army medical school army medical school founded by u.s. army brigadier general george miller sternberg, md in 1893, the army medical school (ams) was by some reckonings the world's first school of public health and preventive medicine. (the other institution vying for this distinction is the johns hopkins school of public health (1916).) the ams ultimately became the army medical center (1923), then the walter reed army institute of research (1953). the army medical museum and library building, which housed the army medical school between 1893 and 1910. "old red" was located on the national mall in washington, dc. history sternberg created the ams by issuing "general order 51" on june 24, 1893. the school was housed, along with the army medical library in the building of the army medical museum and library (affectionately known as the "old pickle factory" or "old red") at 7th street and south b street (now independence avenue), sw, washington, d.c. (this site is on the national mall where the smithsonian's hirshhorn museum now stands.) in 1910, the ams relocated to 721 13th street, nw and in 1916 to 604 louisiana avenue. in 1923, the "army medical center" (amc) was created when (1) the ams became the "medical department professional service school" (mdpss) and (2) the mdpss moved into "building #40" on the grounds of the walter reed general hospital (wrgh) in northern washington, d.c. the historic edifice known as building #40 was constructed at 14th and dahlia streets beginning in 1922 and reached completion in 1932. this facility consists of four "pavilions": the north or "vedder pavilion" (named for col. edward bright vedder (1878-1952) who established polished rice extract as the proper treatment for beri-beri); the south or "craig pavilion" (named for col. charles franklin craig (1872-1950) who in the philippines proved (1907; with percy m. ashburn) dengue to be a filterable agent (virus) and later showed the mosquito aedes aegypti responsible for dengue transmission); the east or "sternberg pavilion" (named for gen. sternberg (1838-1915), the u.s. army surgeon general and co-discoverer of the pneumococcus, known as the "father of american bacteriology"); the west or "siler pavilion" (named for col. joseph franklin siler (1875-1960), who in 1925 first injected dengue virus in serum into humans producing disease and "closing the loop" on dengue transmissibility). in 1947, the mdpss became the "army medical department research and graduate school" (amdrgs), which in turn became the "army medical service graduate school" (amsgs) in 1950. in september 1951, "general order number 8" combined the wrgh & amc into the present-day walter reed army medical center (wramc). three years later, the research elements of this facility became the present-day walter reed army institute of research (wrair). list of presidents and commandants the south, or craig, pavilion of building 40, home to the four successors to the ams: the medical department professional service school (1923-1947), the army medical department research and graduate school (1947-1950), the army medical service graduate school (1950-1953), and finally the walter reed army institute of research (1953-1999). building 40 is at 14th and dahlia streets at the old walter reed complex in northern washington, d.c. president tenure ref(s) col. charles henry alden 1893 1898 closed during spanish-american war 1898 1901 col. william henry forwood 1901 1902 brig. gen. calvin dewitt 1902 1903 col. charles lawrence heizmann 1903 1906 col. valery havard 1906 1909 col. louis anatole lagarde 1909 1912 col. charles richard 1912 1915 brig. gen. william hempel arthur 1915 1918 col. weston percival chamberlain 1918 1918 brig. gen. francis anderson winter 1918 1919 brig. gen. walter drew mccaw 1919 1923 col. weston percival chamberlain 1923 1924 brig. gen. henry clay fisher 1924 1929 col. christopher clark collins 1929 1930 col. charles franklin craig 1930 1931 col. jay ralph shook 1931 1931 col. edward bright vedder 1931 1932 col. philip weatherly huntington 1932 1935 col. joseph franklin siler 1935 1939 col. george russell callender 1940 1946 rufus holt 1946 1949 elbert de coursey 1949 1950 william s. stone 1950 1953