AMSUS, the Society of Federal Health Professionals, held its annual continuing education meeting in San Antonio Dec. 1-4. The organization, whose purpose is to assist in the advancement of military medicine, was chartered by Congress in 1903.
Several staff members from the Health Science Center played key roles in planning and executing the event, including the Military Health Institute, under the direction of Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Byron C. Hepburn, M.D. Dr. Hepburn moderated a panel discussion on “The Journey of an Injury.” The panel included doctors from the VA and Air Force, and a prosthetist from the Center for the Intrepid, a part of the San Antonio Military Medical Center dedicated to the treatment and rehabilitation of wounded warriors. The featured guests of the panel were SSG (Ret.) Christian Bagge and his wife, Melissa. Sgt. Bagge was severely injured in an IED attack in Iraq in 2005, resulting in amputation of both legs and other severe injuries. The Bagges spoke about their care and recovery through the military and veterans health systems.
UT System Chancellor William McRaven, a retired Navy admiral, addressed the meeting with a talk titled “Partnering for Mission Success” about the importance of collaboration in improving delivery of military medicine to the soldier.
William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, president of the Health Science Center, also addressed the meeting on “Academic/VA/Military Synergy: Teaming to Make Lives Better.”
Basil A. Pruitt Jr., M.D., FACS, a clinical professor at the Health Science Center and a world-renowned burn surgeon, received the Lifetime Achievement Award Dec. 4 from AMSUS.
Other Health Science Center presenters included:
Alan Peterson, Ph.D., “It’s All About the Blast: Psychological Health Consequences of Combat Blast Exposure.”
Julianne Flynn, M.D., “VA Care and the New Normal in Military City USA: Innovative Collaborations with DoD and Community.”
Erin Finley, Ph.D., “Utilization of VA, Military and Community-Based Care Among Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans with PTSD.”
Global Health category, posters, “A Whole New World: New Perspectives in Global Health,” Andrew Muck, M.D.
Psychological Health category, posters, “Stability of Health Trajectories Among Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans: Insights from Central Nervous System Medications,” Mary Jo Pugh, Ph.D.
Chancellor McRaven: “Partnering for Mission Success”
President Henrich: “Academic/VA/Military Synergy”
“Journey of an Injury” panel presentation