Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton (NAMRU-D) is a biomedical research laboratory of the United States Navy in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

. It is one of seven subordinate commands of the

Naval Medical Research Center The Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) is an agency that performs basic and applied biomedical research to meet the needs of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. Its areas of focus include study of infectious diseases, biodef ...

and incorporates two research divisions. The Environmental Health Effects Laboratory was established in 1959 in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

, and moved to Dayton in 1976. NAMRU-D's predecessor organization, the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory (NAMRL), dates back to 1939 when it was established as an aviation medical research unit at

Naval Air Station Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...

, Florida. Pursuant to a

2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission preliminary list was released by the United States Department of Defense on May 13, 2005. It was the fifth Base Realignment and Closure ("BRAC") proposal generated since the process was created in ...

decision, NAMRL began incrementally relocating to Dayton in late 2010. and was formally disestablished at NAS Pensacola in September 2011. Despite being a Navy activity, NAMRU-D was set up on the grounds of

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wr ...

at Dayton so it could be co-located with similar U.S. Air Force activities.

History

The U.S. Navy Toxicology Unit was established in January 1959 in response to air quality issues within the first nuclear-powered submarine, USS ''Nautilus'', as well as toxicity concerns about replacements for flammable hydraulic fluids. It was initially based at the

National Naval Medical Center National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

, and by 1965 had 22 personnel. Around that time, its building was condemned because of structural deficiencies, but due to funding difficulties for a new building they continued to occupy it through 1976, when the building was about to be lost to termites. In May 1975, the Navy Toxicology Unit was incorporated into the

Naval Medical Research Institute The Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) is an agency that performs basic and applied biomedical research to meet the needs of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. Its areas of focus include study of infectious diseases, biodef ...

. The following year it was relocated to

in Dayton, increasing collaboration with the Air Force toxicology program. An aviation medicine research and training unit was established in 1939 at

, which in 1946 became part of the newly established Naval School of Aviation Medicine, later called the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI). In 1974 it was separated into its own independent command as the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory (NAMRL). Multiple different research projects have been conducted at NAMRL, such as research on human performance limitations by LCDR Justin S. Brown, USN, the Reduced Oxygen Breathing Device (ROBD), and the Tactile Situation Awareness System (TSAS) by Capt. Angus Rupert, USN. In June 2010, it moved to Ohio and merged with the Environmental Health Effects Laboratory to form NAMRU-D as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process.

List of Commanders of Predecessor Units

List of Commanding Officers of Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
Military medical research of the United States Navy Wright-Patterson Air Force Base 1959 establishments in Maryland