Photo By Cameron Parks | Kathleen L. Berst, left, presents an official charter to Kendra Lawrence, Ph.D., ...... read more read more
The Defense Health Agency’s Operational Medical Systems team received its official charter as a Program Management Office during a ceremony April 10, 2025, at Fort Detrick, Maryland.
During the ceremony, U.S. Army Col. Owen L. Roberts was appointed as the first program manager of OPMED PMO. This event marks a significant milestone in the evolution of OPMED PMO. In 2024, as mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act, OPMED transitioned from the Department of the Army to the Defense Health Agency.
The move is part of a broader Department of Defense effort to modernize medical development and acquisition. According to Roberts, the transition will ensure the OPMED PMO develops and delivers innovative, high-quality medical products to protect, treat, and sustain deployed Joint forces, directly contributing to enhanced Warfighter lethality and readiness.
OPMED has four chartered project management offices, each led by a designated project manager. These offices are focused on various areas to enhance Warfighter support and effectiveness: Warfighter Readiness, Performance, and Brain Health is managed by Lou Jasper; Warfighter Protection and Acute Care is overseen by Kendra Lawrence, Ph.D.; Warfighter Expeditionary Medicine and Treatment is managed by Caitlyn Felkoski; and the Enterprise Information Technology office completes the team.
“It’s truly an honor to be part of this team,” said Roberts after accepting his charter. He summed up his vision for the organization by adding, “I just want to be able to ensure that OPMED…is on the winning side of everything we do.”
The DHA’s OPMED leads the DoD in joint solutions for medical development and acquisition, focusing on enhancing Warfighter lethality and readiness. OPMED project management teams develop and deliver next-generation, world-class medical capabilities designed for Large-Scale Combat Operations, especially within austere environments, empowering combatant commanders with advanced medical solutions in challenging operational contexts.
OPMED equips medical providers across the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Special Forces with cutting-edge tools and technologies to deliver lifesaving and life-prolonging care at the point of injury. Through collaboration with stakeholders across the DoD, academia, and industry, OPMED ensures the American Joint Force is prepared to fight and win in any environment, including the demanding conditions of the Indo-Pacific and Arctic regions.
Two distinguished visitors representing DHA officiated at the OPMED charter ceremony: Kathleen L. Berst, Acting Assistant Director – Support and Acting Component Acquisition Executive, and Brett T. Scheideman, Acting Deputy Assistant Director for Acquisition and Sustainment and Acting Deputy CAE. Both are the principal authorities overseeing OPMED PMO’s development and acquisition missions.
Through medical development, OPMED is vital to the continuing mission of DHA to enable combat support to the Joint Force in competition, crisis, or conflict, according to Berst. She said the official chartering is a critical step toward full integration of the PMO into the DoD’s medical modernization strategy.
OPMED’s four project management teams work to enable lifesaving and life-prolonging care at and near the front lines. From preventive treatments and drugs to burn care, hemorrhage control, and brain health, OPMED’s advanced medical development teams are focused on meeting the current and future needs of America’s Service members – and the combatant commanders who are preparing for conflicts across the globe.
“First and foremost, you are responsible for taking care of this team,” Berst told the assembled OPMED PMO leadership. “That is job number one. You are also responsible for making sure they have everything they need to be successful and to deliver [capabilities for Warfighters].”
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.30.2025 16:47 |
| Story ID: | 496630 |
| Location: | FORT DETRICK, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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