Three distinguished majors from William Beaumont Army Medical Center were selected to attend Army Medicine's Iron Majors Week Post-Professional Short Course Program (PPSCP).
The selectees, a surgeon and two nurses, were chosen over their respective Army Medicine peers, out of single-digit allocations for each Corps, speaking highly of their professionalism and service.
The five-day leader development opportunity exposes Army Medicine majors or promotable captains, to a variety of interagency activities and discussions with key/ senior leaders, executives and experts from multiple fields at the Defense Health Headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia. The course will also build the experience and knowledge needed to address future complex issues within Army Medicine and the Department of Defense.
"I'm really interested in going and learning some strategic-level information (in Army Medicine)," said Maj. Tammy Fugere, clinical nurse specialist, Department of Nursing, WBAMC, and native of Danbury, Connecticut. "I hope to get a better understanding of where they think we're going and how we can implement that at our level."
During her 14-year career in the Army, Fugere has deployed in support of Operation Iraq Freedom and contributed to increased readiness and initiatives for improved practices at WBAMC.
Fugere along with Maj. James LaCombe, were two of eight nurses selected to attend the course from majors or promotable captains in the entire Army Nurse Corps.
"We'll come back with more of a big-picture, AMEDD view," said LaCombe, chief, Army Public Health Nursing, Preventive Medicine, WBAMC, and native of Lake Arthur, Louisiana.
LaCombe said he wishes to broaden his horizons through knowledge gained from the course in order to contribute to Army Medicine's strategic planning and vision in areas beyond his own.
With multiple deployments under his belt, LaCombe's efforts in leading a public health campaign in one of the largest garrison populations in the Army contributed to his selection for the Iron Major PPSCP.
One WBAMC surgeon, Maj. Shaun Brown, nabbed one of the few allotted spots for the Iron Major PPSCP reserved for the Medical Corps.
"I think (Iron Major) is a great opportunity to recognize leaders in the Medical Corps, while giving us more exposure to the (Office of The Surgeon General) and senior commands at the Pentagon," said Brown, chief, Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Medicine, WBAMC.
Brown, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, recently completed a Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship at Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, and is getting ready for an upcoming assignment as a surgeon with the United States Special Operations Command.
The majors' efforts are evident in WBAMC's reputation as one of the Army's premier Medical Treatment Facilities.
"(WBAMC) is a great place to practice medicine and is certainly heading in the right direction," said Brown.
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