Congratulations are in order for the 2019 Military Health System (MHS) Navy Senior Female Physician of the Year Award, awarded to Cmdr. Marilisa Elrod, the associate director of Professional Education (DPE) and a developmental behavioral pediatrician at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP). Elrod will be receiving the award from the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OSD/HA), at the annual Society of Federal Health Professionals (AMSUS) meeting, Dec. 5 in Washington, D.C.

The award was established to honor outstanding female physicians who have made significant contributions to the practice of Military Medicine and who have served as exemplary role models for other female physicians. The overall objective is to advance the cause of women in Military Medicine and to provide role models who will motivate the next generation of physician leaders. It is based upon four areas: major achievements in the nominee’s primary medical field, contributions to enhancing the role of women in medicine, leadership ability, and community service or involvement in professional medical organizations.

“Winning this award is an honor; I’ve been nominated four times,” Elrod said. “Every time you’re nominated, that in itself is a big honor because it shows the confidence that your chain of command has for you. So now that I’ve been presented this award, I believe that comes with responsibility to mentor junior female physicians and make sure that they have a path they can see for themselves, which is something that was lacking when I was a junior female physician.”

This accolade is one of many that have been awarded to Elrod throughout her career. Elrod, who is a Naval Academy graduate, class of 1996, has received many honors and firsts for her experiences and time in Navy Medicine. Graduating from the Naval Academy, Elrod commenced ninth, but was the first varsity athlete graduate, as well as the first female graduate to be awarded the British Marshall Scholarship, which is a scholarship awarded by the British government to 40, usually graduating, college students nationwide. Elrod was also the 12th woman in Navy history to receive the Submarine Warfare insignia, or “dolphins,” which is issued to naval personnel after they complete a complex, demanding and extensive program that incorporates learning each system aboard a submarine.

“I spent three years as the medical department head at Naval Submarine Support Command Pearl Harbor in Hawaii,” Elrod said. “It was expected that anyone in that position would go through the qualifications and earn submarine dolphins; the fact that I was a female did make things more challenging, as there were rules at the time that prevented women from being stationed or deployed on submarines.”

Elrod has served at several military treatment facilities (MTFs), including an internship at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., a pediatric residency at Naval Medical Center San Diego and a fellowship in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash. She has been at NMCP for four years and currently serves as the associate director of DPE, and is responsible for running seven departments.

“Being at NMCP has impacted me as a physician because when I first arrived here at the medical center I didn’t have that network,” Elrod said. “It was a challenge to really find my path, but NMCP has given me a lot of opportunities and there are some amazing people here that have been very supportive of my career.”

Elrod believes her physician-scientist education and Navy background have complemented each other very well during her time at NMCP.

“The Navy does not have flexibility for medical personnel to engage in research as a primary duty unless they are stationed at a non-clinical duty station,” Elrod said. “As Graduate Medical Education is a primary mission at large MTFs like NMCP, research and teaching are encouraged and supported in addition to clinical duties. It has been my mission here to support researchers to increase their productivity and improve the quality of their scholarly products.”

As the U.S. Navy's oldest, continuously-operating military hospital since 1830, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth proudly serves past and present military members and their families. The nationally-acclaimed, state-of-the-art medical center, along with the area's 10 branch health and TRICARE Prime Clinics, provide care for the Hampton Roads area.  The medical center also supports premier research and teaching programs designed to prepare new doctors, nurses and hospital corpsman for future roles in healing and wellness.

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