Since launching “Joining Forces,” a national initiative to support military families, last spring, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, Ed.D., have successfully recruited the participation of numerous businesses, nonprofit organizations, and individuals.
Wal-Mart, for example, now guarantees jobs to military families who have been transferred to another part of the country. The YMCA, the National Military Family Association, and the Sierra Club Foundation invite 7,000 military kids to attend their summer camp free of charge.
Even Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Oprah Winfrey added tinseltown appeal to the initiative by speaking about it in a series of public service Announcementss in October.
And now, in what marks the largest-ever coordinated commitment from American medical colleges in support of the country’s veterans and military families, 130 medical and osteopathic colleges including the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences have signed on to support the cause.
“I’m inspired to see our nation’s medical schools step up to address this pressing need for our veterans and military families,” said Obama. “By directing some of our brightest minds, our most cutting-edge research, and our finest teaching institutions toward our military families, they’re ensuring that those who have served our country receive the first-rate care that they have earned.”
The schools, who are members of either the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) or the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, committed to improve the education in their classrooms, the research in their laboratories, and the clinical care in their hospitals to better address the health issues that military families face.
In particular, SMHS and its counterparts across the nation will train their students, faculty, and staff to better diagnose veterans and military families, develop new research and clinical trials on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and share information and best practices through AAMC’s online forum.
Scott Schroth, M.D., M.P.H., associate dean for Academic Affairs at SMHS, was one of 40 representatives from the participating schools to attend a kick-off event at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine hosted by Obama Jan. 11.
“It’s particularly important that the Obama administration has taken this on as a high priority. It gives it the sort of national profile that it deserves,” said Schroth. “Medical schools, osteopathic schools, and research institutions have a lot to contribute but haven’t before been coalesced into a force that can really deal with this.”
SMHS is particularly well-equipped to engage in this initiative. Five to 10 percent of its students are recipients of federal military health professions’ scholarships, and many more alumni are current or former active duty physicians. Before Joining Forces, SMHS had already embarked on an initiative to increase communication and mentorship between these groups.
What’s more, the school is in the process of developing a four-year elective concentration in military medicine. “The idea is to offer both educational and experiential opportunities for students who are particularly interested in military medicine and health care,” said Schroth.
GW, which has been named a “military-friendly” institution by G.I. Jobs Magazine, also has clinical and educational affiliations with Bethesda Naval Medical Center and the National Capital Veteran’s Administration. As a part of Joining Forces, the school “will look at ways to try to leverage those opportunities and relationships to help enhance the curricular elements related to military health,” said Schroth.
Schroth also expects the initiative to influence the SMHS curriculum as it relates to PTSD and TBI. While the conditions are well-covered in many courses, historically, they haven’t been taught from a conflict perspective. “We’ll be looking at how components of the curriculum can be enhanced to emphasize specific conflict-related PTSD and TBI issues,” he said.
Obama and Biden created Joining Forces to bring Americans together to recognize, honor and take action to support veterans and military families. The initiative focuses on employment, education, and wellness while raising awareness about the service, sacrifice, and needs of America’s veterans and military families.
