Col. Brianna M. Perata assumed command of the West Point Health Service Area and Keller Army Community Hospital, West Point, from Col. Amy L. Jackson, during a ceremony Friday at KACH.
The presiding officer was Brig. Gen Mary V. Krueger, commanding general, Regional Health Command – Atlantic.
Perata was commissioned into the United States Army through the Reserve Officer Training Corps. She was the Distinguished Military Graduate from the University of San Francisco, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2000.
In 2010, she graduated with a Master of Science degree from the University of California at San Francisco and earned certification as a Perinatal Clinical Nurse Specialist.
In 2021, she graduated from the National War College with a Master of Science in National Security Strategy.
Her first military assignment was as a Medical-Surgical Nurse at Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii. She served at Heidelberg Medical Department Activity (MEDDAC), Heidelberg, Germany, as a Maternal-Child staff nurse; MEDDAC Dewitt as the Maternal-Child and Inpatient Psychiatry Transitional Director; and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital Section Chief for the Maternal-Child and Inpatient Psychiatry wards and the Maternal-Child Clinical Nurse Specialist; as well as various other assignments in the United States and Europe.
Perata previously served as the Regional Nurse Executive, Regional Health Command – Atlantic, at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
“Col. Perata is an engaged and thoughtful leader, and I know she is the right leader to carry the (Keller Army Community Hospital) guidon forward,” Krueger said. “I know she will serve Keller well and I know the West Point community will welcome her family.”
Jackson assumed command of Keller Army Community Hospital on July 10, 2020. Her next assignment will be the Chief of Primary Care at Bryant H. Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
“Col. Jackson is a talented and visionary leader,” Krueger said. “She remained on the frontlines executing the U.S. Army Surgeon General’s orders to remain ready, responsive and relevant, delivering high-quality care and health service support to the U.S. Military Academy.
“She did all this in the midst of a pandemic. I can guarantee when she (Jackson) went to her pre-command course, there was no lecture on how to lead through a pandemic,” Krueger added. “Being Keller’s commander has been such an honor and privilege,” Jackson said. “There is nothing more noble or awe inspiring to consider the impact of your (Keller staff) day-to-day activities on the Army mission and readiness. I know you will continue to excel under Col. Perata’s leadership.”