WarDocs - The Military Medicine Podcast

Dr. Benjamin Starnes- Surgeon Stepping Up to Lead During 9/11 and in Austere Locations Across the Globe

Dr. Starnes is a vascular surgeon at Harborview Medical Center and is the Chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery and Vice Chair of the Department of Surgery for UW Medicine in Seattle, Washington. 
  In this episode Dr. Starnes shares his experience of being one of the first responders at the Pentagon on 9/11 and taking charge of managing the most injured patients onsite while the building was on fire nearby.  His and similar stories are captured in a recent book written by his brother called American Phoenix- Heroes of the Pentagon on 9/11
   He also tells the incredible story of going outside the wire in Northern Iraq with a CIA operative to coordinate care for wounded Peshmerga soldiers.  You won’t forget the story of driving to Mosul with “Bob” and his experiences which seemed like entering the Twilight Zone. 
  He describes how he used his surgical skills during deployment to perform a life-saving operation on a 2-day old Iraqi girl named Ayat with a complicated life-threatening congenital defect.
  Dr. Starnes describes how the skill set of a vascular surgeon is beneficial on the battlefield and gives the listener an idea of how we need to be training surgeons in light of the changing battlefield and advances in technology.
  Dr. Starnes is talented storyteller and you will be engaged and entertained while also learning some valuable insights from his experience.
 
  Find out more about Dr. Starnes at wardocspodcast.com/guest-bios and visit our webpage and become part of Team WarDocs at wardocspodcast.com.
 
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COL(R) Dr. Peter Napolitano- OB/GYN WarDoc- Improving Surgical Patient Safety on the Battlefield and Beyond.

Dr. Napolitano is a Professor of OB/GYN at the University of Washington and at USUHS
       In this episode you will hear how a Maternal-Fetal Medicine subspecialist utilized his surgical skills to expand the capabilities of deployed Combat Surgical Hospitals. Dr. Napolitano tells some incredible clinical stories of how deployed healthcare teams come together to provide awesome care in some very dangerous situations.  He talks about efforts he led to bring TeamSTEPPS, a recognized patient safety program into the routine downrange care in Iraq and Afghanistan. He provides some specific examples of how potential patient harm was avoided by these efforts.  He describes why OB/GYN capabilities are critical to address unique, but not uncommon battlefield scenarios that involve Women’s health issues.  He how critical simulation, communication and teamwork training is and talks about some of the heroic efforts performed downrange to save patient lives.
     You don’t want to miss Pete’s amazing anecdotes from his deployed experiences.  You will hear insights, learn some lessons and be entertained as well.
  Find out more about Dr. Napolitano at wardocspodcast.com/guest-bios and visit our webpage and become part of Team WarDocs at wardocspodcast.com.
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COL(R) Dr. Matthew Hepburn- Military Infection Disease Doc Uniquely Prepared for Operation Warp Speed and Global Pandemic Response.

Dr. Hepburn currently serves within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) 
  In this episode Dr. Hepburn shares stories and insights from his decades of experience as an Army Infectious Disease Physician.  He talks about leading domestic and international clinical research efforts on biodefense products while at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) and his role in the Cooperative Threat Reduction program in the republics of the former Soviet Union.  He shares his experiences from providing detainee care at a Level 2 Treatment Facility in Iraq. 
  He provides many lessons learned from his time as a Program Manager at DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) which prepared him for his critical role in Operation Warp Speed in responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic.  He gives us a fascinating behind the scenes look into the partnerships between the DoD, HHS and private industry that shattered the normal timelines for vaccine development, testing and implementation.  You will be amazed at the Herculean efforts that took place and hear about some of the amazing heroes that made it happen.  You don’t want to miss this episode!
  Find out more about Dr. Hepburn at wardocspodcast.com/guest-bios and visit our webpage and become part of Team WarDocs at wardocspodcast.com.
  Please take a moment to follow/subscribe, rate and review WarDocs on your preferred Podcast venue.

Lt. Gen. (Ret) Dr. Paul K. Carlton Jr.-Evolution of Critical Care in the Air- Past, Present and Future

   Dr. Carlton has a distinguished career of clinical excellence, leadership and service.  Lt. Gen. (Ret) Carlton served as the 17th Surgeon General of the Air Force
  In this episode you will hear about the history of Air Evacuation in the military and how Dr. Carlton was instrumental in developing the Flying Ambulance Surgical Trauma Team (FAST) which later matured into the Critical Care Air Transport Team (CCATT); a program that transformed the nature of battlefield evacuation of the wounded.  He shares how lessons were learned from events in Somalia and Haiti and despite some headwinds the CCATT became an official part of the USAF Aeromedical System.  Ultimately this system played a significant role in decreasing combat mortality and morbidity in OIF and OEF.  Dr. Carlton provides a behind the scenes look at the unique challenges of providing advanced critical care in the air and provides some insights into the future possibilities.
   Lt. Gen. (Ret) Carlton has had an amazing and diverse experience in Military Medicine and you won’t be disappointed hearing some of the engaging stories from a distinguished career.
  Find out more about Dr. Carlton at wardocspodcast.com/guest-bios and visit our webpage and become part of Team WarDocs at wardocspodcast.com.
  Please take a moment to follow/subscribe, rate and review WarDocs on your preferred Podcast platform.

