Maryland Defense Force’s 10th Medical Regiment Commander Promoted to Brigadier General

By CPT(MD) Stephen Rice
Maryland Defense Force Public Affairs
24 August 2011

On August 24, 2011 Dr. Stanley Minken who serves as the commander of the 10th Medical Regiment of the Maryland Defense Force was promoted to Brigadier General. Brig. Gen. (MDDF) Minken was also assigned as Medical Advisor to Brig. Gen. (MDDF) Brian R. Kelm who is the Commanding General of the Maryland Defense Force.

Brig. Gen. (MDDF) Minken is a Baltimore native who received a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in microbiology from George Washington University. He then received his doctor of medicine degree from the University of Maryland. After completion of a National Institutes of Health fellowship Dr. Minken was given the Upjohn Achievement Award for meritorious surgical research in 1968.

Following his medical residency Brig. Gen. (MDDF) Minken joined the United States Air Force Medical Corps, serving at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base before serving a tour in Vietnam. While in Vietnam, Dr. Minken provided medical care for the Vietnamese population at provincial hospitals. After returning to the United States Brig. Gen. (MDDF) Minken finished his U.S. Air Force service at Andrews Air Force Base. While serving in the U.S. Air Force Dr. Minken attained the rank of Major.

As a civilian physician Brig. Gen. (MDDF) Minken joined the St. Agnes Medical Center where he served as the Director of Surgical Education and Chairman of the Department of Surgery for several years. A comprehensive educational program he developed was adopted by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the University of Maryland Medical School. He was later presented with the Distinguished Surgeons Award from the Baltimore Academy of Surgeons.

As an educator, Dr. Minken has worked as an Associate Professor in Vascular Surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and as an adjunct faculty member at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. In 2001 he was appointed the Charles G. Rob Professor of Surgery at the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University and Chief of Academic Surgery.

Currently Brig. Gen. (MDDF) Minken is the Chief Medical Officer at the Chester River Hospital Center which is an affiliate of the University of Maryland Medical System. Dr. Minken has frequently deployed overseas as a combat surgical consultant in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He most recently participated in a Pacific Command exercise involving combat blast injuries.


As commander of the 10th Medical Regiment of the Maryland Defense Force, Brig. Gen. (MDDF) Minken oversees a large contingent of medical professionals who volunteer to support the missions of the Maryland Military Department. He has also presented over 40 technical presentations and has several publications in medical texts.

Brig. Gen. (MDDF) Kelm noted at the promotion ceremony that he is “thankful to have such an accomplished and distinguished medical professional as the Medical Advisor on this new team.”

The Maryland Defense Force (MDDF) is the State’s uniformed volunteer military unit providing professional and technical assistance to the Maryland Military Department. Established in 1917, the MDDF consists of nearly 450 personnel who perform legal, engineering, finance, medical, chaplain, field support and ceremonial services for the State of Maryland. For more information: http://mddf.maryland.gov.