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Coronavirus & the MHS Response
As August comes to an end, Army Col. (Dr.) Deydre Teyhen and Army Command Sgt. Maj. Natasha Santiago close the book on their time as the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research’s commander and command sergeant major.
Leading the DOD’s largest biomedical research laboratory, they presided over a changing institution that works to ensure relevant, fieldable infectious disease and brain health solutions for the Warfighter during Multi-Domain Operations (MDO); more recently, they also oversaw WRAIR’s participation in the whole-of-government coronavirus response.
“It’s been a unique honor to serve as the 46th commander of WRAIR—and, with Command Sgt. Maj. Santiago, as the first female command team in the institute’s 127-year history,” said Teyhen.
To ensure Service Members are protected from the deployment-related diseases, nearly half of WRAIR’s 2,700-strong workforce is located overseas throughout Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Republic of Georgia. During their tour, Teyhen and Santiago traveled extensively to visit WRAIR laboratories—both to ensure a strong command presence for overseas staff and to maintain and expand relationships with joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational partners.