Michael Burns

Antimicrobial stewardship

LCDR Burns is a native of East Amherst, New York and attended the College of the Holy Cross
(BA, 2012). He obtained his MS from the University at Buffalo (MS, 2014), where he completed
his thesis on peripheral blood transplant cell composition and the effects on post-transplant
outcomes. He commissioned as an Ensign in the Naval Reserves in 2014 and attended the
University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (DO, 2018) on a Health Professions
Scholarship.
Upon graduation, he commissioned as an active-duty Lieutenant and completed his Internal
Medicine Internship at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. He then proceeded to Internal
Medicine Residency at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, graduating in 2021.
During residency, he was a member of the Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Control
Committees. He received the Dr. Chin Hee Kim Clinical Leadership Award and the National
Capital Region Quality Improvement award for his work implementing a new command-wide
dosing strategy for piperacillin-tazobactam.
After residency, he returned to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth as a staff internist. During
that time, he served as the chair of the antimicrobial stewardship committee, overseeing
stewardship initiatives across the MTF and its 7 branch clinics, a member of the command’s
credentials committee, and as core faculty for the NMCP internal medicine residency. He
additionally deployed to Blackstone, VA in support of Operation Allies Welcome in fall 2021 and
aboard the USNS COMFORT (T-AH 20) as part of Continuing Promise 2022, where he served as
the OIC for the Honduras medical engagement site, overseeing 120 personnel in the execution
of site operations in the care of over 1500 Honduran nationals.
Since 2023, he has served as the assistant clerkship director for the USUHS internal medicine
clerkship at NMCP, organizing clinical and didactic experiences for over 50 medical student

rotations. He continued to remain engaged with the NMCP internal medicine residency,
currently serving as clinical competency chair.
LCDR Burns is board certified in Internal Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of
Physicians. His military awards include Joint Service Commendation Medal and Navy and
Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a gold star in addition to multiple service medals.