Bethesda, MD – An experienced leader in Navy Medicine, Navy Capt. (Dr.) John Gilstad, was recently selected to serve as the new director of the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU).
Board-certified in Internal Medicine, Gilstad earned his undergraduate degree in 1987 from the U.S. Naval Academy and is a 1993 graduate of USU’s F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine. As a medical student, he participated from 1989 to 1991 as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Scholar at the National Institutes of Health. He trained in Internal Medicine at the National Naval Medical Center from 1994 to 1996, then later completed a geriatrics fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. He is also an assistant professor in USU’s Department of Medicine, and has previously served at AFRRI as head of the Scientific Research department from 2010 to 2012.
A proven leader with command experience, Gilstad served as Executive Officer of Naval Medical Research Unit Two/Naval Medical Research Center-Asia (NAMRU-2/NMRC-Asia) in Hawaii and Singapore, and Commanding Officer of Naval Medical Research Unit-No. 3 (NAMRU-3) in Cairo, Egypt, before returning in 2016 to serve as head of AFRRI’s Military Medical Operations.
Gilstad is well versed in research as well as clinical practice, having served as department head of Responsible Conduct of Research at the National Naval Medical Center, and department head of Medical Specialists and chair of the Executive Committee of the Medical Staff at the Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, Japan.
Gilstad said he had looked forward to returning to AFRRI, which he describes as a remarkable institution at the intersection of nuclear physics, molecular and cell biology, trauma and burn science, carcinogenesis, drug development, and national security.
“It is a privilege and a sincere pleasure for me to become director here at AFRRI,” Gilstad said. “AFRRI and USU are a unique resource, providing the Department of Defense, and the nation, with excellence in medical education, research, and thought leadership.”
Gilstad assumed his new position in April, succeeding Air Force Col. (Dr.) Lester “Andy” Huff, who will retire after 34 years of service.
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About USU
The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), founded by an act of Congress in 1972, is the academic heart of the Military Health System. USU students are primarily active-duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who receive specialized education in tropical and infectious diseases, TBI and PTSD, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, global health, acute trauma care, and advanced practice nursing and dentistry. For more information, visit www.usuhs.edu.
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