Materiel Matters

Hello, I'm COL Gina Adam, commander of the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity, located at Fort Detrick, Maryland. On behalf of USAMMDA, I'd like to welcome you to our new Command blog, Materiel Matters, which we intend to publish monthly for followers of our great organization! Although I will still continue writing the USAMMDA Commander's Blog for our command's staff members, this external blog will be geared towards providing timely, interesting and necessary information for our public followers.

Going forward, Materiel Matters will be the perfect avenue to share news on our successful medical products and devices. We will convey information on exciting developments and breakthroughs, while also providing facts, tips and trivia about our unique organization. For instance, are you familiar with the difference between the terms "material" and "materiel?" Well, if not, stay tuned to learn about this in an upcoming blog post. In addition, we'll provide a bit of history on USAMMDA, and explain why the work we do directly impacts our Warfighters throughout their entire military careers.

Throughout the course of this new blog, you'll also get the chance to hear from some of our military and civilian personnel, who will share their thoughts, views and experience with our followers through video blog, or "vlog," segments. In fact, we plan to feature blogs written by team members from our various project management offices, so they can share with you the types of work they do – and what WE do – throughout the year. From pharmaceutical research on vaccines and drugs, to the development of critical medical products and devices, to our work on burn treatment, limb salvage and high-tech prosthetic replacements, you'll get a first-hand look at the ways in which USAMMDA works to save and improve the lives of both military and civilian personnel throughout the world.

Also, as we go forward, please feel free to send us your questions, comments and suggestions on what you'd like to hear more about in the blog – we'd love to hear from you! Our dedicated team is focused on making sure you are kept informed about our critical mission, our tremendous team and our military medical products and devices. Believe me, we will never be shy about spreading the word on our great work, and we hope you continue to follow the numerous efforts – and successes – of our wonderful organization!

Always remember, at USAMMDA, we're working together to support our troops by developing and delivering life-saving medical products for Warfighters!

COL Gina Adam