- Lester Martinez Lopez
Infobox Military Person
name=Lester Martinez Lopez
born= birth year and age|1955
died=
placeofbirth=Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
placeofburial=
caption=Major General Lester Martinez Lopez First Hispanic to head the Army Medical and Research Command at Fort Detrick, Maryland
nickname=
allegiance=
branch=
serviceyears=1978-2005
rank= Major General
commands=Army Medical and Research Command
unit=
battles=
awards=Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters Defense Meritorious Service Medal
laterwork=Major General Lester Martinez Lopez (Ret.), MD, MPH, (born1955 ) is the first Hispanic to head the Army Medical and Research Command atFort Detrick ,Maryland . His responsibilities included overseeing the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease, which develops antidotes and vaccines for diseases soldiers might face on the battlefield.Early years
Martinez Lopez was born in the city of
Mayaguez , located on the western coast ofPuerto Rico , but was raised and educated in the town of Maricao. In 1978, he graduated from the School of Medicine in theUniversity of Puerto Rico . [http://www.govexec.com/features/0702/HSpublichealth.htm Government executive] ]Military career
In 1978, Martinez Lopez joined the
United States Army and was sent toFort Bragg atNorth Carolina , where he received his specialty training in family practice and commissioned aCaptain upon the completion of his training. He was part of a multinational force inLebanon following the 1982 Israeli invasion. In 1983, he completed his MPH (Master of Public Health ) degree at theJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a focus in environmental health sciences. In 1995, Martinez Lopez served as chief medical officer when U.S. forces were sent toHaiti , and three years later, in 1998, he oversaw military relief operations for 8,500 victims ofHurricane Mitch inCentral America .U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command
On
March 22 ,2002 , Martinez Lopez assumed the command of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. The command's research includes vaccines fordengue fever ,anthrax andhepatitis ; anti-virals forsmallpox and countermeasures for environmental, biological and chemical hazards.As commander of USAMRMC, Martinez Lopez managed more than 4,600 civilian, military and contract facilities at the Army's six medical research laboratories across the country, which include the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research and the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine. Also under his command were more than half a dozen support centers through contracting, medical logistics management, health care facility planning and information technology management, included The Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity and the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency. [http://www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/articles/2004/lopez.html Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health] ]
USAMRMC Accomplishments
Among the major accomplishments of the USAMRMC while under his command are the following: [http://www.usmedicine.com/article.cfm?articleID=1082&issueID=74 U.S. Medicine] ]
* The establishment of the Biodefense campus [the National Interagency Biodefense Campus] projects. The project provided all the drugs and equipment for the medics all over the world.
*The USAMRMC became the information management for the Army Medical Department. USAMRMC became one of the leaders in the country, if not the world, in telemedicine.
Martinez Lopez wrote the keynote for "Biomaterials for Military Medical Needs. [ [http://www.njbiomaterials.org/web/index.php?p=cembr&s=31501 Military Biomaterial Research] ] On
May 19 , 2004, Martinez Lopez was the recipient of the 2004 "Woodrow Wilson Award for Distinguished Government Service" from the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He was the keynote speaker at the Delta Omega Honor Society induction ceremony. Martinez Lopez has been featured on the cover of "U.S. Medicine" magazine and on the cover of theDecember 26 ,2002 issue of "Military Medical Technology" magaine. [ [http://www.military-medical-technology.com/covers.cfm Military Medical Technology covers] ]Later years
Martinez Lopez retired from the Army in 2005 and was named the Senior Vice President & Administrator of Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital Harris County Hospital District in
Houston ,Texas . [ [http://www.medicalmegatrends.com/endorsements.html The Future of Medicine] ] Martinez Lopez belongs to various professional organizations, among them the American Board of Family Practice and the American Board of Preventive Medicine. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice.Military awards and recognitions
Among Major General Martinez Lopez's military awards and recognition's are the following:
* with two oak leaf clusters
*
*with three oak leaf clusters
* with one oak leaf cluster
* with one oak leaf cluster
*Badges
* Senior Flight Surgeon Badgeee also
* List of notable Puerto Ricans- Military
References
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