The 2025 Military Health System (MHS) Nursing Leadership Excellence Award in the Mid-Grade Military category has been awarded to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Camp Lejeune’s Lt. Cmdr. Larry Gunter.
The MHS Nursing Leadership Excellence Award recognizes nurses who demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation, and commitment to advancing nursing practice and improving patient care. The Midgrade Leadership category highlights nurses who are strengthening health care through mentorship, leadership development, and initiatives that improve both patient outcomes and the professional growth of the nursing workforce.
“This recognition means a great deal because it reflects the impact that mentorship, teamwork, and community engagement can have within health care,” said Gunter, who has served as an adult-gerontology acute care clinical nurse specialist at Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune (NMCCL). “Nursing leadership is not just about clinical care; it is about developing people, strengthening teams, and empowering others with knowledge and skills.”
Gunter, a native of Newport News, Virginia, has focused his time with NMRTC Camp Lejeune on mentorship and education for Navy nurses. Gunter established the first Nurse Residency Program cohort at NMCCL. The program is a six-month course that orients new nurses to Navy Medicine; the program recognized its first graduating class in November 2025.
“[The program] helps new nurses grow into confident clinicians and future leaders,” explained Gunter. “For me, leadership is about investing in people…seeing new nurses grow in confidence and leadership, while also being able to share lifesaving education with the community, is incredibly rewarding.”
Gunter also works within the surrounding communities providing Basic Life Support (BLS) and Stop the Bleed training which equips community members with the skills needed to respond during life-threatening emergencies before first responders arrive.
For Gunter, the recognition by the MHS is not an individual accomplishment, but one he attributes to the many nurses, corpsmen, educators, and community partners who have helped support learning initiatives.
“At each stage of my career, there was always someone who took the time to challenge me, mentor me, and encourage me to reach the next level...When I work with corpsmen and new nurses, I often see a reflection of my own journey in them. Sometimes all it takes is someone willing to lend a helping hand, offer encouragement, or give a motivational push to help someone discover their potential and find their purpose.”
Gunter now embarks on a new leadership journey at NMCCL, recently being named the Healthcare Simulation and Bioskills Center department head which will allow for him to continue educating nurses and other medical professionals.
“It is with great pride that we celebrate this monumental achievement within our ranks. Lt. Cmdr. Gunter’s selection for this award places him among the best of the best in military medicine,” said Capt. Anja Dabelić, director for NMCCL. “This distinction not only reflects Lt. Cmdr. Gunter's individual excellence but also reflects the high standards of leadership and care cultivated at NMCCL.”
Lt. Cmdr. Gunter will be recognized at the 2026 Military Health System (MHS) conference in Dallas, Texas, in May 2026.
NMCCL has provided more than 80 years of dedicated, passionate care for warfighters and beneficiaries at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
| Date Taken: |
03.26.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
03.26.2026 12:48 |
| Story ID: |
561363 |
| Location: |
CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: |
NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, US |
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22 |
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