News Releases

Malaria, leishmaniasis, dengue, chikungunya and zika are infectious diseases affecting millions in South, Central America and the Caribbean where hundreds of service members are deployed to yearly.

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – The Naval Medical Research Unit of Dayton (NAMRU-D) accepted Aircraft 24, a decommissioned Marine Corps V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, for aerospace medicine research on Dec. 19.

SAN DIEGO – Twenty-five high school science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers toured the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC), Jan. 12, to see a working research lab in action and gain insights they could take back to the classroom to inspire the next generation of scientists.

In 1948, the Navy was becoming further entrenched in the post-war period of demobilization and consolidation of services under the newly created Department of Defense (DoD).

SAN ANTONIO – A Naval Medical Research Unit – San Antonio dentist attended Career Day at a local San Antonio middle school, November 17. The Joel C. Harris Academy in San Antonio welcomed Lt Cmdr. Jeffrey Hoyle, a research dentist, back for an encore presentation for their annual event. Hoyle presented to almost 100 sixth graders across four classes.

The concept of medical planning is not new. Throughout the Civil War, Clara Barton collected and delivered wagon loads of bandages and other medical supplies to U.S. Army doctors caring for wounded Union soldiers. Barton, a trailblazer in combat care, also tended to the wounded on battlefields and prepared them for evacuation.

The Disorientation Research Device (DRD), otherwise known by its official Navy-branded moniker, the Kraken™, is the Navy’s newest weapon in the battle against a long-standing noncombat threat to aviators and aircrews: spatial disorientation (SD). The DRD was created to provide unprecedented research capability to address this persistent threat.

With an initial budget of $30,000 from the Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, furniture and office equipment supplied from a nearby Navy confinement facility, and a mission “to conduct research in neuropsychiatry as it applies to naval service,” the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) was commissioned on 1 June 1959.

SINGAPORE – A Naval Medical Research Center – Asia (NMRC-A) researcher attended the opening ceremony of Segi University Clinical Research Center at Sibu Hospital, Sibu, Malaysia, October 11.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Two researchers from the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) returned from deployment on the Military Sealift Command hospital ship, the USNS Comfort (T-AH-20). Comfort departed Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, September 29, arrived in Puerto Rico on October 3 and returned to its home port November 20.

CAIRO, Egypt – Researchers from the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No.3 – Cairo (NAMRU-3), working with the a team from Camp Lemonnier, are set to begin a collaborative research study focusing on the prevalence of a variety of potential infectious diseases at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa, February 2018.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Rear Adm. Paul Pearigen, commander, Navy Medicine West (NMW) and Chief of the Navy Medical Corps visited the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) to tour facilities, meet with staff, and learn more about the NMRC’s research endeavors to support warfighter health and readiness, November 27.

BALTIMORE – Researchers from the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center No. 6 in Lima, Peru, (NAMRU-6) shared findings on distinguishing Zika virus infections from other arboviral infections through a clinic-based febrile surveillance program during a time of active Zika circulation. The findings were presented at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Meeting, November 7.

After a century of advances in public health, water treatment, vaccine research and the advent of antibiotics, typhoid fever is far from the threat to the Navy it once was. Several generations ago this narrative was quite different.

BALTIMORE – Researchers from the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center - Asia (NMRC-A) shared findings on the epidemiology of imported malaria cases in Vietnam among returning nationals at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Meeting, November 7.

BALTIMORE – Researchers from the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) presented findings on the identification of a novel highly protective malaria antigen, Plasmodium yoelii E140 at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Meeting (ASTMH), November 8. An antigen induces an immune response in the body and the production of antibodies.

BALTIMORE – Researchers from the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center No. 6 (NAMRU-6) in Lima, Peru, shared findings on the patterns of dispersal of a recent epidemic strain of dengue virus, specifically the American-Asian genotype of dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2), at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) Annual Meeting, November 7.

BALTIMORE – Researchers from the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center - Asia (NMRC-A) presented findings on a study identifying novel respiratory viruses causing morbidity in people or domestic animals, with the potential to spread to people. The findings were presented at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Meeting, November 8.

