Rear Adm. Bruce L. Gillingham is a native of San Diego. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology (with high honors) from the University of California, San Diego and a Doctor of Medicine from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He is an inductee in the medical honor society of Alpha Omega Alpha.
Gillingham completed a surgical internship and an orthopedic residency at Naval Medical Center San Diego. He also completed subspecialty training as a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada in 1995. He qualified as an undersea and diving medical officer.
He has served in various positions throughout Navy Medicine to include director of Pediatric Orthopedic and Scoliosis Surgery; Associate Orthopedic Residency Program director; and director of Surgical Services. While assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego, he was instrumental in establishing the Comprehensive Combat and Complex Casualty Care Center (C5).
Operationally, he served aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) as staff orthopedic surgeon and as director of surgical services. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II as battalion chief of Professional Services (Forward) for the 1st Force Service Support Group and officer in charge of the Surgical Shock Trauma Platoon, achieving a 98 percent combat casualty survival rate while providing echelon II surgical care during Operation Phantom Fury.
Gillingham also served as deputy chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Readiness & Health; commander, Navy Medicine West; commander, Naval Medical Center San Diego; deputy commander, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth; commanding officer, Naval Hospital Jacksonville, Florida; Pacific Fleet surgeon, and Fleet surgeon and director, Health Services, U.S. Fleet Forces. While in the Pacific, he led efforts to assist the Vietnam Peoples Navy in creating an Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical program, and in the re-location of Navy Medical Research Unit-2 to Singapore. In 2011, he served as the Joint Support Force-Japan Surgeon in the aftermath of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, ensuring the safety of over 200,000 U.S. citizens, service members and families.
He is a diplomat of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and the American Orthopedic Association and a member of the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America, American College of Physician Executives, Society of Military Orthopedic Surgeons and Association of Military Surgeons of the United States. He has published over 30 scientific articles and book chapters.
Gillinghams personal awards include the Legion of Merit (seven awards), Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two awards), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with the Eagle Globe, and Anchor device with bronze star and the Fleet Marine Force ribbon.
In 2021, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Gilday launched a service-wide initiative to Get Real, Get Better. Central to this call-to-action is for every Sailor to strengthen their leadership skills and problem solving abilities to achieve superior and consistent performance in all that we do. For our One Navy Medicine Family, we fully embrace Getting Real and Getting Better.
This Reading List is comprised of books that have helped shape my perspective as I developed as a doctor, naval officer, and leader over the course of three decades of service. The titles are organized by our priorities of People, Platforms, Performance and Power. The purpose of this Reading List is to strengthen understanding of these priorities while fostering the skillsets and thinking needed in todays Navy Medicine.
Reviews
Rating 2.3 out of 5 based on 35 reviews
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newest oldest highest lowestBrett Wolff
2 years ago
Took weeks to get someone on the phone. Then was notified the day of my appointment that it had been canceled.. next availability? A month out. Not the cleanest clinic in the world, either.
ben borum
2 years ago
Historically, this has been a very frustrating dental clinic to get anything completed. HM2 Wright was extremely helpful in accommodating my needs. Thank you so much for the exceptional customer service.
Sarah Pilovsky
2 years ago
Every experience I've had at this office has been a positive one. Good job all around.
Ebony Armour
2 years ago
They don't ever pick up the phone!
John Christ
2 years ago
Don't come here if you have an emergency, waited 4 hours. I was told they have other clinics that handle emergencies faster. Portsmouth hospital has a dental clinic, boone, and oceana clinics. You'll have a better chance literally going anywhere else.
Josh Romano
2 years ago
Ive been trying to get ahold of them for days to make an appointment. No one answers the phone. When i got in they did a great job. But getting someone to answer the phone is harder than the teeth they pull
keith t
2 years ago
Horrible waiting time for walk-ins, waiting 5 hours for nothing. Update It's only bad on a Monday.
Sarah Pilovsky
3 years ago
Every experience I've had at this office has been a positive one. Good job all around.
ben borum
3 years ago
Historically, this has been a very frustrating dental clinic to get anything completed. HM2 Wright was extremely helpful in accommodating my needs. Thank you so much for the exceptional customer service.
Ebony Armour
3 years ago
They don't ever pick up the phone!
Josh Romano
3 years ago
Ive been trying to get ahold of them for days to make an appointment. No one answers the phone. When i got in they did a great job. But getting someone to answer the phone is harder than the teeth they pull
keith t
3 years ago
Horrible waiting time for walk-ins, waiting 5 hours for nothing. Update It's only bad on a Monday.
John Christ
3 years ago
Don't come here if you have an emergency, waited 4 hours. I was told they have other clinics that handle emergencies faster. Portsmouth hospital has a dental clinic, boone, and oceana clinics. You'll have a better chance literally going anywhere else.
Alex Gonzalez
3 years ago
I truly do not believe in the quality of Naval Medicine. Primarily due to the horror stories I have heard, but maybe that was negative stuff people say and whine about. I am generally healthy, but do need more cleanings than the average human and this is where this dental clinic comes into play. I have nothing, but great things to say about this clinic. The service offered to me is very good and the many times I have been here I get great service. I want to give a shout out to the folks working at fleet records, they always get what I need to get done, expeditiously and without hassle.
Rob T
3 years ago
Can't keep their records properly. Can't talk to anyone on the phone.
Alex Gonzalez
4 years ago
I truly do not believe in the quality of Naval Medicine. Primarily due to the horror stories I have heard, but maybe that was negative stuff people say and whine about. I am generally healthy, but do need more cleanings than the average human and this is where this dental clinic comes into play. I have nothing, but great things to say about this clinic. The service offered to me is very good and the many times I have been here I get great service. I want to give a shout out to the folks working at fleet records, they always get what I need to get done, expeditiously and without hassle.
Valyentyna Bor
4 years ago
My crown came out in July, we are now in NOVEMBER and it is still not fixed, I have been getting one appointment every month, something that only took 2 appointments in Oceana dental, takes month here, at this point hoping it will be fixed by New Years, worst dental experience so far in the navy.
Rob T
4 years ago
Can't keep their records properly. Can't talk to anyone on the phone.
Cindy Islas
4 years ago
Update Review: I wish I could give them 0 stars for their appointment line. I was on hold for 40 minutes before I decided to give up. As for staff, I have had 3 different appointments and each staff member I have interacted with has been professional.
Nettie Cash
4 years ago
They cancelled my x-rays without telling me then proceeded to make me wait in a line for 3 hrs only to tell me "sorry but you need an appointment to get an x-ray!" Basically the staff attitude was "get out of my office, see you in 3 months!" Great place to come if you want to waste hours of your life that you're never going to get back. And have nothing to show for it. No wonder everytime I come here I hear children crying from down the hall.
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