MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- Fifteen years ago, Joseph Moore, now a retired Navy captain and the current sports medicine advisor to Navy Medical West, helped open the first Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Therapy Clinic aboard a Marine Corps installation.

This February, Moore will help open the 19th SMART Clinic in his career aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

Moore’s first assignment was at 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton as the battalion surgeon. His interaction with Marines  helped him realize the importance of proper musculoskeletal treatment.

“The greatest need for proper treatment was in the Marine Corps,” said Moore. “The biggest problem was that we weren’t treating Marines like elite athletes. It sparked my interest, and I knew there was a better way to get these Marines back to duty quicker and in better shape than before.”

Before opening SMART Clinics, Moore was named the first naval medical officer selected for a fellowship in sports medicine from 1989 to 1990, training at San Diego State, the United States Olympic Center, and with the team physicians to the San Diego Chargers. He later became the department head and fellowship director for the Navy’s Sports Medicine Program at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton from 1991 to 1999. During his time at the hospitals, he helped run the first SMART Center for the School of Infantry West, helping young Marines heal faster and fulfill their training requirements.

After opening the first clinic aboard SOI West, Moore opened SMART Clinics in SOI East, both Marine Corps Recruit Depots, The Basic School and Officer Candidate School to help Marines finish training on time.

“I wanted to help them out and get them back in the fight with their own peer group,” said the Davis, W. Virginia native.

Because of his contributions and extensive knowledge on sports medicine, Moore was appointed to the California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. He was selected as a team physician for the United States Olympic Committee and served for the U.S. Women’s Ice Hockey and World Youth Games from 1997 through 1998. Moore is also a former board member of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.

The SMART Clinics have proven successful for getting Marines back on their feet, and now 11 of the 19 SMART Clinics are on Marine Corps installations, with a SMART Clinic to open in Guam.

“The Marines have really believed in us,” said Moore. “Many of them have gone through SMART Centers and have seen it work. Many of them are now unit leaders, drill instructors or commanding officers and know our goals are the same as theirs.”

Moore’s mission has always been to get Marines healthy in an expedient manner, but with the opening of the latest SMART Clinic aboard the air station, it’s on a much larger scale. Instead of getting Marines through training requirements, he’s focused on getting them ready for upcoming deployments.

Colleagues of Moore recognize his extensive knowledge on sports medicine because of his career accomplishments.

“He is the father of sports medicine in the Navy and Marine Corps,” said Vinny Comiskey, an athletic trainer with the SMART Clinic.

The SMART Clinic aboard the air station is slated to be fully operational by Feb. 1, and will treat approximately 25,000 Marines and sailors year-round, helping them get back in the fight.