JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON – (Feb. 25, 2025) – Rear Adm. Matthew Case, the Defense Health Agency’s (DHA) acting assistant director, Health Administration (AD-HCA) visited with leadership and staff of Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) San Antonio.

The purpose of the visit was to better understand NAMRU San Antonio ‘s mission, capabilities, and impact to Navy Medicine.

Case, who additional serves as the director of the Navy Medical Service Corps, toured NAMRU San Antonio facilities at the Battlefield Health and Trauma (BHT) Research Institute and Tri-Service Research Laboratory.

While touring BHT, Case was briefed research on bacterial reduction efficacy of a portable ozone sterilizer, tactical combat casualty care (TCCC) treatments in extreme cold, bone fracture fixation technology for craniomaxillofacial (CMF) fractures, development of a novel antivenom against specific snakebites, and an in-house design of an amalgam separator for dental chairs.

Case is the fifth Navy Corps director to visit NAMRU San Antonio within the past two years. Rear Admirals Guido Valdes (Medical Corps), Walter Brafford (Dental Corps), Robert Hawkins (Nurse Corps), and Force Master Chief PatrickPaul C. Mangaran (Hospital Corps) have visited the unit since January 2023.

NAMRU San Antonio is one of eight research laboratories within Navy Medicine Research and Development.

Its 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.