SAN DIEGO – Capt. Brien Dickson, Naval Base Point Loma (NBPL) commanding officer, visited the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) to learn more about the command’s mission and tour the facilities, Nov. 30.
NHRC, which is a tenant command of NBPL, optimizes the operational readiness and health of U.S. warfighters by conducting research, development, testing, and evaluation to inform Department of Defense (DoD) policy.
NBPL provides infrastructure, security, recreational, and galley support, ensuring its tenant commands have everything they need to perform their mission.
“The outstanding support NHRC gets from Naval Base Point Loma allows us to focus on our research, keeping our warfighters healthy and operationally ready,” said Capt. Marshall Monteville, NHRC’s commanding officer. “The base and Capt. Dickson have been fully supportive of the unique needs of a military medical research command.”
During his visit to NHRC, Dickson met with command leadership and toured NHRC’s laboratories to learn more about the command, its facilities, and the level of support needed from NBPL.
According to Dickson, a research command provides unique challenges because its workforce is predominantly civilian and more senior than most commands.
“Most of our base services and communication outlets focus on younger Sailors,” said Dickson. “Ensuring the NHRC team is aware of what we can do for them is something we are working on doing better. Additionally, NHRC has very unique facilities requirements for which our public works team builds custom solutions.”
Within NHRC’s buildings on NBPL are an infectious diseases laboratory for molecular and microbiology research and surveillance, a freezer archive that stores nearly one million specimens, and a 6,000 square foot human performance laboratory that houses an environmental chamber and an immersive virtual reality system.
“Captain Dickson’s visit today provided an opportunity to foster good relations while also highlighting our mission and capabilities,” Monteville said. “Our location onboard Naval Base Point Loma is ideal. It places our researchers close to several different types of operational units, which allows us stay on top of the readiness needs of fleet and ground forces, enabling us to align our research with mission requirements.”
The work done by NHRC researchers focuses on increasing warfighter survivability, boosting the resilience of service members, and improving the health and well-being of service members and their families.
“We’re proud to host NHRC, which is a very impressive organization when you factor in the scope of the research performed here,” said Dickson. “I was especially impressed with the human performance laboratory and how that has provided new understanding on how to make our warriors more effective and resilient.”
Dickson said he looks forward to providing enhanced facilities support, recreation opportunities, and food service options to the hard working NHRC team.
As the DoD’s premier deployment health research center, NHRC’s cutting-edge research and development is used to optimize the operational health and readiness of the nation’s armed forces. In proximity to more than 95,000 active duty service members, world-class universities, and industry partners, NHRC sets the standard in joint ventures, innovation, and translational research.