Major General (Ret) Dr. Sean L. Murphy- Taking Care of Military Members and their Families from the Far East to Europe to the Pentagon

Dr. Murphy retired in 2021 and most recently served on Active Duty as the Deputy Surgeon General of the Air Force.
   In this episode Dr. Murphy shares stories about growing up in a family of Irish Cops and his journey to the Air Force Academy and then becoming an Air Force Pediatrician.  He talks about the importance of military pediatricians and their unique mission around the globe both in combat and in garrison.  He touches on the unique mission of Air Force Medicine and provides anecdotes from time spent as a pediatrician as well as a Flight Surgeon taking care of families and military pilots (“adolescents at heart”).
  He explains some of the unique challenges of being a staff officer at the Pentagon, but shares how rewarding it can be to make significant positive changes for the entire healthcare system such as developing and implementing TRICARE for Life.  He was able to leverage his experiences at the National War College to provide leadership with Joint Combatant Commands at SOUTHCOM and the Pacific Air Force. He shares many insights and lessons learned over a 40-year career.  You don’t want to miss this episode!
  Find out more about Dr. Murphy at wardocspodcast.com/guest-bios and visit our webpage and become part of Team WarDocs at wardocspodcast.com.
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CAPT (Dr.) Joel Schofer- Deputy Chief of the Navy Medical Corps- Coaching and Mentoring Physicians in Career Development both Online and In-person.

   Dr. Schofer currently serves as the Deputy Chief of the Medical Corps (MC) at the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED). 
  In this episode Dr. Schofer shares his insights and stories from deployed experiences from OEF/OIF both as a General Medical Officer and later as an Emergency Medicine physician aboard the USS Pearl Harbor supporting the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.  He has extensive experience as a senior Navy Medicine leader in multiple advisory roles and he describes the many tools he has created to support Navy MC officers development and promotion such as a podcast, a blog and a website www.MCCareer.org that already has over a million unique hits. 
  He describes his experience as the Commander of the Joint Medical Group and Joint Task Force Surgeon at GTMO and he shares what he learned as a NATO representative for the US on an Emergency Medicine expert panel. 
  At the end of the podcast there is a special bonus segment for Navy MC officers that covers some important advice about professional military education for military physicians.  He also relates some of his experiences in Navy Medicine obtaining an MBA degree and becoming a Certified Physician Executive.  Lot of pearls- Don’t miss it!
  Find out more about Dr. Schofer at wardocspodcast.com/guest-bios and visit our webpage and become part of Team WarDocs at wardocspodcast.com.
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The Journey to Zero Harm- Exploring Quality and Safety in Military Medicine- COL(Ret) Evan Renz, MD, MPH (Part 2 of interview)

   Dr. Renz currently serves as Deputy to the Commander at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC).   In this episode you will hear about the experiences Dr. Renz had and lessons he learned a completing a Senior Executive Fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and earning his master’s degree in Public Health and Health Policy at the Harvard School of Public Health.  His faculty advisor at Harvard was surgeon, author and public health researcher Dr. Atul Gawande.  Dr. Renz describes how the principles of High Reliability Organizations can be used to create a culture of quality and safety within Military Medicine facilities and across the deployed environment.  He lays out some of the challenges in adopting this shared mindset and provides some concrete examples of the benefits of an organization setting a serious goal of Zero Harm.  He also describes how Military hospitals such as BAMC can serve as the lynchpin to creating and sustaining a Ready Medical Force.  Dr. Renz is a leader, innovator and subject matter expert in quality and safety in the medical arena- you will be glad you listened to this episode!
  Find out more about Dr. Renz at wardocspodcast.com/guest-bios and visit our webpage and become part of Team WarDocs at wardocspodcast.com.
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COL(Ret) Dr. Evan Renz: From Jumpmaster in the 82nd Airborne Division to Burn/Critical Care Surgeon Extraordinaire.

   Dr. Renz has a distinguished 30+ year career in Army Medicine characterized by clinical excellence, leadership and service.   In this episode you will hear about the experiences Dr. Renz had as a Medical Service Officer with the 82nd Airborne Division where he became Ranger qualified and served as a jumpmaster.  He then served as an operations officer at USUHS, the military medical school training many future Medical Corps Leaders.  He talks about his experiences after training as a burn surgeon with the Army Burn Flight Team and taking care of patients at the USAISR Burn Center in San Antonio.  Dr. Renz provides insights and lessons learned from multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and how these resulted in saving many lives of injured servicemembers.  He even talks about a unique experience in Afghanistan caring for local children who had suffered circumcision complications.  COL(R) Renz has had an amazing and diverse experience in Military Medicine and you won’t be disappointed hearing some of the engaging stories from a distinguished career.
  Find out more about Dr. Renz at wardocspodcast.com/guest-bios and visit our webpage and become part of Team WarDocs at wardocspodcast.com.
  Please take a moment to follow/subscribe, rate and review WarDocs on your preferred Podcast venue.