Our Team

I am Mike Galarneau, Director of Operational Readiness at Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) and the senior principal investigator for the Wounded Warrior Recovery Project (WWRP).

I am a U.S. federal employee and have worked as an NHRC researcher since 1995. My background includes statistics and experimental design, with a Master of Science in Industrial Organizational Psychology. I am also a nationally-, state-, and county-registered emergency medical technician. As the senior principal investigator for WWRP, I oversee the scientific and administrative aspects of the project. Since 9/11, more than 52,000 U.S. service members have been injured during deployment, many with severe, life-altering conditions. WWRP was established to see just how well our wounded service members are doing over the long haul, with the objective being to identify those therapies, rehabilitation programs, services, and support systems that actually make the biggest impact on ultimate quality of life.

I have received two patents for my work at Naval Health Research Center (U.S. Patent No. 5,995,077, 1999 and U.S. Patent No. 7,707,042, 2010) and am the recipient of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award.

I am a clinical neuropsychologist and co-investigator with the VALOR Program. I received my Ph.D. from the San Diego State University/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in neuropsychology. I completed my clinical internship at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and my postdoctoral research and clinical fellowship at the VA San Diego Healthcare System/UC San Diego.

My research has broadly focused on improving long-term mental and physical health outcomes of service members and veterans returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am specifically interested in the impact of traumatic brain injury and conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, sleep disorders, and chronic pain on cognitive functioning, as well as improving treatment and rehabilitation techniques. I am fortunate to have spent the majority of my career providing clinical care for Veterans and conducting research with military populations, with the ultimate goal of improving quality of life at the individual level and within the broader military community.

I'm a research administrator and I joined the team in late 2016. I specialize in business administration and customer service.

Prior to joining the team, I worked as a tutor at Grossmont Community College District to assist students and promote their educational success. I enjoy helping others and have made it my goal to provide the best customer service that I can. As part of my job, I appreciate getting the chance to hear from participants—whether over the phone or via email—as it gives me a chance to hear feedback and get to know some of our participants and potential volunteers.