Portsmouth VA  –   PORTSMOUTH, Va. (June 18, 2021) – Capt. Shelley Perkins became Naval Medical Center Portsmouth’s (NMCP) 79th commanding officer during a change of command ceremony on June 18. Perkins relieved Capt. Lisa Mulligan, who had commanded the medical center since July 2019.

“The nature of the world and our current conflicts are mandating that we stay agile and stay ready. COVID was a great reminder of that,” said Capt. Perkins. “Every person has to be at the top of his or her game, individually, and as a team. Capt. Mulligan, thank you for your steadfast commitment leading this command and for your incredible impact on thousands of sailors and patients, throughout your career. I look forward to building on the foundation you have set for readiness, and the fight tonight.”

Perkins had previously served as Executive Officer at Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, prior to most recently serving as the Commanding Officer at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton.

As presiding officer for the ceremony, Rear Adm. Darin Via, Commander, Naval Medical Forces Atlantic, spoke about Capt. Perkins during his speech.

“I know there’s no better person for the job,” said Via. “Your past experiences in leadership positions throughout the world have prepared you for this very moment to take command of NMRTC Portsmouth.”

Via went on to highlight some of the medical center’s accomplishments under Mulligan’s leadership.

“Through your tour, your strong leadership ensured the seamless transition of NMCP’s military treatment facility care delivery, operations to the Defense Health Agency and the tidewater market, and unified the common medical goals across the joint force and agencies.”

Prior to reading her orders and officially relinquishing command, Mulligan spoke to NMCP staff about her time in command.

“As we all do coming in to these jobs, we have a 90-day plan… but then in early January we started hearing more about this virus,” said Capt. Mulligan. “In no time, we became fully immersed in this new disease referred to as COVID. Something that none of us had predicted was now the most critical and only action item on the agenda. NMCP repeatedly lived up to its moniker ‘First and Finest’ from the clinical care, testing, to convalescent plasma and antibody studies to vaccination.”

Mulligan thanked her Command Executive Board (CEB) members, directors, executive officers, command master chiefs, and staff, and welcomed the new Commanding Officer.

“Surgeon General, I hope I have convinced you that Portsmouth has embodied your Four P’s of people, platforms, performance and power, and has demonstrated your vision of one Navy Medicine fearlessly.”

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.