The U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command's Dr. Jaques Reifman has been selected to receive the Presidential Rank Award's Meritorious Executive Award for the second time in his government career.

Reifman serves at the USAMRMC's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, where he is the director of the Department of Defense's Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute for Force Health Protection.

Reifman first earned the Presidential Rank Award's Meritorious Executive Award in 2009, which recognizes Senior Executive Service members who have demonstrated extraordinary career accomplishments. The selection process is rigorous and only 5 percent of SES members are eligible to receive the rank of Meritorious Executive. There will be a ceremony in the spring to honor Reifman and the other executives awarded a Presidential Rank Award.

"It is, of course, very exciting and an honor," Reifman said of the award. "However, I would not be where I am without my team. I may bring an idea to the table, but they dig in and find ways to bring that idea to fruition."

After Reifman started at the USAMRMC in 2001, he saw the need for an organization such as the BHSAI. Reifman built the institute to have a diverse staff compromised of about 40 employees, 75 percent of whom have doctoral degrees. The BHSAI's mission is to develop computational solutions to accelerate the research and development of militarily relevant medical products for the USAMRMC's Force Health Protection Directorate. The institute also collaborates with life scientists within and outside of the DOD to develop and integrate computational biology and medical informatics applications into research programs; focused on improving the medical protection and care of military personnel.

"In my 30-odd year career as a research scientist in academia and government, I have not met a more driven and capable leader," said Dr. S. Anders Wallqvist, deputy of the Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute for Force Health Protection. "Working with Dr. Reifman is exciting. He is a person that pushes the boundaries of the science and he is not afraid to work outside his comfort zone. Dr. Reifman is somebody who drives himself and us to excel in the work that we are doing."

To complete its mission, the BHSAI collaborates with many other parts of the USAMRMC, as well as Navy, Air Force and academia. The institute averages 20 to 25 projects each year.

"One of the hallmarks of working with Dr. Reifman is his ability to instill a sense of urgency and commitment to the work that we are doing," said Wallqvist. "His work ethics are legendary; he comes in first in the morning, and he is the last one to leave. He sets an example for excellence, and I think this comes across in how the institute works and ultimately in the work that we provide to support the Warfighter."