Colonel Paul J. Kassebaum, Commander
Colonel Paul J. Kassebaum is a 2003 graduate of the University of Florida where he earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree. He received a direct commission into the United States Army as a Pharmacy Officer (67E) in the Medical Service Corps in August 2003.
Upon completion of the Army Medical Department Officer Basic Course, he was assigned to Madigan Army Medical Center at Fort Lewis, Washington, where he completed his pharmacy practice residency. Following the residency, he completed assignments of increasing complexity and responsibility within pharmacies at Fort Gordon, Georgia; Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; and Fort Knox, Kentucky. During his assignment to Fort Leonard Wood in 2009, he deployed with the 47th Combat Support Hospital to Mosul, Iraq, where he completed a 10-month tour as the Chief, Pharmacy Services. He earned board certification in pharmacotherapy in 2005.
From 2014-2016 he completed a broadening assignment at Human Resources Command where he served as Assignment Officer for 67E/F/G & 71A/B/E/F officers. From there he was assigned to MAMC at Joint Base Lewis-McChord as Chief, Department of Pharmacy. Colonel Kassebaum commanded the Fort Lee Medical Department Activity and Kenner Army Health Clinic from 2017-2019. He is grateful to have had the privilege of leading nearly 500 staff in their mission to enhance Soldier and medical force readiness through the delivery of exceptional and compassionate patient-centered care to the Fort Lee community. His most recent assignment was Chief, Department of Pharmacy at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, and Regional Health Command Europe Pharmacy Consultant.
Colonel Kassebaum is a graduate of Captain’s Career Course, Intermediate Level Education, Defense Strategy Course, and Army War College. He earned a Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Policy and Outcomes from the University of Florida and Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College.
Colonel Kassebaum’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (five oak leaf clusters), Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (two oak leaf clusters), Meritorious Unit Citation (one oak leaf cluster), Superior Unit Award (two oak leaf clusters), Iraq Campaign Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon (numeral 2), Expert Field Medical Badge, Air Assault Badge, and German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (Gold). He is a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit.
MSG Joshua S. Strauss, Senior Enlisted Leader
Master Sergeant Strauss is a native of Washington State and a graduate of the George Washington University where he holds an Associate's degree in Medical Laboratory Science. He enlisted in the United States Army in September 2009.
He most recently served as the Enlisted Subject Matter Expert (ESME) and Senior Training Developer for MOS 68K at the United States Army Medical Center of Excellence.
He has served in diverse positions throughout his military career from Medical Company Team and Squad Leader to Medical Detachment (Blood Support) Detachment Sergeant. From 2017-2019 he served as a platform instructor at the Medical Education and Training Campus, Joint-Base San Antonio, Ft. Sam Houston, TX.
He completed one Operation Enduring Freedom combat tour and one humanitarian assistance tour in support of Operation United Assistance in the AFRICOM theater. He has served with the 3rd Infantry Division, 1st Medical Brigade, 86th Combat Support Hospital, 32nd Medical Brigade, and the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence.
Master Sergeant is a graduate of the Warrior Leader Course, the Army Medical Department Advanced Leader Course, the Army Medical Department Senior Leader Course, and the Master Leader Course. He is a nationally certified Medical Laboratory Technician with the American Society for Clinical Pathology.
His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (1 OLC); the Army Commendation Medal (2 OLC); the Army Achievement Medal (1 SOLC); National Defense Service Medal; the Afghanistan Campaign Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (number 4), the Armed Forces Service Medal; the Army Service Ribbon, and the Non - Article 5 NATO Medal. He also wears the Expert Field Medic Badge, and the U.S. Army Senior Instructor Identification Badge.
COL Kevin Doherty, Deputy Commander
COL Kevin Doherty is a native of Boston, MA. His education includes a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Forensic Science and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Biochemistry. Following his Ph.D., he completed a postdoctoral fellowship, with a focus on accelerated aging disorders, at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). His research has resulted in 16 publications (peer reviewed scientific journals and a book chapter).
