Rear Adm. Takehiko Murakami, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) surgeon general and director of medicine, visited Navy Medicine West (NMW) headquarters, Dec. 3, and discussed ongoing partnerships and regional medical initiatives.
During his visit, Murakami met with Mr. Mark Boman, NMW assistant chief of staff, who provided an overview of NMW assets, capabilities, and global health engagements.
“It was an honor to meet Rear Admiral Murakami and discuss our mutual interests in global health and providing high quality medical capabilities to our service members,” said Boman. “With our naval hospitals in Yokosuka and Okinawa, and by conducting joint exercises throughout the Pacific Rim, Navy Medicine West has forged a strong relationship with our colleagues from the JMSDF and we look forward to future collaborations that enhance interoperability.”
Throughout the region, NMW and the JMSDF personnel engage in several collaborative activities, including externship programs that provide an opportunity for Japanese medical officers to train at U.S. naval hospitals in Japan, and numerous medical evacuation exercises and mass casualty drills that build teamwork capabilities.
Navy Medicine West leads (NMW) Navy Medicine’s Western Pacific health care system and global research and development enterprise. Throughout the region, NMW provides medical care to nearly 700,000 beneficiaries across 10 naval hospitals, two dental battalions, and 51 branch clinics located throughout the West Coast of the U.S., Asia, and the Pacific. Globally, NMW also has oversight of eight research laboratories across the U.S. and overseas that deliver high-value, high-impact research products to support and protect the health and readiness of service members.