News Release

For Immediate Release -- May 17, 2013

DoD Mental Health, Traumatic Brain Injury Center Receives New Director

ARLINGTON, VA. -- The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) hosted a ceremony today to welcome Navy Capt. Richard Stoltz as its new director.

DCoE oversees three centers, including the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, the Deployment Health Clinical Center, and the National Center for Telehealth and Technology, with a combined mission to improve the lives of our nation's service members, families and veterans by advancing excellence in psychological health and traumatic brain injury prevention and care.

"Providing world-class health care and rehabilitation for our warfighters is more than a priority; it is a promise that we make when we send them into harm's way," said Brig. Gen. (promotable) Joseph Caravalho Jr., commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, who presided over the ceremony. "This care would not be possible without medical research and development, and our investment in tomorrow's technologies."

Stoltz, a clinical psychologist, assumes leadership following assignments as commanding officer of Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay, and commander of the Joint Medical Group, Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay. In these roles, he commanded all medical care provided at Guantanamo Bay which included the Naval Hospital, Detention Hospital, Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit, and multiple medical clinics.

His earlier positions included executive officer of the Addictions Rehabilitation Center at Norfolk Naval Station; deputy director of clinical operations at the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED); director of Behavioral Health Services at the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC); director of women's, children's, emergency room, behavioral health and primary care services at NNMC; assistant chief of staff at BUMED; officer-in-charge of the Naval Branch Health Clinic - Bahrain; and executive officer of Naval Health Clinic - New England.

"Improving the psychological health and traumatic brain injury care our service members receive is of the utmost importance," Stoltz said. "I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue to create meaningful and positive change as I take the helm of DCoE."

Stoltz succeeds Navy Capt. Paul S. Hammer, who has served as DCoE director since January 2011. During his tenure, Hammer worked diligently to restructure DCoE into a strategically focused, results-oriented organization focused on providing timely, high-quality clinical guidance, clinical tools, information and resources to improve the lives of service members, veterans and their families living with traumatic brain injury and psychological health concerns.

As a direct result of Hammer's leadership, DCoE was awarded a Joint Meritorious Unit Award by the Defense Department in 2012 for making, "a profound impact on the medical treatment, care and advocacy of our wounded warriors and their families -- from innovative educational programs to vast improvements in communications programs to promoting the awareness and availability of programs across the Department of Defense," according to the citation. Most recently, he led DCoE through the transition from TRICARE Management Activity to executive agency status under the U.S. Army.

Hammer departs DCoE to serve as commanding officer of the Navy Medicine Information Systems Support Activity in San Antonio, Texas.

About DCoE

The mission of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) is to improve the lives of our nation's service members, families and veterans by advancing excellence in psychological health and traumatic brain injury prevention and care. DCoE serves as the principal integrator and authority on psychological health and traumatic brain injury knowledge and standards for the Department of Defense. The organization is comprised of three centers: Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, Deployment Health Clinical Center and National Center for Telehealth and Technology. Learn more about DCoE at www.dcoe.health.mil.

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