About Us

​​​​​​​​​​​​Captain Michael G. Mercado 

Medical Corps, U.S. Navy
Director, U.S. Naval Hospital Rota
Commanding Officer, U.S. Navy Medicine
            Readiness & Training Command, Rota                

Capt. Michael Mercado is a native of Stockton, California. He entered naval service via the Health Professions Scholarship Program and earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Loma Linda University in 2004. In 2007, he completed a residency in Family Medicine at U.S. Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton.

He most recently served as Executive Officer, U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness & Training Command, Sigonella, Italy; Detachment Souda Bay, Greece; and U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness & Training Unit, Bahrain.

His staff assignments include Director of Force Medical Readiness, Bureau of Medicine & Surgery; Director of Medical Services, U.S. Naval Hospital Bremerton, Wash.;  Associate Director, Family Medicine Residency Program, U.S. Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton; and Department Head of Family Medicine, U.S. Naval Hospital Guam.

Operationally, Mercado served as Regimental Surgeon, 6th Marine Regiment, Second Marine Division; deployed as an embedded medical advisor to the 1st Brigade, 203rd Corps, Afghan National Army, Afghanistan Regional Security Integration Command-East during Operation Enduring Freedom; and as Task Force Surgeon, Task Force Southwest, Rotation 1, in support of Operation Freedom Sentinel and Resolute Support Mission, where he advised the medical commander, 215th Corps, Afghan National Army, on health service support delivery and tactical combat casualty care training in support of kinetic operations in Helmand province.

A committed educator, Mercado served as core residency faculty at U.S. Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, and teaching consultant at the Camp Lejeune and Fort Belvoir Family Medicine residency programs. He has a faculty appointment to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences as an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, and has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications.

Mercado is a diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine, a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, and a member of the Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians, where he served on the Board of Directors from 2016 to 2019. He is the recipient of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award for the Military Health System, U.S. Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton Family Medicine Staff of the Year, Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians President’s Award, Department of Defense Innovation Award, and the Surgeon General’s Team Power Award.

His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two awards), Combat Action Ribbon, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal (two awards), and other personal and unit awards.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Captain Joshua A. Miller

Medical Service Corps, U.S. Navy

Executive Officer, U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness & Training Command, Rota

Captain Miller is a former “Army Brat” and native of Pendleton, Indiana, who currently serves as the Executive Officer of U.S. Naval Hospital Rota, Spain. He is a 1996 graduate of the University of Evansville, where he played football and earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration, with a focus in healthcare management. He honed his business skills in the Indianapolis health care market and in 2002 was competitively selected for Navy Medicine’s Health Services Collegiate Program. He was commissioned in 2004 upon completion of his Master of Health Administration from Indiana University. His diversity of assignments, on land and at sea, and at home and abroad have allowed him to operate at the tip of the spear and at the edge of a smile!
 
He served operationally as the Patient Admin Officer during the 2006 USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) Humanitarian Assistance Mission to Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, and set the standard for subsequent Pacific Partnership missions. In 2008, he volunteered to deploy to Kuwait, where he served as the Operations Officer and Medical Regulating Officer for Medical Task Force-Kuwait and its five downtrace units. In mid-2008, while deployed to MTF-Kuwait, he was highly recruited and selected for a hot-fill Medical Admin Officer billet aboard the forward deployed amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA-5).
 
During his tours ashore, he served in various positions throughout Navy Medicine to include three consecutive milestone Director for Administration tours at Naval Health Clinic Hawaii, U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, and most recently at Naval Medical Center San Diego. During his first assignment at Naval Medical Center San Diego, he served as the Medical Admin Officer for the Director for Medical Services, and the Executive Assistant to the Executive Steering Committee. In 2007, he transferred to Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, where he was dual tasked as the Medical Admin Officer for the Medical and Surgical Directorates, and also served as the Command Suite Action Officer. He also trained as a member of the Fleet Hospital Team, and led daily staff and dependent accountability requirements during the 2007 Camp Pendleton wildfires. In 2010, he served as a Department Head of Human Resources at U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka and was instrumental to mission success and personnel accountability during Operation Tomodachi following the March 2011 Tohuku earthquake and tsunami. In 2012, he returned to Naval Medical Center San Diego and served in leadership roles in Human Resources and Patient Administration before being hand-selected to serve as the Assistant Director for Administration, launching him along his current Executive Medicine career path. He has been a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives since 1999.
 
His personal awards and decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two awards), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards), various unit and campaign awards, and is a qualified Surface Warfare Medical Department Officer.
 

Frank D. Garza

HMCM (FMF/SW/AW/CAC/IW), U.S. Navy

Command Master Chief, U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness & Training Command, Rota


Master Chief Hospital Corpsman Frank Garza was born Jan, 22, 1982 in San Antonio, Texas, graduated from John F. Kennedy High School, class of 2000, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in August 2001.

Upon completion of basic military training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill., and graduating Hospital Corpsman “A" School in January 2002, he proceeded to Field Medical Service School, Camp Johnson, N.C., graduating in May 2002.

He has served in a myriad of operational sea duty assignments including 1st Marine Division; 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing; 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force; Marine Aircraft Group 26; International Security Assistance Force-Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team; and as the Medical Departmental Leading Chief Petty Officer onboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).

His previous shore tours include, Naval Hospital Great Lakes, IL; Naval Station Great Lakes Hospital Corpsman “A" School Instructor; Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, Calif.; NMRTU Marine Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C.; Command Master Chief Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command and Naval Support Facility, Beaufort, S.C.

He completed multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and two shipboard tours during OEF and Operation Inherent Resolve. His combat tours include II MEF CASEVAC Team, Medium Lift Helicopter Squadron Purple Foxes (HMM 364); Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS 271) Immediate Response Platoon; Provincial Reconstruction Team-Nuristan assigned to the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division, 11th Armored Calvary Regiment, and 405th Civil Affairs Battalion. His shipboard tours include a WESTPAC with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Battalion Landing Team, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, onboard the USS Green Bay (LPD 20) and USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), Carrier Strike Group Eight, operating in the Mediterranean and high North Atlantic, participating in Trident Juncture, Baltic Ops and Exercise Lightning Handshake.   

​HMCM Garza holds a master's degree in administration and health care from The University of Incarnate Word, is a graduate of the Command Master Chief/Chief of the Boat Course (Class 224/21050), and the U.S. Navy Senior Enlisted Academy (Class 192/Gold). He has earned the warfare designations, Enlisted Fleet Marine Force Warfare Specialist, Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist, Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist, Enlisted Information Warfare Specialist, Marine Combat Aircrew, U.S. Army Basic Aviation Badge, U.S. Army Combat Medical Badge and U.S Navy Master Training Specialist. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal w/2 Strike/Flights, Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal (five awards), Army Commendation Medal (two awards) with V Device, Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards), Combat Action Ribbon (two awards), and various other campaign and unit awards.
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