Colonel (retired) Stuart Tyner served 22 years in the U.S. Army, leading global multidisciplinary teams in diverse fields such as clinical laboratory medicine, field diagnostics, and research. He led teams assessing developing malaria drug resistance in Cambodia and Thailand, assessing novel trauma and resuscitation solutions while deployed in Afghanistan, and developing a military post-traumatic wound infection program focused on understanding the complex physiology of infected traumatic wounds. Tyner served as the chief science officer for the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, an organization focused on delivering novel solutions across 10 different portfolios of research for military trauma and regenerative medicine. He also led the U.S. Army’s bacterial diseases research program, encompassing wound infection/novel and bacterial drugs; vaccines for bacterial dysentery; and a world-wide anti-microbial resistance surveillance effort. In a non-scientific role, Tyner served as the chief of staff of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), providing strategic direction and overseeing the activities of support elements for the 2,500 personnel comprising WRAIR and its overseas labs on four continents. Tyner’s final position was serving as the Defense Health Agency (DHA) infectious diseases portfolio manager and director, Military Infectious Diseases Research Program (MIDRP) at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, where he led the Department of Defense’s investment and planning for infectious diseases research efforts. As the senior microbiologist in the Army, he advised the U.S. Army Surgeon General on all things related to infectious diseases, as well as leading the career/talent development for the 95 other microbiologists in the Army.
Tyner received numerous military awards during his career but is most proud of the U.S. Army Surgeon General’s 9A designation, an award recognizing subject matter experts in the Army with national/international recognition in their fields. Prior to joining the Army, he was a National Cancer Institute Fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, and earned a doctorate in cell and molecular biology from Baylor College of Medicine. He earned bachelor’s degrees from the University of Notre Dame in biology and Spanish, as well as a master's degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. Tyner has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles, scientific conference abstracts, and book chapters on military infectious diseases, combat casualty care, and molecular medicine.