ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – The command surgeon for the U.S. military’s premier multifunctional Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) command was recently selected for the U.S. Army’s highest proficiency award.
Col. Michael R. Boivin, the command surgeon for the 20th CBRNE Command, was selected for the “A” Proficiency Designator award.
Boivin provides medical expertise to the command by supervising medical readiness programs, medical operational planning and occupational and environmental health while maintaining oversight of health services support and operational public health for more than 3,600 Soldiers and 250 Army civilians across the nation and around the world.
Headquartered on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the 20th CBRNE Command is home to 75 percent of the active-duty U.S. Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) specialists, as well as the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity, five Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordination Teams and three Nuclear Disablement Teams.
American Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians from the multifunctional 20th CBRNE Command deploy from 19 bases in 16 states to take on the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and allied operations.
The Office of the Surgeon General of the Army presented the annual proficiency designator award to 75 Medical Corps Officers this year.
Candidates for the proficiency designator must be board-certified, have a minimum of 12 years of professional experience in the specialty and demonstrate mastery in the profession across the scope of academic, clinical and operational medicine.
Selection criteria also includes an academic appointment at a medical school; evidence of sustained, significant teaching activities, authored publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals; completed field-grade professional military education; service as a primary investigator with significant involvement on institutional review board approved research protocols; and successful service in U.S. Army Medical Department senior strategic roles.
A native of Laurel, Maryland, Boivin applied for medical school while studying for his bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
After a year at the National Institutes of Health, Boivin entered medical school and earned his medical degree from the University of Maryland-Baltimore in 2005.
Boivin then completed a transitional internship at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, and he earned a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2007.
He completed his residency in preventive medicine at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in 2008 and his residency in occupational and environmental medicine at the Uniformed Services University in 2009, becoming board certified in both specialties.
Boivin was also the officer-in-charge of the Occupational Health Clinic at the Umatilla Chemical Depot in Hermiston, Oregon, and he deployed to Afghanistan as the preventive medicine officer for the 1st Cavalry Division.
Boivin served at the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance (GEIS) Branch at the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division for the Defense Health Agency. He said this assignment was the highlight of his career.
The 20th CBRNE Command surgeon said the “A” proficiency designator award was recognition for his service throughout his Army career.
“This is mostly based on my entire career and more of a personal recognition of excellence in my field,” said Boivin. “It is definitely nice to be recognized for my accomplishments.”
Lt. Gen. Raymond S. Dingle, the 45th surgeon general and commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical Command, sent a letter to Boivin recognizing him for his selection.
“You can be justifiably proud of your selection as this award is the highest the Army Medical Department can bestow,” said Dingle. “Recipients of the ‘A’ Proficiency Designator have demonstrated professional expertise, exceptional ability and outstanding achievements in both clinical and academic medicine.”
Date Taken: | 10.26.2023 |
Date Posted: | 10.26.2023 12:10 |
Story ID: | 456596 |
Location: | ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND, US |
Web Views: | 262 |
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