deployment to Expeditionary Medical Facility Kuwait, Camp Arifjan and served 8 months as a member of the Juliet detachment. Following deployment, she was selected for the Periodontics residency program at the Naval Postgraduate Dental School. She transferred to Naval Hospital Pensacola, Pensacola, FL in 2015 where she served as the staff Periodontist, Enterprise Dental Infection Prevention Officer, Professional Practice Evaluation Committee Member, Dental Controlled Substances Custodian, Root Cause Analysis Sentinel Investigator, and the Naval Hospital Pensacola Tissue Manager. In 2018, Captain Alston transferred to 3d Dental Battalion/USNDC Okinawa and was assigned as the staff periodontist, Director of Marine Corps Air Station Branch Dental Clinic (BDC) Futenma and served in that role until May 2021. She was competitively selected to serve as the Director for BDC Evans onboard Marine Corps Base Camp Foster and the Kadena Dental Annex on board Kadena Air Force Base where she served to positively impact the clinic’s climate until September of 2021. She then served as the Interim Executive Officer for 3d Dental Battalion/USNDC Okinawa for 3 months. Captain Alston transferred to 2d Dental Battalion/USNDC Camp Lejeune in 2022 where she served as the command’s final Director for Dental Services until her transfer in January of 2024. She currently serves as the Executive Officer of NMRTC Patuxent River.

She is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Periodontology. Captain Alston’s military awards and decorations include the Fleet Marine Force Warfare Officer, Navy Pistol Marksmanship Medal, Naval Rifle Marksmanship Medal, Navy Sea Service Deployment, Global War on Terrorism, National Defense Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2nd award), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (2nd award), and the Meritorious Service Medal (2nd award). She received the 2015 International College of Dentist Research Award, 1st place and completed the in-person, 2-year Joint Professional Military Education Phase I program via the Marine Corps Command and Staff College in 2023.