Deputy Commander
COL (Dr.) Kenney H. Wells
Deputy Commander, USAISR
Colonel Wells serves as the Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research. His most recent assignment was serving as the Army Futures Command Medical Liaison Officer for Medical Research and Development Command in Austin, Texas. He previously served as the Program Manager for the Pain and Sensory Trauma Care Research Team at the USAISR.
Colonel Wells' prior assignments include: Deputy Chief of Staff for Regional Health Command Central, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Chief Optometry Resident, Brooke Army Medical Center, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston; Chief Optometry Services, 168th Medical Battalion, Camp Walker, Korea; Chief Optometry Services, Bamberg Health Clinic, Bamberg, Germany; Chief Optometry Services, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Commander for the 179th Medical Detachment, Optometry, Fort Campbell; Chief of Professional Services, 325th Combat Support Hospital, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; Chief Optometry Services Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland; Deputy Director of Strategic Outreach, Falls Church, Virginia; Interagency Fellow with the Department of Veteran Affairs, Washington, D.C. Additionally, he serves as MSC 67F/Optometry Consultant to the Surgeon General, U.S. Army.
Colonel Wells is a graduate of the Army Medical Department Officer Basic and Captains Career Course, Combat Casualty Care Course, Medical Management of Chemical/Biological Casualty Course, Joint Operations Medical Managers Course, Combined Armed Services and Staff School, the Command and General Staff College, IMAC2.0, and has earned Combatives Level I and II certifications. He holds the additional skill identifiers of Air Assault Qualified (2B), Strategists (6Z), and Medical Proficiency (9A).
Colonel Wells completed his undergraduate studies at Bethel College in McKenzie, Tennessee and earned his Doctorate in Optometry from the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee. He completed a post-graduate residency in Primary Eyecare at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and earned a Master of Science in Clinical Vision Research from NOVA Southeastern University and a Master of Arts in Healthcare Administration from the University of the Incarnate Word.
Colonel Wells' awards, decorations, and honors include Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (with silver oak leaf), Army Commendation Medal (with two oak leaf clusters), Army Achievement Medal (with silver oak leaf), Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, and Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal (with two oak leaf clusters). He has earned the Air Assault Badge and the Expert Field Medical Badge.