RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center Directorate of Global Health Engagements, in collaboration with cadre from the Uniformed Services University (USU), National Institute for Defense Health Cooperation (NIDHC), and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM), successfully conducted a Fundamentals of Global Health Engagements (FOGHE) course at the Ramstein Air Base Aug. 3-7.
Taking part in the 5-day course were nearly 60 U.S. military and civilian medical personnel from the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and National Guard - well beyond the typical number of participants. This was the one-hundredth iteration of the program since its inception in 2015.
“One of our key objectives in hosting the course was to help build a deeper “bench” of Global Health Engagement (GHE) professionals – particularly within Army Medicine – capable of supporting future theater medical security cooperation and medical readiness efforts,” said U.S. Army Col. (Dr.) Claude Burnett, director of Global Health Engagements for Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
According to senior US military officials, the U.S. military has a long-standing history in international public health issues because of their responsibility to protect the health of US forces and to ensure that they are ready to deploy anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. Global Health Engagements are an important priority for overall the US military health system.
“This particular course was designed to enhance competency in planning, executing, monitoring, and assessing Global Health Engagements (GHE),” added Burnett. “The course strengthens participants’ understanding of the strategic, operational, and partner-nation considerations that shape military health cooperation while improving readiness to support future GHE missions.”
“This particular course featured three days of interactive lectures, discussions, and a capstone exercise followed by two days of facilitated small-group workshops focused on practical planning for realistic US European Command (USEUCOM) and Africa Command (AFRICOM)-centric Global Health Engagement scenarios,” said Burnett.
According to U.S. military medical officials, global health engagements involve sustained partnerships, medical capacity‑building, infectious‑disease surveillance, humanitarian assistance, and interoperability initiatives that support force readiness and U.S. national security objectives.
“This course successfully equipped participants with a comprehensive understanding of the strategic, operational, and civil-military considerations vital to military health engagements," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Erika Petrik, Chief of Public Health for Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. "By delivering the advanced frameworks needed for complex regional health environments, we have enabled them to practically plan, execute, and monitor critical Global Health Engagement activities.”
U.S. military medical experts indicate that Global Health Engagements are an important tool in strengthening relationships, building trust, expanding access, improving medical readiness, and enhancing interoperability.
Social Sharing