New Rochelle Native Michael Doria Receives Coast Guard’s Meritorious Public Service Award

New Rochelle native Lieutenant Michael Doria, USCGR received the Coast Guard’s Meritorious Public Service Award for his work on the Navy’s Traumatic Brain Injury Program in assessing brain trauma within the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. The award, the Coast Guard’s second-highest Public Service Award, was presented at a June 19 at a ceremony in Washington, DC.

The Meritorious Public Service Award is given to recognize unusual courage in advancing a Coast Guard mission, a substantial contribution to the Coast Guard that produced tangible results or a specific individual accomplishment that provides unique benefits to the public.

The citation for Lieutenant Michael Doria reads as follows:

The Coast Guard Director, Health, Safety and Work-Life takes great pleasure in presenting the United States Coast Guard Meritorious Public Service Award to Lieutenant Michael J. Doria, USCGR, from August 2009 to February 2012 for his work with the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) and most notably as the Neuropsychologist and Program Manager supporting the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine’s “Management of Concussion in Deployed Settings” Program. As the Program Manager, Lieutenant DORlA was the driving force behind the design and implementation of four new training courses to support the Navy’s Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Program in assessing brain trauma within the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Identifying the need to align the Coast Guard with other DoD services, Lieutenant DORlA developed the first Basic Military Acute Concussion Evaluation (MACE) Program for the U. S. Coast Guard. His expertise in neuropsychology, education, training and administrative management enabled him to develop and design all four MACE course curriculums, instructional methodologies, testing protocols, and quality control procedures. He worked closely with the Navy’s Office of Neurotrauma to consolidate, centralize, and standardize the education and training programs within the Navy and Marine Corps, which drastically reduced costs and redundancy. Lieutenant DORlA and his team taught over 80 MACE courses within a 17-month timeframe, training well over 2200 uniformed service medical personnel deploying to Central Command operations. The results of these training programs were highly lauded by not only the Navy’s Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, but, both the Navy and Marine Corps Surgeon Generals’, which resulted in Lieutenant DORlA’s work being presented to the Australian Defense Department and to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Forces in Europe. Lieutenant DORlA’s success with the . ~ Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard’s TBI initiatives led to his role as a chief consultant and advisor for the Army and Air Force as they implement their own MACE training programs. By ensuring medical personnel’s knowledge of a competency in managing and treating brain trauma in the combat theater, Lieutenant DORlA has directly contributed to the health and safety of all U.S. military combat troops. Lieutenant DORlA’s dedication, judgment, and devotion to duty are most heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.

Doria graduated from the Citadel and been active in the military ever since. He is also in the Coast Guard Pipe Band and has marched in the New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Doria grew up in New Rochelle. His family members are life long residents of New Rochelle.