Nielsen new General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital commander

By Special to GUIDONJuly 10, 2014

Nielsen new General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital commander
Brig. Gen. John Cho, Western Regional Medical Command commanding general, left, passes the colors to Col. Peter Nielsen, incoming General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital commander, as Col. Marie Dominguez, left, outgoing commander, and GLWACH Co... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital is under new leadership after its change of command ceremony Tuesday.

Col. Peter Nielsen took command from Col. Marie Dominguez whose next assignment will be as commander of Martin Army Hospital at Fort Benning, Ga., after completion of the U.S. Army War College.

"It is all about the patients," Dominguez said. "This hospital, this community and the partners that we have here is better than ever in my entire career. I've never been a part of a community that supports our Soldiers the way this community does. This is truly the best healthcare facility in the Army -- and I'm going to miss it."

Nielsen comes to Fort Leonard Wood from the Western Regional Medical Command at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., where he was the assistant chief of staff for clinical operations.

"It's a great honor, and it is with a humble spirit that we are asked to join this awesome, outstanding group of professionals," Nielsen said.

"This hospital is extremely well known in MEDCOM (Medical Command), the Army and the Defense Health Agency . . . for its securing of patient outcomes, satisfaction and safety record. It's a record that many military and civilian hospitals much admire and wish to emulate," he added.

Such successes are not possible without those who support the healthcare mission on Fort Leonard Wood, Nielsen said.

"I'm excited to continue the proud tradition of exceptional medical support of the Fort Leonard Wood community, sharing good news stories and sharing with community partners and friends of the General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital. Compassion and Courage," Nielsen said.

He is a graduate of Texas A&M University and received his commission through the Health Professions Scholarship Program at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, with a degree in medicine in 1987.

His academic appointments include professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md., and the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle.

He has been the Obstetrics and Gynecology consultant to the Surgeon General since 2003 and previously served as residency program director and chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Madigan Army Medical Center.

Nielsen is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and the Command and General Staff College.

(Editor's note: John Brooks, marketing and public affairs officer at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital, contributed to this article.)

Related Links:

Fort Leonard Wood on Flickr

Fort Leonard Wood Guidon Newspaper

Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonad Wood