From January 1945—when Thomas Rivers first arrived on Guam—to the end of the war, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2 (NAMRU-2) would be anything but underutilized.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – A Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) scientist tied for first at the Armed Forces Open (AFO) chess championship held at West Point Military Academy, New York, October 7-9 with a score of 4.5/5. Lt. Chaselynn Watters, Microbiologist, Wound Infections Department (WID), was one of 44 active duty, reservists, and retired military representatives from across the Navy, Marines, Army, and Air Force.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Former Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP) intern, Krystine Hill, was awarded a Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies (FACSS) student poster award and received a Society of Applied Spectroscopy (SAS) undergraduate student travel grant for work presented at SciX 2017 (the Great Scientific Exchange), the FACSS annual meeting, October 10.

Washington, DC – Lt. Christopher Rodeheffer, Research Psychologist, Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory (NSMRL), Groton, Connecticut, was selected as one of two Navy Medical Service Corps (MSC) representatives to attend the Army MSC Junior Officer Week (JOW) in Washington, D.C. September 22-27.

SAN DIEGO – The Defense Health Agency’s (DHA) acting director for Research and Development, Sean Biggerstaff, got an in-depth look at the work being done at the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) to support warfighter health and readiness, Oct. 25.

SAN DIEGO – The Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) celebrated the U.S. Marine Corps’ 242nd birthday with the traditional cake-cutting ceremony and reading of the commandant of the Marine Corps’ birthday message, Nov. 8.

SAN DIEGO – Staff from the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) hosted 14 visiting foreign military officers and their five U.S. escorts, Oct. 23. The tour was sponsored by the U.S. Navy Foreign Liaison Office, part of the Chief of Naval Operations office at the Pentagon. The goal of the program is to expose foreign officers to the U.S. Navy’s diversity, facilities, capabilities, personnel, and culture.

SAN ANTONIO – Naval Medical Research Unit - San Antonio (NAMRU-SA) joined Navy commands across Southern Texas to celebrate the 242nd birthday of the United States Navy in downtown San Antonio, Texas, Oct 20.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — EDGE, short for Empowering the Development of Genomics Expertise is a unique open-source software platform providing of bioinformatics tools as part of a series of intuitive workflows accompanied by online tutorials. EDGE was selected by the Federal Laboratory Consortium Mid-Continent as the winner of the 2017 Notable Technology Development award. EDGE was also selected by R&D Magazine as a finalist in the 2017 R&D 100 Awards.

SAN ANTONIO – An electronics technician at the Naval Medical Research Unit – San Antonio (NAMRU-SA) served as the official USA Archery Judge for the Valor Games Southwest, San Antonio, Texas, September 25 – 27. Through the power of sport, competition, and camaraderie, the Valor Games provides an opportunity for disabled veterans and active duty service members to challenge their personal limits in a spirited competition in seven sports, including archery. San Antonio Sports hosted the event, for the fifth consecutive year, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; U.S. Paralympics, a division of the United States Olympic Committee; and community and corporate partners.

By the end of January 1944, Dr. Tom Rivers stood at the helm of an organization that had yet to be realized. As the Officer in Charge of U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No.2 (NAMRU-2), Rivers would have the sizeable task of adapting concept into reality—i.e., recruiting personnel, acquiring the requisite equipment and supplies, and standing up the command.

The Rockefeller Institute, now Rockefeller University, in Manhattan, New York, has been the nation’s preeminent biomedical research center since its inception in 1901. Over the course of its storied history, the Rockefeller Institute has been home to some of the most significant figures in medical science. Among them was the Jonesboro, Georgia-born Dr. Thomas Milton Rivers (1888-1962).

KISSIMMEE, Florida – A Navy Commander from the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit. No. 3 – Cairo (NAMRU-3) Ghana Detachment presented a poster highlighting capacity building in Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia at the Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS), August 27 – 30. The team also includes collaborators from NAMRU-3 in Cairo and the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) in Maryland as well as other military, government, and academic intuitions.

DAYTON, Ohio - Naval Medical Research Unit - Dayton (NAMRU-D) was honored with the 2017 When Work Works Award for exemplary workplace practices.

KISSIMMEE, Florida – Researchers from Naval Medical Research Unit – Dayton (NAMRU-D) presented collaborative findings on the evaluation of aircrew low-intensity threat laser eye protection (LIT-LEP) during the Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS), August 29.

KISSIMMEE, Florida – A researcher from the Naval Medical Research Unit – San Antonio (NAMRU-SA) shared findings on the application of phages display technology expressing antivenom peptides for the treatment of envenomation during the Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS), August 27 – 30.

