RDG006007 A candid portrait of a researcher hard at work at the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, MD. The Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI), located in a complex of buildings at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, is the Navys largest biomedical research facility. Commissioned in 1942, the Institute was immediately committed to the solution of practical medical problems arising from World War II. While its staff, physical plant, and program scope have grown considerably, its mission continues to be basic and applied research and development concerned with the health, safety, and efficiency of naval personnel. The Institutes present-day staff comprises some 275 men and women; this includes naval officers in the Medical, Dental, and Medical Service Corps, and a core of career civil service scientists, specialists in various fields, who ensure a continuity in the research program.