NDSLJAX Leadership

Commanding Officer

CDR Erick Roman Perez, Ph.D., USN
 

CDR Erick Roman Perez
Medical Service Corps

Commander Erick Roman Perez attended the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus where he attained a Baccalaureate degree in Biology in 1998 and a Master of Science in Molecular Virology in 2002. Commander Roman Perez earned his Doctorate degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology in 2009 from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and subsequently completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Department of Epidemiology from February 2009 to October 2011 focused on Breast Cancer Molecular Biomarkers. In November 2011, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the US Navy’s Medical Service Corps.

Commander Roman Perez’s assignments and key accomplishments include being Deputy Director of Operations at the Jacksonville-Navy Drug Screening Laboratory from December 2011 to June 2015. His duties included providing legal support for administrative separation boards and court martials, validating drug results, and ensuring day-to-day operations. He was one of the first in the DoD Drug Testing Program to be recognized as an expert witness for SPICE (synthetic cannabinoids) drug cases.

In July 2015, Commander Roman Perez received an assignment to the U.S. Naval Academy. He served as an assistant professor in the chemistry department, teaching general chemistry to over 100 midshipmen per academic year. Notable responsibilities besides teaching include course coordinator, midshipman conduct remediator, plebe academic advisor, and chemistry department temporary additional duty ensign coordinator.

In July 2019, Commander Roman Perez received an assignment to the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System (AFMES) at Dover Air Force Base as Chief of the DoD Drug Detection Quality Assurance (QA) Laboratory. Directing the Open and Blind Proficiency Program for the USA, USN, and USAF Drug Testing Laboratories. Later, Commander Roman Perez was appointed Director of the Division of Forensic Toxicology Division at AFMES and oversaw the daily operations of the Post-Mortem/Human Performance, DoD QA, and Special Forensic Toxicology Drug Testing Laboratories within the Division.

Since August 2023, Commander Roman Perez has been serving as Director of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Medical Defense Program at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) where he oversees the development and maintenance of defensive medical capabilities, medical countermeasures, surveillance, detection, and protection against CBRN threats.

On 30 May 2025, CDR Roman Perez assumed duties as Commanding Officer, Navy Drug Screening Laboratory, Jacksonville, Florida.

Throughout his career, Commander Roman Perez’s service includes multiple operational committees and session chair of several working groups.  His personal awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two awards), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and Rifle and Pistol Marksmanship Award.

 

Executive Officer

CDR Michelle H. Lane, Ph.D., USN
 

CDR Michelle Lane
Medical Service Corps
Commander Lane is a native of San Diego California. She attended San Diego State University and graduated in January 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology. She earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Science in 2012 from University of Massachusetts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Worcester, MA.
 
After commissioning in October 2012, CDR Lane reported for duty at Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD and served as the Division Officer, Enterics Division, Infectious Diseases Directorate. She then reported to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD in 2014 where she was the Division Officer of the Microbiology Laboratory and Officer in Charge of a Special Pathogens Laboratory for Ebola, stood up to care for servicemembers returning from Operation UNITED ASSISTANCE in Liberia. During her time in Bethesda, from February 2015-May 2017, CDR Lane was selected to serve as Flag Aide to the Director, National Capital Region Medical Directorate (J-9), Defense Health Agency. In 2018 CDR Lane reported for duty to Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit (NEPMU) 2, Norfolk, VA where she served as the Administration Department Head, then the Threat Assessment Department Head while assigned to Forward Deployable Preventive Medicine Unit (FDPMU), Team 2. In 2021 CDR Lane reported to Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) in San Diego, CA, and was the Director for Operational Infectious Diseases. There, she led a global biosurveillance program for respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, ran a 3-section College of American Pathology (CAP) accredited laboratory, and a clinical trials program. During her time at NHRC, She accelerated the pace for testing of infectious disease diagnostics in austere environments and embarked on multiple platforms including a T-AH, DDG, and LHD to test equipment and execute clinical trials to teach cadres of scientists how to operate in these environments to meet the needs of the Navy’s future fights. This led the first clinical trial at sea using wearable devices to pre-predict illness during a deployment. During her time at NHRC, CDR Lane also served for three years as the Microbiology Assistant Specialty Leader.
 
CDR Lane has deployed three times. June-November 2019, she deployed as the Preventive Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Lead of the Advanced Coordination Element for the 2019 CONTINUING PROMISE mission, sailing aboard USNS Comfort (T AH 20). In March 2019, as COVID spread across Europe, she deployed to establish accredited clinical COVID testing capabilities at Naval Medical Readiness and Training Commands (NMRTC’s) Naples and Sigonella, Italy. October 2020 to May 2021, she deployed aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) as the Team Lead of a Public Health Medical Rapid Response Team, embarked to provide preventive medicine, COVID testing support, and critical care to Carrier Strike Group 9 during a 7-month Western Pacific deployment.
 
CDR Lane is the Executive Officer of the Navy Drug Testing Laboratory, Jacksonville, Florida. She holds an academic appointment as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She is qualified as a Surface Warfare Medical Department Officer. Her personal military awards include the Joint Service Commendation Medal (three awards), the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two awards), Joint Service Achievement Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards).