Photos

270725-O-PU282-6867

Rear Adm. Guido Valdes, commander, Naval Medical Forces Pacific (NMFP), salutes Rear Adm. Darin Via, Navy Surgeon General and chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, as he relinquishes command to Rear Adm. Kevin Brown during a change of command ceremony held at Naval Medical Center San Diego on July 25, 2025. During Valdes’ tenure beginning in May 2022, while navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Valdes led NMFP in achieving significant advancements in medical readiness, health care delivery and financial stability. He oversaw a realignment of medical facilities without disrupting patient care. He also guided the establishment of the Naval Expeditionary Medicine Warfighter Development Center (NEMWDC), prioritizing combat trauma readiness and operational medical support. Valdes’ leadership resulted in 101 Individual Augmentee missions and responses to 115 Requests for Support, demonstrating NMFP’s critical role in operational deployments. Despite budget challenges, he secured $40 million in sustainable funding for Navy Medicine Research and Development, addressing health threats and enhancing warfighter survivability. All nine DHN-PR Military Treatment Facilities maintained Joint Commission accreditation, with Naval Medical Center San Diego, U.S. Naval Hospital Guam, and Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms each earning ‘A’ grades from Leapfrog, reflecting a commitment to patient safety and clinical excellence. The facilities provide more than 3,000 primary care encounters, 500 dental procedures and 3,500 specialty visits daily, while training over 400 residents in 24 Graduate Medical Education programs. Valdes also led DHN-PR to financial self-sufficiency in under 15 months, becoming one of only two DHA networks to achieve that milestone. (U.S. Navy photo by Arsenio R. Cortez Jr.)