Walter Reed’s new chief of staff onboards, thanks hospital for daughter’s care

Story by Bernard Little

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

U.S. Navy Capt. Juan Rosario recently came onboard as the new chief of staff at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

“I am deeply honored and excited to join WRNMMC as the new chief of staff,” Rosario said. “This institution has a long-standing reputation for excellence in military medicine, and I am thrilled to be a part of such a distinguished team. I’ve also witnessed firsthand the dedication and commitment of the WRNMMC staff while my daughter received treatment for cancer in 2018. The caring, compassion, and unwavering devotion to my daughter’s health left an indelible mark on our family and we are forever grateful. Serving as the new chief of staff gives me the opportunity to say thank you and to give back to the team that was instrumental in my daughter’s healing and being cancer free today.”

He explained that his primary goal as the chief of staff will be to “foster a collaborative and innovative environment that enhances safe patient care and supports the medical professionals” at Walter Reed.

“I aim to build upon the strong foundation already in place under [WRNMMC Director U.S. Navy] Capt. (Dr.) Melissa Austin’s leadership, ensuring that we continue to provide the highest quality care to our service members, veterans, and their families,” Rosario added.

“I am most looking forward to working alongside the dedicated and talented staff at WRNMMC. The opportunity to contribute to the mission of providing exceptional medical care and to support the well-being of those who serve our nation is both a privilege and a responsibility that I hold in the highest regard. My job is to remove barriers, create efficiencies, and ensure ‘Walter’ gets the credit and recognition for the work being done every day by the amazing staff of this marquee organization in military medicine,” he stated.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Rosario joins the Walter Reed team after serving as the director for Administration for Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command/Expeditionary Medical Facility 150 Mike in Jacksonville, Florida. He is prior enlisted, serving as a deck seaman and a corpsman before earning his commission through the Medical Service Corps, In-service Procurement Program.

Rosario deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in May 2013 as the Role II commanding officer/officer-in-charge, Surgical Company, Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. In August 2014, he reported to Naval Hospital Naples, Italy. He served as director of Branch Clinics, responsible for the health care delivery of 37 tenant commands and 29,000 operational forces in the U.S. European Command (EUCOM), U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibilities.

In May 2018, he transferred to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Falls Church, Virginia. He served as director of Healthcare Business and Administration, deputy assistant/deputy chief, and executive assistant for Operations, Plans, and Readiness. He developed the U.S. Navy’s first Readiness Performance Plan and served as lead for the Defense Health Agency, Quadruple Aim Performance Process (QPP), and National Defense Authorization Act 2017 Section 703, Restructuring and Realignment of Military Treatment Facilities.

He’s earned a master’s degree in business administration and is authorized to wear the Fleet Marine Force Warfare Officer pin and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge.