Capt. Andrew Letizia, science director of Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) INDO PACIFIC, has described the command’s collaborations with partner nations as the lifeblood of Navy Medicine’s OCONUS research and development.
“The best part of my job is sitting down with excellent researchers from a host nation, putting our goals and concepts on paper, designing a project, and then watching the project help meet the needs of the partners as it comes to life,” Letizia explained. “Since I first started playing with Legos many years ago, I have enjoyed building things. Watching NAMRU INDO PACIFIC build new partnerships and strengthen the previous ones brings back that same joy I felt as a kid, making all of the pieces fit together correctly to make a great creation.”
NAMRU INDO PACIFIC partners with 10 different countries within the area of responsibility (AOR). This network of collaborators continues to grow as the scope of Navy Medicine research expands to meet the ever-evolving needs of U.S. service members. Malaysia, home to many of the U.S. Navy’s partners, is the latest of these countries to see an expansion in collaboration.
KUALA LUMPUR
Like many Sailors, Lt. Cmdr. Dawn Weir wakes up early to make her way to the office. Unlike other Sailors, Weir’s walk to work takes her through the bustling metropolis of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. From her office at the U.S. Embassy, she oversees research projects in Malaysia for NAMRU INDO PACIFIC, one of Navy Medicine’s three OCONUS research commands.
Weir, a microbiologist, is the first person to fill this brand-new billet. NAMRU INDO PACIFIC has been building partnerships within Malaysia for almost 15 years, and Weir is the first active-duty U.S. Sailor stationed in-country.
“The best part of my job is working with our Malaysian partners,” Weir said, “to foster and strengthen existing collaborative research endeavors, as well as to expand and create new efforts to achieve both their and our research needs and objectives. I also enjoy sharing space and working with my Office of Defense Cooperation and other U.S. Embassy colleagues to support various medical lines of effort and other global health security initiatives.”
In 2007 NAMRU INDO PACIFIC, then known as NAMRU-2, initiated a partnership with the University of Malaysia. In the years since, the partnership has grown into a much bigger relationship, spanning multiple projects and interoperability.
“We have been working with [NAMRU INDO PACIFIC] for the past 16 years,” explained Dr. Sazaly Abu Bakar, professor and executive director of the Tropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Centre (TIDREC) at the University of Malaysia, “and this relationship has really grown over the years. We are now at a transition point that is going to take this relationship to the next level.”
Part of that next level involves Weir as an active-duty researcher and in-country liaison.
“We used to have just a few projects,” added Abu Bakar. “Now we have more activities, focused on biomedical research. This shows how the relationship between the two has grown over the years.”
NAMRU INDO PACIFIC also partners with the National Defense University of Malaysia. Brig. Gen. Mohd Arshil Moideen, dean of the university’s medical facility and defense health division, spoke highly of the partnership.
“The collaboration includes capacity building in our research, specifically in diagnostic laboratory capabilities,” Moideen explained. “We are currently running a few major research collaborations with tropical disease, as well as entomology studies. Lt. Cmdr. Weir is here specifically for this research cooperation, and this has never happened before. This means that Malaysia is now a significant partner in term of research collaboration."
“A permanent NAMRU presence within Malaysia will not only enhance our ability to achieve our mission, but also demonstrates to our Malaysian partners our commitment to continue to work together to enhance health security in the region for years to come,” said Weir. “In my experience thus far, the biggest challenges have been overcoming various administrative challenges often outside of our control that impede the progress of our collaborative research goals and objectives.”
BORNEO
NAMRU INDO PACIFIC is also partnering on research in collaboration with The University of Malaysia Sabah, located in the Malaysian state Sabah, which lies on the island of Borneo.
Borneo is an island east of Kuala Lumpur, and the third largest in the world. It is home to one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, with native flora and fauna that includes the world’s biggest flower and world’s smallest elephant. Borneo is also one of the few places where orangutans live in the wild.
Borneo is also home to East Malaysia, comprised of 2 states and 1 federal territory, the country of Brunei and 5 provinces of Indonesia. The university has over 100 lecturers and more than 500 students, as well as a medical and nursing school.
“We have a lot of diseases in Sabah,” explained Dr. Yosof Ibrahim, dean of UMS. “The number of research that has been done is limited, because of manpower and expertise. There are a lot more diseases that need to be discovered, identified and to be explored. Sabah has many different ethnicities. We have 32 different ethnicities. This is a challenge. Topography is a challenge. Dialect is a challenge. The way we [in Sabah] live and look at things are very different.
“This collaboration is beneficial,” Ibrahim added, “not only to NAMRU, but to us. In a way, it opens an avenue for us to expand our research and design what our protective measures should be for rural people. 70 percent of our people are in a rural area. There is a difficulty in access to medical facilities.”
“Malaysia is rich in culture,” said Weir, “with Malay, Chinese, Indian, and indigenous communities. This diversity fosters a vibrant social scene and a diverse and unique culinary experience! Malaysia is also home to diverse and beautiful landscapes perfect for outdoor activities like hiking, diving, and exploring national parks. I personally love the year-round warm tropical environment. Anyone who is fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit or work in Malaysia should not pass it up.”
NAMRU INDO PACIFIC plays an important role in the heath of those in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) AOR. One of the most culturally, socially, economically and geopolitically diverse regions, the Asia-Pacific region is home to 38 nations and 60% of the world’s population. More than one-third of these nations are smaller, island nations, where many tropical diseases are prevalent.
NAMRU INDO PACIFIC collaborates with partners in Singapore, Mongolia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Australia, Papua New Guinea and the U.S. to conduct research efforts throughout the USINDOPACOM area.
The command’s “hub and spoke” model of operations from its headquarters in Singapore, its wide array partners in the INDOPACOM AOR and the over 375,000 U.S service members stationed in the Pacific allow the NAMRU INDO PACIFIC scientific portfolio to shift, as needed, to align with host nation and sponsor priorities while maintaining focus and efforts on U.S. health security objectives.