He enlisted in the Army as a Signals Intelligence Analyst. He received his commission as a Medical Service Corps Officer as a Biochemist (71B) through a direct commission. He is a graduate of the Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Officer Basic Course, the AMEDD Captains Career Course, Airborne School, and the Command and General Staff College.
COL Doherty currently serves Deputy Commander for U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), MD. His previous assignments include Assistant Deputy Commander for Clinical Services at Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center (DDEAMC) at Ft. Eisenhower, GA.; Deputy Branch Chief of the Medical Corps Branch, Human Resources Command; Career Manager for Allied Health Science Officers, Human Resources Command; Ft. Knox, KY.; Laboratory Manager, Army Public Health Center, APG, MD.; Chemical and Biological Systems Officer, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Charlottesville, VA.; Intelligence Laboratory Manager, Camp Leatherneck Helmand Province, Afghanistan; OIC Chemical Threat Assessment Section, 9th Area Medical Laboratory (9th AML), APG, MD.; Principal Investigator, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Bethesda, MD.; Intelligence Analyst, 1st Special Forces Group, JBLM, WA.
His military awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (OLC), the Meritorious Service Medal (3 OLC), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal (2 OLC), Army Superior Unit Award, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Medal, the Armed Forces Service Medal, OEF Campaign Medal, and the Parachutist Badge. He was awarded The Army Medical Department “A" Proficiency Designator Award for Professional Excellence and is a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3). Key civilian awards include the Joseph Schor Award for Advancement of Biomedical Research, the Outstanding Intern Award New York City Police Department, and the Fellows Award for Research Excellence, NIH.
COL Doherty's operational deployments include Operation Tomodachi in Japan in 2011, providing disaster relief in the aftermath of the tsunami and nuclear reactor disasters that followed, with the 9th Area Medical Laboratory (9th AML). COL Doherty deployed to Helmand Province Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as part of the Joint Special Operations Task Force (JSOTF) in 2013.
Carter C. Bender, Chief of Staff
Ms. Carter C. Bender currently serves as the Chief of Staff at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. As such, she oversees the staff functions and provides executive leadership to managers for support services.
Ms. Bender began her federal career in 2005 as an Operations Research Analyst at the United States Army Test and Evaluation Command, where she managed and supervised Information Assurance Task Force assessment teams during major Combatant Command training exercises. Ms. Bender joined the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense as a facilities engineer in 2010 and subsequently became the Chief of Facilities at the Institute.
Ms. Bender received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an M.S. in management from the University of Maryland, University College.
Shane A. Kasten, Ph.D., Director of Research
Dr. Shane A. Kasten is currently the Director of Research at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. He serves as Chief Scientist and manages the programmatic and scientific enterprise focused on the research and development of medical countermeasures against chemical and biochemical threats to protect Warfighters as well as Civilians. He serves as a Command advisor and oversees the activities of the Medical Toxicology Research Division, Research Support Division, and the Research Development and Integration Office.
He served previously as a Principal Investigator in the Biochemistry and Physiology Department at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. As a Principal Investigator, Dr. Kasten directed a research group focused on basic and applied research endeavors to develop medical countermeasures to chemical warfare agents. His initial research concentrated on the development and evaluation of candidate enzymes specifically targeted at detoxifying nerve agents in the blood stream of an exposed individual. Later, Dr. Kasten led the development of the ChemDx (aka ChemKast) medical diagnostic device for far-forward fielding on the austere battlefield. He ended is research career with the initial development of a skin disclosure spray prototype, coined SkinKast, designed to rapidly detect and guide stringent decontamination following dermal exposure to a chemical warfare agent.
Dr. Shane A. Kasten received a B.S. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Kansas State University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University in the department of Cellular Biology and Toxicology. A second postdoctoral fellowship was completed at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education participant before taking a position on staff as a Principal Investigator in the Physiology and Immunology Branch at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense.
