FORT RUCKER, Ala. (September 17, 2015) -- The U.S. Army School of Aviation Medicine received its first residents in aerospace medicine -- a program that was previously handled only by the Air Force and Navy.
USASAM welcomed it's the five residents to the program during a ceremony at Lyster Army Health Clinic Sept. 9, and Lt. Col. Scott Salmon, Army Aerospace Medicine Residency director, said the reason to bring the program to Fort Rucker, and disengage them from the Air Force and Navy programs was a "no brainer."
"What we found is, in our historic training programs, we weren't necessarily getting the product out that we needed," he said. "Our program has been an ad hoc experience with both the Air Force and the Navy for several years. It was an excellent program, but we weren't getting the combat Aviation brigade Soldier at the end of it that we really needed."
The residents who will become what the Army needs are Maj. Jason MacDonnell, 1st Battalion, 212th Aviation Bridage; Capt. Albert Lee, 1st Bn., 212th Avn. Bde.; Maj. Sonya Horwell, 1st Bn., 223rd Avn. Bde.; Capt. Scott Cygan, 1st Bn.,223rd Avn. Bde.; and Capt. (P) Courtney Hayes, 1st Bn., 14th Avn. Bde.
"Most of the experience previous to this was Air Force-centric or Navy-centric programs that were designed to develop their professionals in aerospace medicine, and not necessarily the operational needs of the Army," Salmon said. "So, we wanted to bring the program here, bring them back in the fold, expose them on a daily basis to as much Army Aviation as we could, and, therefore, (help them) learn the exact medical capability and integration that we need at the combat Aviation brigades."
The residency director added that the capability for that wasn't available in Pensacola, Florida, where residents would previously train with the Navy. Although there are still residents currently training with the Navy program, no more people will matriculate through that program, he added.
"The training brigades here had a need," said the program director. "They didn't have the support that they needed in some of the physiologic classes in training opportunities. We saw an opportunity not only to integrate into the clinical, but also to provide that support and have our guys learn what the right way is under supervision of other aerospace medicine specialists who are central to Fort Rucker."
Col. Jeffrey Foe, USASAM deputy commander, welcomed the inaugural residents to the program.
"What's unique about this is this is the first time that we've brought aerospace medicine and occupational health training to the Lyster Army Health Clinic and the home of Army Aviation," he said, adding that the significance cannot be understated.
"More than 55 years ago, the very first resident in aerospace medicine, Spurgeon Neel, trained with the Air Force back in 1959," said Foe.
Neel is widely known in Army Aviation as the "father of Aviation medicine," and even has a building named after him on Fort Rucker. That training that Neel began in 1959 continued in the Air Force up until the 2000s, when the training moved to the Navy in Pensacola, said Foe.
"We stayed with them until the present time, in which circumstances presented itself that made sense that we would bring this training to the home of Army Aviation," said the deputy commander.
The residents seemed ready and eager to take on the program, and Horwell said she was excited about the integration.
"It feels great," she said. "Getting to integrate with the units is a fundamental part of later on becoming a brigade surgeon, so having this experience to play into our residency is a key piece of it."
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