KISSIMMEE, Florida – A researcher from the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) shared findings on efforts to develop a tool to assist clinicians in predicating pneumonia in combat trauma patients during a plenary session at the Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS), August 27-30.

KISSIMMEE, Florida – A researcher from the Naval Medical Research Unit – San Antonio (NAMRU-SA) shared findings on the fabrication and characterization of a novel nanofibrous scaffold that could potentially improve wound healing by enhancing wound closure, promoting hemostasis, and acting as a temporary physical barrier against debris and microbial pathogens during the Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS), August 27 – 30.

Dr. Anna Tschiffely shared findings on the effects of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) on service members during the first 30 days following an improvised explosive device (IED) blast during the Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) August 28 (U.S. Navy Photo/Katie Berland/Released)

Dr. Sarah Chabal, Warfighter Performance Directorate, Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory in Groton, Connecticut speaks to a Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) attendee, August 28, Kissimmee, Florida.

Naval Medical Research Center researchers presented a poster on aeromedical evacuation of combat casualties at the Military Health System Research Symposium, August 28, Kissimmee, Florida. Pictured from left to right, Dr. Richard McCarron, Department Head, Neurotrauma Department, Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC), Dr. Anke Scultetus, Senior Scientist, NMRC and United States Air Force Col. Debra Malone. (U.S. Navy Photo/Released/Katie Berland)

GROTON, CT. – A three person team from the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory (NSMRL), traveled to the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, Texas, to discuss current research regarding the relationship between carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and performance in enclosed working and living environments, May 17-19, 2017.

DAYTON – Over the years, Naval Medical Research Unit - Dayton (NAMRU-D) has offered summer internships to promising students in an effort to maintain a commitment to developing their skills and encouraging them to lend their talents to the advancement of military medical research.

On January 31, 1941, the U.S. Navy mobilized a small medical research laboratory on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley under the helm of Capt. Albert Paul Krueger, Medical Corps, United States Naval Reserve (1902-1982). Originally authorized by the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) on October 1, 1934, this Naval Reserve Laboratory Research Unit No. 1, as it was known, had been the brainchild of Krueger – a forward-thinking bacteriologist and expert on respiratory diseases.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Lt. Cmdr. William “Andy” Cronin received a research grant from the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) to study at the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC), July 2017 – July 2018. Cronin, an Undersea Medical Officer and Anesthesiologist at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), Anesthesia Department, is the first active-duty service member to receive this particular FAER grant.

DAYTON – Ohio Lieutenant Joshua Roaf, an instructor at the Department of Naval Services at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, selected Naval Medical Research Unit- Dayton (NAMRU-D) to complete a Masters of Professional Science Internship. Roaf served as a graduate intern for the Environmental Health Effects Laboratory at NAMRU-D from May - August 2017

SAN ANTONIO – Research dentists in the Craniofacial Health and Restorative Medicine Directorate (CH&RM) at Naval Medical Research Unit - San Antonio (NAMRU-SA), continue a strong and proud tradition of dedicating their service to ensure dental readiness and heath for service members around the globe by being at the forefront of dental research, science, and innovation.

On land or at sea, from scorching deserts to sweltering engineering spaces, military operations often require service members to work in environments that make heat safety a constant concern. When factoring in individual activity and fitness levels, gear, equipment, and clothing, body heat isn’t the only thing building up—the potential for heat injuries rises, too.

SAN DIEGO – Capt. Marshall Monteville assumed command of the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) from Capt. Rita Simmons during a change of command and retirement ceremony held aboard Naval Base Point Loma, Aug. 17.

DAYTON – Naval Medical Research Unit- Dayton (NAMRU-D) sponsored the fourth annual Aerospace Medicine Research Alignment and Collaboration (AMRAC) working group, July 11-13.

SILVER SPRING, Md. - Officers and staff from the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2 (NAMRU-2) accepted the Cambodian Royal Order of Monisaraphon for their assistance in capacity building related to three Cambodia hospitals, July 7, 2017.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – The Peruvian Navy Surgeon General, RADM Julio C. Cacho-Moran, and Peruvian Navy personnel from the “Direccion de Salud Naval,” as well as Capt. Guillermo Pimentel, commanding officer, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 – Peru (NAMRU-6), visited the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) for a tour of research facilities and a meet-and-greet with Capt. Adam Armstrong, commanding officer, NMRC, June 16.

DAYTON – Rear Admiral John Schommer, Deputy Commander, Military Sealift Command visited Naval Medical Research Unit - Dayton (NAMRU-D) as part of a Navy Executive Engagement in Dayton, Ohio, June 12-14, 2017.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Two Corpsmen from the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) were selected as candidates for the U.S. Navy Medical Degree Prepatory Program (EMDP2) beginning in August, 2017. Hospital Corpsman First Class Ezechiel Fenelon and Hospital Corpsman Second Class Tania Rodeiro were two of five selected throughout the Navy.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Researchers from the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) welcomed sixteen summer interns from all over the country to assist with various research projects May – July, 2017.

SAN ANTONIO – An innovative project being conducted at the Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio (NAMRU-SA) could lead to the development of laser therapy technology to improve the treatment of antibiotic resistant wound infections in injured warfighters.

Forty years ago—in the midst of a bloody civil war that would see the ousting of the Ethiopian monarchy—the Navy Medical Research Unit No. 5 was disbanded. This would not only mark the end of Navy Medicine’s history in Ethiopia, but also the very name of NAMRU-5.

SAN DIEGO – Vice Adm. Raquel Bono, director, Defense Health Agency (DHA), visited the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) June 8, to discuss the transition of oversight for the Department of Defense (DoD) HIV/AIDS Prevention Program’s (DHAPP) from Navy Medicine to the DHA.

SAN ANTONIO – “Always trust your training,” said Lt. Noel Dickens, department head, Biomaterials and Epidemiology Department, Naval Medical Research Unit – San Antonio (NAMRU-SA). Dickens, kindly known around NAMRU-SA as ‘The Crusher’ for his indomitable spirit, recently competed in an IRONMAN Texas competition on April 22, 2017.

LIMA, PERU – Hospital Corpsman First Class Logan Ortlieb from the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 – Peru (NAMRU-6) trekked to the base camp of one of the tallest mountains in the world – Mt. Everest, March 2017. “I am always looking for something to push me out of my comfort zone and push me to be a better person; climbing at 18,000 feet is great way to test your mental strength,” said Ortlieb.

SILVER SPRING, Md. –A team from the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) participated in the second biennial Department of Defense Lab Day, along with others from the Navy, Army and Air Force at the Pentagon, May 18, 2017.

On the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center campus in Bethesda, Maryland, there is a relic from the Cold War that few people have ever seen. Constructed six feet below the surface this fallout shelter is a palpable reminder of the nation’s fear of nuclear attack. In 1962, it would also be the setting for a unique study on confinement and habitability.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – The Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) held a retirement ceremony for Capt. Eric R. Hall, Executive Officer, after 23 years of faithful Navy service. May 25, 2017.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Researchers and representatives from the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) highlighted current projects and products during the NATO Committee of the Chiefs of Military Medical Services (COMEDS) visit. Ft. Detrick in Frederick, Maryland, hosted COMEDS, as part of a three day visit to the Washington, D.C. area. The Ft. Detrick day included tours and medical displays from the Navy, Army and Air Force, June 1.

In the past few years, the work in prosthetics at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) has taken continuous steps forward. One of the most significant steps in recent history was the development of one of the first American osseointegration programs in the field.

SAN DIEGO – Rear Adm. Paul D. Pearigen, commander, Navy Medicine West (NMW), and chief of the Navy Medical Corps, paid an official visit to the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) June 2, to learn more about the command’s medical research initiatives.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – “I trained for almost three years to improve my time and qualify for the Boston Marathon, “ said Lt. Joshua Swift, researcher, Operational Undersea Medicine Directorate (OUMD), Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC). Swift ran the 2017 Boston Marathon April 17, and completed the 26.2 mile run in 3:31:34.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) held the Research and Development Enterprise Commander’s Conference, May 4-5, 2017. The conference provided an opportunity for the laboratory leadership to discuss success, challenges and future goals.

DAYTON, Oh. – All hands were on deck to welcome Rear Admiral Paul D. Pearigen, commander, Navy Medicine West, to the Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton (NAMRU-D), April 3. Having previously visited the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit 6 (NAMRU-6) in Peru as part of a larger tour of the Naval Medical Research Enterprise, the Dayton visit was the first for Pearigen.

ACCRA, Ghana – Military members from 15 different countries on the continent of Africa attended a two-week malaria diagnostic symposium in Accra, Ghana, February 27 – March 10, 2017. . The United States Africa Command’s (U.S. AFRICOM) Africa Malaria Task Force (AMTF) sponsored the event, which was hosted by the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 (NAMRU-3), Ghana Detachment.

