CAPT Jeremy J. Hawker,
USN Commanding Officer
Captain Hawker was born in Mankato, MN and attended Minnesota State University in Mankato, MN where he received his Bachelors of Science in Nursing in 1995. Following Officer Indoctrination School, he was assigned to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, VA where he served as an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and later transferred to Naval Hospital Yokosuka, Japan where he continued as an ICU nurse before being accepted to Perioperative Nursing School at Camp Pendleton, CA.
Upon completing perioperative nursing training, he received orders to National Naval Medical Center Bethesda, MD where he served as Division Officer for Neurosurgery and deployed twice aboard USNS COMFORT (T-AH 20) supporting Rescuer/MEDCEUR 02 and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He then selected as the Ship's Nurse for USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) in Norfolk, VA where he earned his Surface Warfare Medical Department Officer. Captain Hawker then selected for Duty Under Instruction at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, where he graduated with honors in 2008 with a Masters’ of Science in Nursing as a Perioperative Clinical Nurse Specialist while completing his research in "Acinetobacter baumannii in Traumatic War Wounds" and earning the Military Officer Association of America Outstanding Student Award. After graduation, Captain Hawker received orders to Naval Hospital Lemoore, CA as Department Head of the Perioperative Nursing Department, and deployed to NATO Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Captain Hawker returned to Naval Hospital Lemoore as Department Head for Quality Management and Staff Education and Training, and later transferred to the Surface Warfare Medical Institute (SWMI) in San Diego, California. As the Officer in Charge (OIC) of SWMI, he managed four “C” Schools and nine fleet medical training programs, providing 1300 graduates to the fleet annually. On completion of his OIC tour, Captain Hawker was assigned to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, and served as Associate Director for Surgical Services, later fleeting up to Director. During this time he was awarded the Military Health System, Senior Military Nursing Leadership Excellence Award and selected as Senior Nurse Executive (SNE) for Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. After completing his SNE tour, he was chosen as the Executive Officer of Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Great Lakes, and later selected for command at NMRTC Patuxent River.
Captain Hawker's personal decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards), and various service awards.
CAPT Josephine Nguyen,
USN Executive Officer
CAPT Nguyen is from Burke, Va., and is a Captain and Physician in the United States Navy. Selected to be a White House Fellow from 2020-2021, she served as a special assistant to the Secretary of Health & Human Services. She is currently Executive Officer at Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command River, which includes Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River, NMRTU Dahlgren, NMRTC Det. Indian Head, and NMRTC Det. Joint Base Andrews.
As the former Deputy Chief Medical Executive for the CAPT Lovell Federal Health Care Center, she oversaw a $100 million budget and led an integrated VA/DoD team of 1,140 staff. She previously led teams at several military hospitals working tirelessly to protect service member health and readiness.
A board-certified dermatologist with over 20 publications, CAPT Nguyen is the U.S. Navy Surgeon General’s senior Dermatology consultant. Passionate about patient advocacy, she held national-level leadership positions in several medical organizations and served as a “Dermatology World” contributing editor. An inspirational leader and mentor, she earned the DoD’s 2018 Female Senior Physician Leadership Award. A first-generation Vietnamese American fluent in Vietnamese, CAPT Nguyen served as a flight surgeon in the Indo-Pacific Theater, forward-deployed on the USS Kitty Hawk directly supporting aviation squadrons.
She graduated 2nd in order of merit from the U.S. Naval Academy. She completed a M.D. from Stanford University, a M.S. in Healthcare Delivery from Dartmouth University, a University of Pennsylvania dermatology residency, and a two-year Wharton School Executive Education program. She is a former Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow and physician advisor to the Chairman, House Ways & Means Committee, Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX-8). Her personal awards include a Defense Meritorious Service Medal and Meritorious Service Medal with one oak cluster.
HMCM Elwin Familiar,
USN Command Master Chief
Master Chief Petty Officer Elwin Familiar, a native of San Diego, enlisted in the United States Navy in November 1995. Upon completion of Recruit Training in Great Lakes, Ill., Familiar reported to Basic Hospital Corps “A” School, then pipelined to Advanced Medical Laboratory Technician School, Naval School of Health Sciences, San Diego.
In August of 1997, he reported to Branch Medical Clinic, Naval Air Facility, Andrews Air Force Base as the sole Medical Laboratory Technician. In September of 2001, he reported to Fleet Surgical Team Nine, San Diego. He attended the Naval Trauma Training Course and then deployed onboard USS TARAWA (LHA 1). He participated in RIMPAC 2002 and WESTPAC 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In November of 2003, he received follow-on orders to Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton as the Laboratory Department Leading Petty Officer.
In February of 2008, he executed orders to USS NIMITZ (CVN 68), where he was advanced to Chief Petty Officer. He served as the Medical Division Leading Chief Petty Officer, participating in numerous deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In March of 2011, he reported to Navy Medicine Training Support Center, Navy Enlisted Training Element, Detachment, San Diego, and served as the Senior Enlisted Leader/Lead Medical Laboratory Instructor. While stationed there in 2014, he was advanced to Senior Chief Petty Officer.
In January of 2015, Familiar reported to Captain James A. Lovell, Federal Health Care Center, where he served as Senior Enlisted Leader for numerous directorates and as the Senior Enlisted Advisor for Branch Health Clinic USS TRANQUILLITY. In 2017, he was selected to be the Senior Enlisted Leader for the Expeditionary Medical Unit-10G in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, Iraq.
In March of 2018, he reported to the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN 71) as the Medical Department Leading Chief Petty Officer. While assigned there in September of 2020, he was promoted to Master Chief Petty Officer.
Master Chief Familiar is a graduate of the Command Master Chief /Chief of the Boat Course (22050) and a graduate of the U.S. Navy Senior Enlisted Academy (Class 219/Purple). He earned an Associates in Science Degree in Medical Laboratory Technology from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Sciences from Trident University International. He is currently pursuing a dual Master’s Degree in Human Resources and Leadership and Management from Webster University.
His personal awards include Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (six awards); Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (five awards), Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, as well as many other campaign and unit awards. He has earned the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist, Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist, and the Enlisted Expeditionary Warfare Specialist designators, and is a Master Training Specialist.
In August of 2021, he reported as Command Master Chief, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command, Patuxent River, Md.