WarDocs - The Military Medicine Podcast

COL Michael Wirt, M.D., Ph.D: Radiology on the Battlefield, Neuroradiology, and Commanding a Level 1 Trauma Center during the COVID pandemic.

   Dr. Wirt is currently the Chief of the Department of Radiology at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC).  In this episode you will hear about his journey from enlisting in the Army and going through Officer Candidate School to be commissioned as a Chemical Corps Officers.  He explains how this experience prepared him for his distinguished career in Military Medicine.  He explains the role a radiologist serves in deployed environments and provides insights into the future utilization of his specialty on the battlefield and beyond. He describes his role as Brigade Surgeon for the 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and his experiences as the Task Force Strike Surgeon in Afghanistan.  He later served as the Officer in Charge at the United Kingdom’s Bastion Role 3 Hospital in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
  He talks about his time as the first non-surgeon commander of the US Army Institute of Surgical Research and some of the incredible work done by this organization.  He also provides insights from his time in important senior leadership roles such as Command Surgeon and BAMC Commander during the COVID surges and working with civilian hospitals.     
  COL Wirt 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. Wirt at wardocspodcast.com/guest-bios and visit our webpage and become part of Team WarDocs at wardocspodcast.com.
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COL Will Bimson, D.O.- Combat Cardiologist, Ranger Qualified- Supporting COVID Missions at Home in the USA and Deployments Across the Globe

    After completing a stint as the XVIII Airborne Corps Command Surgeon, Dr. Bimson is currently a student at the Army War College.   In this episode you will about what a Cardiologist can do downrange as Dr. Bimson describes deployment experiences in Iraq (2007) and Afghanistan (2011).  Taking the road less travelled by physicians, he describes his experiences and lessons learned by attending Ranger school at age 42 earning the Ranger Tab.  COL Bimson provides some advice for providers deploying to austere locations with limited medical support at remote Aid Stations.  He also recounts his experiences as the Chief of Clinical Operations with the 44th Medical Brigade when he was tasked with assisting in the set up of the Medical Station at the Javits Center in New York City.  Dr. Bimson has had a unique and interesting career trajectory, you will be engaged and enlightened by his stories and insights he shares on this episode.  
Find out more about Dr. Bimson 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.
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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.
 
  Please take a moment to follow/subscribe, rate and review WarDocs on your preferred Podcast venue.
 
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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.
 Please take a moment to follow/subscribe, rate and review WarDocs on your preferred Podcast venue.
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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.
  Please take a moment to follow/subscribe, rate and review WarDocs on your preferred Podcast venue.

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.
  Please take a moment to follow/subscribe, rate and review WarDocs on your preferred Podcast venue.