Joint Base San Antonio > News

NAMRU San Antonio highlights Sara Blackcloud during Native American Heritage Month
November 21, 2022 — Native American Heritage Month marks a time to showcase and honor the many contributions Native Americans have made to the Department of Defense and the nation... MORE

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON – (Nov. 18, 2022) – Native American Heritage Month marks a time to showcase and honor the many contributions Native Americans have made to the Department of Defense (DoD) and the nation. For Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) San Antonio, Sara BlackCloud, a financial management analyst, assigned to the Resource Management and Acquisitions Directorate, is a representation of the highly professional and diverse civilian workforce within the Department of the Navy. Born in San Bernardino, Calif., and raised in San Diego, BlackCloud has been a Navy civilian for six years. She first enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 2002 and enter service in the U.S. Army in 2008 deploying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. NAMRU San Antonio's mission is to conduct gap driven combat casualty care, craniofacial, and directed energy research to improve survival, operational readiness, and safety of DoD personnel engaged in routine and expeditionary operations. NAMRU San Antonio is one of the leading research and development laboratories for the U.S. Navy under the DoD and is one of eight subordinate research commands in the global network of laboratories operating under the Naval Medical Research Center in Silver Spring, Md. (U.S. Navy photo by Burrell Parmer, NAMRU San Antonio Public Affairs/Released)

Items taken to space return to NAMRU San Antonio
November 2, 2022 — Possessing an object that has been to space is no easy feat. For Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio, that is now a reality. During a presentation held at the Brooke Army Medical Center’s Putnam Auditorium at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, U.S. Army Col. Andrew Morgan, NASA astronaut, returned a command coin and logo sticker which he took with him during his nine months aboard the International Space Station. ... MORE

NAMRU San Antonio highlights Dolores Sandoval during National Hispanic Heritage Month
October 18, 2022 — National Hispanic Heritage Month marks a time to showcase and honor the many contributions Hispanic Americans have made to the Department of Defense and the nation. For Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio, Dolores Sandoval, the executive secretary, assigned to the command suite, is a representation of the highly professional and diverse civilian workforce within the Department of the Navy. ... MORE

NAMRU San Antonio highlights Juan Perez during National Hispanic Heritage Month
October 18, 2022 — For Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio, Juan Perez, a management and program analyst, assigned to the administrative department, is a representation of the highly professional and diverse civilian workforce within the Department of the Navy... MORE

NAMRU San Antonio talks 'Mission Possible'
October 10, 2022 — Military and support personnel assigned to Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio, or NAMRU SA, attended the second “Mission Possible,” an information-sharing event held at the Tri-Service Research Laboratory at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston... MORE

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON – (Sept. 30, 2022) – Peter Sprenger assigned to the Directed Energy Bioeffects Department of Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) San Antonio, speaks about directed energy (DE) during the second “Mission Possible,” an information-sharing event held at the Tri-Service Research Laboratory. The purpose of “Mission Possible” is to better inform members of the command on the tactics, techniques, and procedures of the three science directorates to include the resource acquisitions and administrative directorates. NAMRU San Antonio’s mission is to conduct gap driven combat casualty care, craniofacial, and directed energy research to improve survival, operational readiness, and safety of Department of Defense personnel engaged in routine and expeditionary operations. It is one of the leading research and development laboratories for the U.S. Navy under the DoD and is one of eight subordinate research commands in the global network of laboratories operating under the Naval Medical Research Center in Silver Spring, Md. (U.S. Navy photo by Burrell Parmer, NAMRU San Antonio Public Affairs/released)

Navy Surgeon General visits with NAMRU San Antonio during 2022 Military Health System Research Symposium
September 15, 2022 — Rear. Adm. Bruce L. Gillingham, Surgeon General of the Navy, visited with leadership and research scientists of Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio during Poster Session I on day two of the 2022 Military Health System Research Symposium, or MHSRS, held at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida, Sept. 13... MORE

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – (Sept. 13, 2022) – Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman David Snow, of Mountain Top, Pa., senior enlisted leader assigned to Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) San Antonio, speaks with the Surgeon General of the Navy, Rear. Adm. Bruce L. Gillingham during a poster session held on day two of the 2022 Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) held at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center. The 2022 MHSRS brings together military, government, academia, and industry experts for four days of critical conversations and intensive idea sharing. Presenters will share their latest research findings and challenges on topics including combat casualty care, military operational medicine, clinical and rehabilitative medicine, medical simulation and information sciences, military infectious diseases, and the radiation health effects. NAMRU San Antonio is one of the leading research and development laboratories for the U.S. Navy under the Department of Defense and is one of eight subordinate research commands in the global network of laboratories operating under the Naval Medical Research Center in Silver Spring, Md. Its mission is to conduct gap driven combat casualty care, craniofacial, and directed energy research to improve survival, operational readiness, and safety of DOD personnel engaged in routine and expeditionary operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Burrell Parmer, NAMRU San Antonio Public Affairs/Released)

Navy interns present research at NAMRU San Antonio
August 8, 2022 — Three student interns enrolled in the Office of Naval Research’s Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program, or NREIP, had the opportunity to present their research to mentors, scientists and staff assigned to Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio at the Battlefield Health and Trauma Building at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Aug. 4... MORE

NAMRU San Antonio commemorates Battle of Midway
June 13, 2022 — Military and support personnel assigned to Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio gathered to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway at the Tri-Service Research Laboratory at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston June 7... MORE

