Walter Reed Army Institute of Research " This article is about the U . S . Army medical research institute ( not the hospital ) . Otherwise , see Walter Reed ( disambiguation ) . " The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research ( WRAIR ) is the largest biomedical research facility administered by the U . S . Department of Defense . The institute is centered at the Forest Glen Annex , part of the unincorporated Silver Spring urban area in Maryland just north of Washington , DC , but it is a subordinate unit of the U . S . Army Medical Research and Materiel Command ( USAMRMC ) , headquartered at nearby Fort Detrick , Maryland . At Forest Glen , the WRAIR has shared a large , modern laboratory and administrative facility — the Sen Daniel K . Inouye Building , also known as Building 503 — with the Naval Medical Research Center since 1999 . Official mandate . Basic and applied medical research supporting U . S . military operations is the focus of WRAIR leaders and scientists . The institute fosters a unique understanding of military medical needs and environments , including the exposures ( diseases and physical stresses ) that troops encounter and the performance requirements of a deployed military force . Despite the focus on the military , however , the institute has historically also addressed and solved a variety of non - military medical problems prevalent in the United States and the wider world . It is particularly well known for advances in the field of tropical and infectious disease medicine . WRAIR Mission < br > WRAIR Vision < br > WRAIR Goals < br > Divisions and Subordinate Units of the WRAIR . Divisions at the Daniel K . Inouye Building . The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research hosts two Centers of Excellence for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience and for Infectious Disease Research which are headquartered in Silver Spring , Maryland . Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience Center for Infectious Disease Research Office of Science Education and Strategic Communications : The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research supports and collaborates on all other Army Educational Research Programs including the Mobile Discovery Center , the Junior Solar Spring , eCybermission , Uninitiates Introduction to Engineering ( UNITE ) , Research & Engineering Apprentice Program ( REAP ) , International Science & Engineering Fair ( INTEL - ISEF ) , Internships Science & Engineering Program ( ISEP ) , Junior Science & Humanities Symposium ( JSHS ) , Women in Science Project ( WISP ) , Career Related Experience in Science & Technology ( CREST ) , Consortium Research Fellows Program ( CRFP ) , and Science , Mathematics and Research for Transformation Defense Scholarshop for Service Program ( SMART ) . Research Support : WRAIR Pilot Lot Production Facility . The Pilot Bioproduction Facility ( PBF ) was established in 1958 as the Department of Biologics Research and is now located at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research . The PBF mission is research , development , production , and testing of vaccines for human use . The PBF at the Forest Glen Annex is a multi - use facility designed and operated for production of vaccines in compliance with the current Good Manufacturing ( cGMP ) regulations . Compliance with cGMP ensures that products prepared in the facility will be safe , potent , and reproducible . Since inception , the PBF has specialized in developing vaccines for Department of Defense mission - related disease threats . The PBF follows all federal regulations that apply to biological products and has expertise in the development and production of vaccines for the prevention of a variety of infectious diseases . Projects for public and private partners are accomplished through inter - agency and cooperative agreements . Vaccines are produced that will protect Soldiers against diseases that they might encounter in areas of deployment . These include vaccines to prevent dengue fever , malaria , meningitis , cholera , shigellosis , hepatitis A , and HIV . The PBF places compliance , cleanliness , and safety as top priorities in the production process of a vaccine . Once the vaccine is tested for safety , potency , and identity , the vaccine is released for use in approved human clinical studies . Several of the PBF ' s experimental vaccines have progressed on to advanced clinical testing . Although vaccine development process is complex , the expert PBF staff strives to ensure each step is completed successfully . The PBF has received awards and accolades for its role in developing vaccines for diseases such as hepatitis A and meningitis . History of the WRAIR . The WRAIR traces its institutional heritage back to the Army Medical School , founded by U . S . Army Surgeon General George Sternberg in 1893 , by some reckonings the first school of public health and preventive medicine in the world . The organization name was officially changed to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in 1953 . Through the 20th century , medical discoveries continued to be found by Army researchers from the Army Medical School as U . S . military presence grew across the globe . Between 1900 and World War I ( WWI ) , they showed that the cause of dengue fever was a filterable virus . They showed that parasites cause amebic dysentery and discovered a treatment for it . A vaccine against typhoid and a simple test for syphilis were developed . Chlorination as a method to disinfect drinking water was invented by Institute researchers . These and other advances in medicine , sanitation and hygiene were used by troops during WWI . By WWI , Army researchers from the Army Medical School were working in Asia and the Americas . Into World War II ( WWII ) , investigations into dengue , malaria , combat stress , wound treatment , chemical weapons , and military dentistry continued in preparation for the US military to meet new challenges and threats . One such threat was Japanese encephalitis and the Institute was responsible for developing the first vaccine to combat it . Since the end of WWII , WRAIR has evolved to continue serving Soldiers . The risks of nuclear weapons and chemical or biological warfare were added as new military health threats in the post - WWII era . As well , WRAIR researchers have contributed considerable gains in global medicine . For example , the Institute is responsible for the development of vaccines to prevent hepatitis A , meningococcal meningititis , and adenovirus that caused respiratory disease . In addition , WRAIR researchers have produced two highly effective antimalarial drugs and are currently working on an effective malaria vaccine . WRAIR ' s medical contributions protect military and civilian populations worldwide . External links . " This article contains information that originally came from US Government publications and websites and is in the public domain . "