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USAMRDC bids farewell to Dr. Jamie Blow

By Paul Lagasse, USAMRDC Public Affairs OfficeSeptember 25, 2024

USAMRDC Bids Farewell to Dr. Jamie Blow
Dr. Jamie Blow, right, executive officer to the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command’s Principal Assistant for Research and Technology, receives the Superior Civilian Service Medal from Dr. Carrie Quinn, Deputy to the MRDC Commanding General during Blow’s retirement ceremony at MRDC headquarters at Fort Detrick Sept. 24, 2024. (Photo Credit: Paul Lagasse) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT DETRICK, Md. – Dr. Jamie Blow, executive officer to the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command’s Principal Assistant for Research and Technology, received kudos from colleagues and friends for her many accomplishments serving the nation in uniform and as a civilian during a retirement ceremony at MRDC headquarters at Fort Detrick Sept. 24.

“I am sorry to see you go, and I certainly appreciate everything you've done for this organization over your career, both in uniform and as a civilian,” said Dr. Mark Dertzbaugh, the Principal Assistant for Research and Technology. “I wish you all the best whatever you decide to do, even if it's just playing golf!”

During the ceremony, Dr. Carrie Quinn, Deputy to the MRDC Commanding General, presented Blow with a certificate recognizing her 35 years of government service and the Superior Civilian Service Medal in recognition of her contributions to MRDC during her five-year tenure as PART executive officer. Her award citation highlighted her outstanding leadership, service and devotion to the medical science and technology program.

USAMRDC Bids Farewell to Dr. Jamie Blow
Dr. Jamie Blow, executive officer to the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command’s Principal Assistant for Research and Technology, offers remarks during her retirement ceremony at MRDC headquarters at Fort Detrick Sept. 24, 2024. (Photo Credit: Paul Lagasse) VIEW ORIGINAL

“There's a saying I used to have on my signature block: ‘Just as fire tempers iron into fine steel, so does adversity temper one's character into firmness, tolerance and determination,’” said Blow. “This organization is steel. I've seen how this command comes together to get things done.”

Blow served in the Army for 27 years as an entomologist, during which she was stationed at Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras, in Heidelberg, Germany and at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland. During her career in uniform, she deployed to Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq. She helped establish the Richard. G. Lugar Center for Public Health Research in the country of Georgia, and she also served as the military deputy to the Principal Assistant for Research and Technology.

USAMRDC Bids Farewell to Dr. Jamie Blow
Attendees offer a standing ovation to Dr. Jamie Blow, executive officer to the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command’s Principal Assistant for Research and Technology, at the conclusion of her retirement ceremony at MRDC headquarters at Fort Detrick Sept. 24, 2024. (Photo Credit: Paul Lagasse) VIEW ORIGINAL

A 1984 graduate of Alma College in Alma, Michigan, Blow earned a master’s in Outdoor Recreation and Field Biology from Central Michigan University and a doctorate in Medical Entomology from Michigan State University. In 2021, she established the Jamie A. Blow Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Endowed Scholarship at Alma College as a way to “pay it forward” to students who have chosen to pursue careers in the life sciences. The fund awards two $1,000 scholarships per year – one to a student attending Clare High School, which Blow attended, and one to a student from one of the other two high schools in the same county.

“I've been able to do a lot of really cool things and I've been a lot of really cool places,” Blow said. “Thank you for letting me part of the team.”

“I will think about you when I'm hitting a golf ball!” she added.