MSU ALUMNA LAUDED BY U.S.PRESIDENT
President Barack Obama has recognized two researchers from the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC), along with representatives from the other services and organizations, for their efforts in supporting Operation United Assistance (OUA) in West Africa at a winter press conference.
MSU alumna Lt. Andrea McCoy, Division Officer of the Operations Department and
Cmrd. Guillermo Pimentel, Deputy Director of NMRC’s Biological Defense Research Directorate, represented the Navy.
The President began by saying, “Last summer, as Ebola spread in West Africa, overwhelming public health systems and threatening to cross more borders, I said that fighting this disease had to be more than a national security priority, but an example of American leadership.
"After all, whenever and wherever a disaster or a disease strikes, the world looks to us to lead. And because of extraordinary people like the ones standing behind me, and many who are in the audience, we have risen to the challenge.”
The Ebola epidemic took NMRC staff to one of the hardest hit countries in the region, Liberia, where two Navy mobile laboratory teams were deployed.