Naval Medical Research Command

Naval Medical Research Command, formerly known as Naval Medical Research Center, focuses on solutions to operational medical problems such as battlefield neurotrauma and wound infections, decompression sickness, naturally occurring infectious diseases, and biological threat agents; and is home to the DoD bone marrow registry. The NMRC laboratory is co-located in the Daniel K. Inouye Building with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research at the U.S. Army Forest Glen Annex, Silver Spring, Maryland. NMRC also operates a Biological Defense Research Directorate at the U.S. Army Ft. Detrick Garrison in Frederick, Maryland. The NMRC Operational and Undersea Medicine Directorate (OUMD) conducts medical research, development, testing, and evaluation to develop new information and technologies to enhance the health, safety, performance, and deployment medical readiness of Navy and Marine Corps personnel. OUMD researchers continue to persevere to find opportunities to build new programmatic capability and partnerships, and advance research focusing on improving conditions for the warfighter. The Directorate has three departments: Undersea Medicine, NeuroTrauma, and Regenerative Medicine. The Directorate for DoD Infectious Diseases Research Directorate (DDID) conducts research on infectious diseases that are considered to be significant threats to our deployed sailors, marines, soldiers, and airmen. Significant threats are those that have the potential to incapacitate a large number of deployed forces over a short time period, thus hindering the ability of warfighters to accomplish their mission. The geographical distribution of a disease; the lack of an effective vaccine, treatment, or other control measures; the mode of transmission; and the historical impact during past wars are all factors that determine the importance of an infectious disease to the U.S. Military. As reflected by the departmental organization within DDID, the main infectious disease targets on which research efforts are currently focused are COVID-19, malaria, bacterial causes of traveler's diarrhea, dengue fever, combat-related wound infections and scrub typhus. In general, the overarching research goal in DDID is to minimize the impact of these infectious diseases by preventing infection or clinical disease. In most cases, the best approach to achieve this goal is through the development of efficacious vaccines, prophylaxis and therapeutics. The NMRC Biological Defense Research Directorate (BDRD) focuses on how to defend against the threat of biological and chemical warfare. For several years, the directorate has researched ways to protect military personnel in the event of a biological attack. The researchers are considered leaders in the field of detection, including hand-held assays, molecular diagnostics, and confirmatory analysis. BDRD serves as a national resource providing testing and analysis for the presence of potential biological hazards. The directorate’s departments include: Genomics, Immunodiagnostics and Hand Held Assays, Molecular Diagnostics and Clinical Research. The NMRC Research Services Directorate (RSD) and its departments constitute one of the assets that sustains the mission of NMRC and its subordinate commands. The departments act as bridges for the community's scientific investigators and open the genius of NMRC scientific endeavors to research applications and developments. They promote the NMRC research mission by facilitating professional bonds with related research activities and with a vast array of collaborators. The directorate's departments are modeled upon research service offices and divisions found in a wide variety of federal, university, and private sector agencies. The NMRC Bone Marrow Program provides military contingency support for casualties with marrow toxic injury due to radiation or chemical warfare agents. Exposure to radiation and chemical agents, such as nerve and mustard gases, can cause unrecoverable damage to bone marrow, the blood-forming organ, breaking down the immune system in the process. NMRC's C. W. Bill Young Marrow Donor Program (BYMDP) is a prime example of the Navy's innovative research and how it has far-reaching effects. What started as basic research to explore the idea of viable versus non-viable organ transplants has spawned a national registry of bone marrow donor candidates. The Director for Administration (DFA) is the senior officer of this directorate, providing administrative support to the command and to the Echelon 4 and 5 activities. The DFA provides direction and support to the other directorates and sets policies required to ensure a coordinated effort in support of command requirements. Navy Medicine is the whole of the US Navy’s Medical Support to the Fleet and Fleet Marine Force to ensure readiness both at peace and in combat. The personnel of Navy Medicine are grouped into six Corps. Medical Corps Dental Corps Nurse Corps Medical Service Corps Hospital Corps Civilian Corps These medical and support personnel serve around the globe and here in the United States. The US Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) is the headquarters for Navy Medicine and issues policy regarding the development and practices of Navy Medicine as well as collaborating with our sister services and the Defense Health Agency. BUMED is directly responsible for the Navy personnel at Military Treatment Facilities, our medical research commands and our medical training and support commands. Navy Medicine personnel assigned to ships, submarines, aviation squadrons, Special Forces units, Marine battalions and other operational positions report to their operational commands while assigned to those units. Navy Medicine supports the warfighter, projecting medical power to enhance survivability of our forces, to sustain US Naval superiority.