July 12, 2018
Hello,
As we marked the July 4 holiday, we give pause to reflect upon the influence and importance of our nation’s military. Living in several countries over my career always made me think about the core values of this country and gave me a renewed appreciation and respect for our U.S. military.
My first academic position in the United States was at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences—a place where I worked side by side with, and learned to respect, military medicine and military physicians. So I was delighted when Dr. Joseph Love, associate professor of surgery and medical director of Memorial Hermann Life Flight, who himself is a U.S. Air Force veteran, met with me a few months ago to talk about military trainees coming to UTHealth.
Recently, several members of our Armed Forces came to Houston to talk with Dr. Love and others about a partnership with McGovern Medical School to provide opportunities for graduate medical education for physicians trained through the military, as well as short-term training for other healthcare providers. The military guests included Capt. Phillip Hendley, Special Operations Flight Surgeon; Maj. Carolyn Price Moore, Operational Support Medicine Flight Commander; Staff Sgt. Joshua Stumpf, Special Operations Independent Duty Medical Technician; Col. Rudolph Cachuela, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) Surgeon General; Lt. Col. Gary Pulmano, AFSOC Surgeon General Administrator; Chief Master Sgt. Karl Day, AFSOC Surgeon General Chief Enlisted Manager; and Col. Mark Ervin.
They are interested in a partnership with us because of our outstanding clinical programs and high clinical volumes. Due to a healthier military population, the military patient population has decreased, leaving a shortage of clinical opportunities to keep medical military personnel ready for the high acuity needs of overseas military situations.
Dr. Love and colleagues view this partnership as adding value to UTHealth as well as to our military colleagues. For example, collaborations with our high-volume trauma services in Houston could provide necessary preparations for military medical personnel and needed reinforcements for our own clinical staff. As a large and diverse city, Houston has a varied patient population, and our hospitals care for some of the sickest and most complex patients in Houston. Military colleagues are looking for a partner to help train physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, and other medical personnel that the military seeks to “embed” within our services to gain hands-on experience. Both sides are excited by what we hope will be a productive partnership.
Details of the collaboration are still being worked out. In the short-term, we will be accepting two categorical residents from military ranks to train in the Department of Surgery each year starting this July. I look forward to expanding this partnership.
Please join me in thanking Dr. Love and colleagues for spearheading this collaboration.
Warm regards,
Barbara
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