NAMRU San Antonio spotlights combat casualty care Director for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
May 31, 2022 — The Department of Defense celebrates Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, acknowledging the contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in defending America's freedom. Being recognized by Naval Medical Research Unit, or NAMRU, San Antonio is Dr. Heuy-Ching Hetty Wang, director, Combat Casualty Care and Operational Medicine... MORE

NAMRU San Antonio, 59th MDW, USAISR participate in Military Medical Industry Day
April 25, 2022 — The City of San Antonio, the San Antonio Economic Development Department Corporation and VelocityTX hosted the third Military Medical Industry Day at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center April 19. This year’s MMID featured San Antonio's leading military medical research missions including the Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio, the Air Force's 59th Medical Wing, and the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research. ... MORE

NAMRU SA recognizes one of its own during Women’s History Month
March 30, 2022 — One of the highly professional women within Navy Medicine is Cmdr. Leslie Trippe, department head of the environmental surveillance and epidemiology departments of NAMRU San Antonio’s Craniofacial Health and Restorative Medicine Directorate... MORE

NAMRU SA recognizes one of their own during Women’s History Month

NAMRU San Antonio conducts Quantitative Detection of Pain Study
March 16, 2022 — Dental health and readiness is crucial in the military health system. To increase readiness, researchers assigned to Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio, or NAMRU San Antonio, have been conducting a study for the Electrodermal Activity Sensing for Quantitative Detection of Pain... MORE

NAMRU San Antonio highlights research microbiologist during National Hispanic Heritage Month
October 18, 2021 — National Hispanic Heritage Month marks a time to showcase and honor the many contributions Hispanic Americans have made to the Department of Defense and the nation... MORE

NAMRU San Antonio highlights Dr. Luis Martinez during National Hispanic Heritage Month

Two NAMRU-SA members recognized by American Society of Military Comptrollers
June 28, 2021 — The American Society of Military Comptrollers, or ASMC, has selected two Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio members for awards recognizing their work within the command... MORE

NAMRU-SA participates in first virtual San Antonio postdoctoral research forum
January 15, 2021 — Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio, or NAMRU-SA, was one of five academic or scientific research institutions in San Antonio to provide presenters, judges, organizers and attendees for the annual San Antonio Postdoctoral Research Forum, Dec. 7-11, 2020. Due to COVID-19, it was the first time the program went virtual in its eight-year history... MORE

Cmdr. Linda Smith, a Navy Medical Corps doctor and Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio’s executive office.

NAMRU-SA scientist selected for top Navy science award
June 12, 2020 — Work on biomedical projects, from developing an antivenom to dental research, has earned a Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio researcher an award for being one of the top scientists in the Navy... MORE

Dr. Yoon Hwang, Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio Maxillofacial Injury and Disease Department research scientist.

JBSA-Fort Sam Houston researchers author paper on military dental emergencies
October 23, 2019 — Researchers at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston have authored a research paper analyzing data of dental emergencies and traumatic facial and head injuries among servicemembers that could be utilized in improving troop outcomes and mission preparedness... MORE

(From left) Dr. John Simecek, Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio director of craniofacial health and restorative medicine; Dr. Sylvain Cardin, Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio chief science director; and Col. Tim Mitchener, U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research public health dentist and oral maxillofacial injury epidemiologist, collaborated on a six-page research paper published in the July/August issue of Military Medicine. Their research paper reviewed and analyzed data from 30 previous studies, both published and unpublished, covering reported dental emergencies and oral- and cranio-maxillofacial injuries of U.S. military personnel serving in combat environments, who were deployed, serving in stabilization operations and training exercises and those in garrison.

Navy Medicine commands host San Antonio educators for STEM tour
July 25, 2019 — The Navy Medicine Training Support Center cohosted Bexar County educators for a tour of the Medical Education and Training Campus at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston July 15... MORE

Seaman Emille Sichz and Seaman Apprentice Ciaran Braswell, students in the Surgical Technician program at the Medical Education and Training Campus at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston perform a mock surgery during a tour. The tour provided San Antonio educators and counselors with a general overview of the Navy in an effort to raise awareness of Navy career opportunities through a tour of the medical training campus.

JBSA-Fort Sam Houston celebrates Women’s History Month
March 18, 2019 — The director of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Advisory Committee on Women Veterans was guest speaker for a Women’s’ History Month event led by Navy Medicine Training Support Center’s Diversity Committee and Soldiers assigned to the 106th Signal Brigade at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston March 13... MORE

Navy Capt. Michele A. Kane, executive officer, Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio, poses for a photo with retired Command Master Chief Octavia Harris during the Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Women’s History Month observance March 13.

Navy scientists developing wound dressing to improve healing of battlefield injuries
December 20, 2018 — In addressing complications that hinder the ability of wounded service members to recover from their injuries, researchers at Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio, or NAMRU-SA, at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston are developing and testing a type of wound dressing that contributes to the healing process and improves patient outcomes... MORE

Dr. Tony Yuan, Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio senior scientist and biomedical engineer at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, explains how the electrospinner system operates. The fully automated electrospinner, constructed in 2012, uses high voltage electricity as a force to produce a nanofibrous scaffold from biomaterials for a new type of wound dressing containing natural fibers that can be used to deliver biomolecules and drugs to heal the wounds of service members injured in combat. Advancements in electrospinning and the development of nanofibrous wound dressings made by NAMRU-SA researchers could speed up the healing process for troops wounded on the battlefield, reducing complications and scar formations and improving patient outcomes.