Eric Garges, MD, MPH, MTM&H, FACPM, FIDSA Colonel, Army

COL Garges has been on faculty at USU since 2009 and was billeted faculty as the Director, of the Tropical Public Health (now Global Public Health) Division from 20016-2022. Although still engaged in teaching and research with USU, he currently serves as the Chief, Department of Retrovirology, WRAIR- AFRIMS, providing senior leadership and scientific direction to clinical and public health research in HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections. WRAIR-AFRIMS optimizes military readiness by developing solutions to infectious disease capability gaps through health surveillance, research, medical countermeasure development, and strategic partnership. The AFRIMS Department of Retrovirology has a long and productive history of clinical research to protect the warfighter from HIV through development and testing of HIV vaccines, developing technologies to reduce new infections, and to advance strategies to induce long-term HIV remission.

COL Garges is an Army Preventive Medicine Physician specializing in communicable diseases, tropical medicine, and traveler’s health. Also a clinical scientist, Dr. Garges focuses his research on infectious diseases in militaries and defense forces. He is a DoD subject matter expert in sexually transmitted infections and serves as the U.S. Department of Defense liaison on multiple interagency working groups and steering committees on STI and other infectious diseases. Similarly, he has worked closely with the W.H.O. and other global stakeholders in surveillance and countermeasure development for antimicrobial resistance in STIs. He has directed field investigations and medical training exercises across five continents and taught topical medicine to countless military medical officers.

He previously served as the Deputy Director and Director of Emerging Infectious Diseases at WRAIR-Africa Research Institute in Kenya. Additionally, he is the former Director, Division of Global Public Health and Associate Professor at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, MD and the Research Area Director for STI Research at the DoD Infectious Disease Clinical Research Center, Bethesda. Other military postings include Chief, Preventive Medicine, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Ft Campbell; Force Health Protection Officer, Joint Staff Surgeons Cell, Bagram Afghanistan; Public Health Officer, Army Public Health Command; Director, WRAIR Preventive Medicine Residency.

COL Garges is a native of North Carolina. He was commissioned through the U.S. Army HPSP scholarship program to attend Medical School at Boston University and subsequently completed his Public Health Residency at the WRAIR. He holds additional master’s degrees in public health (MPH) and Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (MTM&H) and is board certified in Public Health/ General Preventive Medicine as well as Occupational and Environmental Medicine. He is a diplomate of both the Americal College of Preventive Medicine (FACPM) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (FIDSA). He is currently licensed to practice medicine in the State of Maryland.

COL Garges is a graduate of the Command and General Staff Officers Course and the DoD Medical Executive Skills Course. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (4OLC), Joint Service and Army Commendation medals and the Afghan Campaign Medal. Other awards and proficiencies include the AMEDD ‘A Proficiency Designator’ (2018), the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States, William Gorgas Award in Public Health (2019), the Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3), and the 2009 Army Surgeon General’s Award for Preventive Medicine (Deployed).

Dr Garges is married to Molly, a nurse practitioner and former US Army Officer. They have two daughters, all residing in Bangkok, Thailand. He enjoys running and cycling has an irrational fear of ostriches.