SAN ANTONIO – Representing mission readiness is critical to the success of the U.S. military and the health of service members is of highest importance. Almost 20 percent of all emergency department visits at a deployed expeditionary medical support facility during Operation Enduring Freedom were the result of dental disease.

A new partnership between DoD and VA medical researchers achieves a milestone with its first joint publication, which examines post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in veteran and active duty populations. The study will be published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, June 2017.

Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) hosted a Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM) activity April 27, to highlight the important role that science and research have in preventing sexual assault.

PERU –Capt. Guillermo “Billy” Pimentel relieved Capt, Adam W. Armstrong as commanding officer of U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit 6 (NAMRU-6), Peru, March 27, 2017.

“As gruesome as it may be, the realism of the plastic manikin is expected to play an important part in helping to indoctrinate military personnel to their roles as emergency physicians in the event of an atomic attack or other emergencies.” ~Modern Plastics on the Invention of “Mr. Disaster,” March 1954

DAYTON ––In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) highlighted the accomplishments of a number of exemplary individuals across the Department of Defense.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – “At these tournaments, my mind is teeming with pawns and little else,” said Lt. Chaselynn Watters, staff scientist in the Wound Infections Department at the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC). Watters was selected to represent the United States Navy at the 28th annual North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Chess Championship held at the ornate and historic Stefania Palace, Cultural Center of National Defense, Budapest, Hungary, March 26 – April 1, 2017.

SAN DIEGO—April is the Month of the Military Child in recognition of the important role of children in military families and communities. What better way to celebrate military children than by protecting their health?

For as long as there have been ships and voyages at sea, there has existed a struggle to achieve one’s “sea legs.” Whether sailing on calm or turbulent waters, the disturbing lack of equilibrium we term seasickness is almost certainly a guarantee.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Capt. Adam W. Armstrong relieved Capt. Jacqueline D. Rychnovsky during a Change of Command and Retirement Ceremony held at the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC), April 6. During the ceremony Rychnovsky retired after 27 years of honorable naval service. She assumed command of NMRC in 2015.

SAN ANTONIO - Representing the Americas, a group of 60 business leaders and policy officials visited Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio, as part of a larger tour of military medical facilities at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston April 3.

The word health resonates across borders and cultures.That lesson was made clear during a recent trip by Military Health System leaders to three African nations, underscoring the enduring commitment of the MHS to help partners build enhanced capabilities to respond to infectious disease and other public health threats around the world.

SAN DIEGO – Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) welcomed Rear Adm. Ann Burkhardt, director, 21st Century Sailor Office, on an official visit, March 13. During the visit, Burkhardt met with Capt. Rita Simmons, NHRC’s commanding officer, and other key scientific personnel to discuss the command’s research that aligns with 21st Century Sailor initiatives.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Researchers from the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) participated in the National Museum of Health and Medicine (NMHM) Annual Brain Awareness Week, March 16. Brain Awareness Week is one of the museum’s central efforts to support the Department of Defense (DoD) Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) workforce development initiatives.

SILVER SPRING, MD. – Air Force Colonel Sharon Bannister, commanding officer, 79th Medical Wing, was welcomed by Navy Captain Jacqueline Rychnovsky, commanding officer, Navy Medical Research Center (NMRC), March 6. Bannister, accompanied by Air Force Major Peter Carra, Executive Officer, 79th Medical Wing, discussed the capabilities of NMRC’s En Route Medical Care Program with the Navy research team.

SILVER SPRING, Md – Lieutenant Commander Peter Walker was selected as Navy Medicine’s Aerospace Experimental Psychology Officer of the Year for 2016 as a testament to his outstanding research expertise, strong organizational skills, and impressive leadership and mentoring ability.

SAN ANTONIO – Researchers at the Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio (NAMRU-SA) are developing a portable sterilizer for use in military field operations.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Surgery can be a daunting thought, regardless if you are under the knife or holding it. With many moving parts, surgery can be complicated. Put the operating room on a ship at sea during high sea states, and it gets even more challenging.

