Doctor of Nursing Practice Candidate – Laurie Chavez
Laurie Chavez, originally from Elizabeth, West Virginia, earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from George Mason University and two Master of Arts degrees in National Security and Strategic Studies and National Defense Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. She launched her military career in 1994 with the Army National Guard and became a Registered Nurse in 1996. In 1999, she was commissioned as a Navy Nurse Corps Officer, serving at Naval Hospital Okinawa, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, and Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. In 2006, she deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, with the 3rd Medical Battalion and later completed shipboard tours aboard USS Peleliu and USS Makin Island. She has held key positions, including staff officer at Naval Warfare Development Command in Norfolk, VA, and Deputy Chief of Staff at Naval Medical Forces Support Command in San Antonio, TX. She currently serves as Chief Nursing Officer and Director of Nursing Services at Naval Medical Center San Diego, following her previous role as Chief Nursing Officer and Director of Nursing Services at Naval Hospital Okinawa, Japan.