Former medic excels at academics, leads medical, burn treatment development
Kristin Jones Maia has a passion for learning, and it shows. As a product manager and go-to expert at Fort Detrick's U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity (USAMMDA), she leads a development team focused on battlefield burn treatments.
"As a former medic, working at the leading edge of medical development efforts is meaningful and fulfilling," said Jones Maia. "It enables better treatment for casualties on the battlefield, while also supporting and equipping the medics of the future."
She says her passion for helping Service Members is inspired by her service during the early days of the Iraq War.
"I served as a combat medic for about 30 months, and I was deployed for 15 of those," she said.
As a product manager at USAMMDA's Warfighter Expeditionary Medicine and Treatment (WEMT) Project Management Office, she continues to advance her studies. She's found time to complete not one, not two, but three degrees.
Her latest educational achievement – which may not be her last – is a master's degree in Systems Engineering Management from the Naval Post Graduate School.
Previously, she earned a master's degree in International Relations from American University in 2015 and a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland University Campus in 2009.
She said her Army experience has shaped her and inspired her to be professionally and academically driven.
"It [the Army] is one of the most important periods of my life," she said. "It really shaped me into the person I am today."
"There are around five years between each of my degrees," said Jones Maia. "Five years from now, my children will be in college themselves. Maybe I'll look to pursue a doctorate degree."
With a strong work ethic, excellent job performance and an instinct for translating research into fielded products to help the force. Jones Maia as she has established herself as a mainstay and selfless leader.
She and her USAMMDA team are developing technology to avoid surgical infection, and innovations to preserve the life and fighting strength of service members.