News Release

For Immediate Release -- September 20, 2011

USAMRIID Change of Command Set for 27 September

Fort Detrick, Md. -- Colonel Bernard L. DeKoning will assume command of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) during a change of command ceremony Tuesday, September 27, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. Members of the Frederick community are welcome to attend the ceremony, which will be held on the Blue and Gray Field across from Building 810 at Fort Detrick.

Colonel DeKoning replaces Colonel John P. Skvorak, who has commanded the Institute since June 2008. Colonel Skvorak is retiring from the U.S. Army after more than 25 years of active duty service.

A board-certified family physician who received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Rush Medical College in Chicago, Ill., Colonel DeKoning most recently served as Director of Clinical & Healthcare Business Operations (J3B) Joint Task Force, National Capital Region-Medical, in Bethesda, Md.

Colonel DeKoning has held a variety of military positions overseas, from his first assignment as Commander of the 6th General Dispensary in Brunssum, The Netherlands to leading the 30th Medical Command in Heidelberg, Germany. His numerous stateside posts have included Chief of Family Practice Service at Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Fort Gordon, Ga.; Combat Developer, Army Medical Dept. Center and School, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Command Surgeon, US Army Training and Doctrine Command, Ft. Monroe, Va.; and Assistant Surgeon General for Force Projection at the Pentagon.

Prior to directing Clinical & Healthcare Business Operations for the Joint Task Force, Colonel DeKoning served as Command Surgeon for the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq and as Senior Medical Advisor to the Iraq Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior.

USAMRIID's mission is to conduct basic and applied research on biological threats resulting in medical solutions (vaccines, drugs and diagnostics) to protect our Nation's armed forces, and its research often has applications that benefit society as a whole. As the lead military medical research laboratory for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's Joint Science and Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense, USAMRIID plays a key role in national defense and in infectious disease research. USAMRIID is a subordinate laboratory of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command.

Media Note: Please notify Ms. Vander Linden at Caree.VanderLinden@us.army.mil by 12 noon September 26th if you will be attending. In the case of inclement weather, the change of command ceremony will be held in the CPT Jennifer J. Shafer Odom Fitness Center.

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