Dr. Alem Memorialized with Building Name

Fort Rucker, Ala.- It is a true achievement to have a lasting impact on an organization and to be remembered decades later. Dr. Nabih Alem made such an impression during his two decades of service at the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory as the subject matter expert on whole-body vibration and repetitive jolt. Vibration and jolt are experienced almost constantly by rotary-wing aviators in flight and lead to debilitating injuries over the long term.

Two decades later, to honor the legacy Alem established, USAARL officially named Building 6905 as “Dr. Nabih M. Alem Operational Research Center” in a ceremony hosted by Maj. Gen. Paula C. Lodi, commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research & Development Command and the Defense Health Agency for Research and Development. The building has been referred to as “Alem Hall” unofficially for years.

Alem had over 40 years of experience as a research engineer and scientist, 20 of those years he spent at USAARL. Although only the last half of his career was spent at USAARL, his legacy will live on for a lifetime.

Lodi noted that naming the building was a great way to honor the past by celebrating “an individual who dedicated an entire career to make a lasting impact upon our force.”

“Dr. Alem contributed significantly to USAARL’s prominence through his research and expertise as a biomedical engineer,” Lodi continued. “He was the laboratory’s subject matter expert in the military operational biomechanics of head-supported mass and body vibration and jolt. Protecting the health and well-being of helicopter occupants was his focus.”

Alem Hall houses the USAARL human vibration research suite that includes the multi-axis ride simulator, one of Alem’s primary research platforms. Dr. Khalid Barazanji, who now leads vibration and jolt research projects, remembers his early career with Alem as a mentor. “Dr. Alem was passionate about the mission,” Barazanji recalls. “He was a perfectionist who had a great heart for everyone. I used to spend days discussing the best analytic method with him.”

Dr. Barclay Butler, Deputy Commissioner for Operations and Chief Operating Officer in the Office of Operations, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, was a graduate student with Alem at the University of Michigan. Butler and Alem also worked together at USAARL for almost a decade. “Dr. Alem was the consummate scientist, researcher, engineer and mentor,” said Butler. “He is responsible for saving the lives and preventing injuries of countless numbers of servicemembers through the work he has done.”

A large portion of Alem Hall is also dedicated to USAARL's airworthiness certification and enroute care research programs, which ensure the safety and efficacy of medical equipment used in MEDEVAC.

Alem was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and immigrated to the United States in his early twenties. He earned his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1974. Alem then worked at the Highway Safety Research Institute at the University of Michigan, where he authored multiple seminal publications on biomechanics of human injury and tolerance, occupant crash protection, and dynamic impact testing.

Alem began working at the USAARL in 1986. For the next 20 years, he conducted critical and novel research, investigating head-supported mass, body armor, ballistic protection, mine blast evaluation, helicopter restraints and airbags, injury assessments in crashes, and human response to whole-body vibration and repeated shocks in Army vehicles. As a master programmer, he developed computational algorithms integrated into Army-wide software tools for assessing health hazards, survivability and injury.

Alem passed away in 2006, leaving behind a legacy as a renowned subject matter expert on the biomechanical and physiological effects of mechanical shock on humans. He authored over sixty research publications that are still referenced today.

“Dr. Alem was a lifelong theoretical and applied engineer, a collaborator, a researcher, an educator, and a mentor,” said Dr. Carol Chancey, director of the Injury and Biomechanics Protection Group at USAARL.

Chancey said current researchers recall that working with Alem challenged them to think about complex engineering and research questions and that he made them better at their jobs. “I think many of us can say that…” Chancey continued, “…today, Dr. Alem’s contribution and legacy to USAARL, MRDC and the world cannot be overstated, and it will be recognized, reverenced and applied for decades to come as servicemember injuries are prevented and lives are saved.”

About USAARL

USAARL is a world-class organization of subject matter experts in the fields of operator health and performance in complex systems; the enroute care environment; blunt, blast, and accelerative injury and protection; crew survival in rotary-wing aircraft and combat vehicles; and sensory performance, injury, and protection. USAARL engages in innovative research, development, test and evaluation activities to identify research gaps and inform requirements documents that contribute to future vertical lift, medical, aviation, and defense health capabilities. USAARL is a trusted agent for stakeholders, providing evidence-based solutions and operational practices that protect joint force warriors and enhance warfighter performance. USAARL invests in the next generation of scientists and engineers, research technicians, program managers, and administrative professionals by valuing and developing its people, implementing talent management principles, and engaging in educational outreach opportunities.