PERU – The Entomology Department at the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6) in Lima, Peru, developed a highly productive, self-mating, sustainable breeding colony of Anopheles darling mosquitos at the laboratory’s insectary. In collaboration with the NAMRU-6 Parasitology Department, researchers turned the tables on the mosquitos, and use blood-meals to infect mosquitos with malaria.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Commander Michael Stockelman, Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases, Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC), presented a seminar to the Cancer Biology Program at his Alma Mater, University of Cincinnati (UC), March 12, entitled “Medical Research in the U.S. Navy with an Emphasis on Infectious Disease” to a room full of his former mentors and teachers, as well as scientists and industry professionals.

SAN DIEGO – Recent research from Naval Health Research Center’s (NHRC) Warfighter Performance Department found that physical activity may diminish the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicidal ideation (SI) in individuals with a genetic predisposition. Study findings were published online in the January issue of Psychiatry Research.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – Lieutenant Joshua Swift was selected as Navy Medicine’s Physiology Officer of the Year for 2016 as a testament to his outstanding research expertise, strong organizational skills, and impressive leadership and mentoring ability.

SAN DIEGO – Experts across the Military Health System are collaborating with civilian researchers on an advanced alternative to socket-based prosthetics for some amputees. Osseointegration, a process that attaches the prosthesis directly to the skeleton, can improve comfort and mobility for qualified patients with amputations.

ABUJA, Nigeria – Four U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. Three (NAMRU-3) vector biologists and other staff members traveled to Abuja and Enugu State, Nigeria, in February to expand on collaborative research efforts in the region, as well as to survey for arboviruses transmission. They were joined by researchers at the National Arbovirus and Vectors Research Center (NAVRC), as well as soldiers from the 82 Division, Nigerian Army, who will be included in an arbovirus risk mapping project.

With the success of recent Navy and Army-lead clinical trials of Sanaria’s PfSpz (Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite) vaccine, medical science is on the cusp of a historic breakthrough and one that would forever shift the global health dynamic. This is a story many decades in the making and one that has crossed through the very epicenters of Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) and its forbearer, the Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI).

SILVER SPRING, Md. – The Junior Officer of the Year (JOOY) program is an opportunity for military officers to be recognized for their contributions to the command research mission and their commitment to leadership and professionalism as a Naval Officer. The Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) recently named Lt. Joshua Swift as the Junior Officer of the Year for 2016.

Recent research from Naval Health Research Center’s Warfighter Performance Department found that the sitting position was associated with high rates of low back pain (LBP) and disc degeneration among U.S. service members who participated in the study. Research findings were recently published in the January issue of the Journal of Orthopaedic Research.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – The Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) selected James Andrews, Ph.D. as the new Director of Field Laboratory Operations (FLO). Andrews has many day-to-day administrative and scientific responsibilities, including assuring researchers at NMRC and the laboratories across enterprise succeed.

CAMBODIA -- Located between the eastern banks of the Mekong River and adjacent to the Vietnamese border, Kampong Cham Province is the fourth largest province in Cambodia by population and a key supply corridor for Cambodia and neighboring countries. Since 2005, sporadic cases of H5N1 Avian Influenza have been detected in this region. The U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2 (NAMRU-2), in collaboration with the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH), and the Provincial Health Department (PHD) in Kampong Cham, established longitudinal research and epidemiological surveillance studies in this province starting in 2006, which provided important public health information for the Ministry of Health.

SAN ANTONIO – Researchers at the Naval Medical Research Unit - San Antonio (NAMRU-SA) are working to understand both the physiologic and molecular changes occurring in response to traumatic injury. One of the primary focus areas of this research is the identification of the mechanisms within the immune system that respond to injury, specifically hemorrhage and poly-trauma. “Traumatic injury is a leading cause of mortality in the military and civilian population. The loss of blood, combined with tissue damage, initiates a physiologic response that can promote both reparative wound healing and deleterious inflammation, depending on the predisposition of the affected individual’s immune system,” said Dr. Madelaine Paredes, researcher in NAMRU-SA’s Immunodiagnostic and Bioassay Development Department.

LIMA, Peru – The U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6) celebrated the opening of a new insectary, December 9, 2016. The event started with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The Honorable Brian Nichols, U.S. Ambassador to Peru, and the Commanding Officer of the Naval Medical Research Center, Capt. Jacqueline Rychnovsky, attended the event along with other invited guests. The new insectary will be an important asset to continue the fight against vector borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Researchers from the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC), in collaboration with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, developed, tested and deployed to the field a unique software package. EDGE, short for Empowering the Development of Genomics Expertise, is designed to lower the barrier of bioinformatics, both in terms of hardware and ease of use.