MEDCoE
U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence
Who We Are
The U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, or MEDCoE, is located on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and is the Army Medicine proponent responsible to envision and design responsive Army Medicine capabilities and structure that support the fielded force and the future force. We develop adaptive medical doctrine that supports Army and Joint Force operational requirements. As one of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command’s 10 Centers of Excellence, the Army relies upon MEDCoE to train, educate and inspire all of its medical personnel. Army Medicine Starts Here! We ensure that Army Medicine is ready today “To Conserve Fighting Strength,” so that Soldiers are able to win our nation’s wars and come home safely. MEDCoE creates the highest standards of achievement in medical expertise by generating synergy through effective and efficient combination and integration of functions while reinforcing the unique requirements and capabilities of the Army Medical Department.
Mission
MEDCoE develops medical professionals, integrates medical capabilities, and drives change in Army Medicine to enable the Joint Force to win the Nation’s wars.
Vision
To be the foundation on which Army Medicine is built, sustained and transformed.
Lines of Effort
Our lines of effort nest within the Chief of Staff of the Army's focuses as outlined in this tri-signed letter and within TRADOC and the Combined Arms Center, our two senior commands.
- Steward the Profession Enable growth and development in a values-based, safe and healthy environment through a whole-of-person lens.
- Develop Leaders Deliberately and progressively grow Soldiers and Army Civilians into competent, committed, professional leaders.
- Drive Change Continuously manage multi-domain operations and large-scale combat operations-oriented change informed by threat and resources.
- Modernize the Training Base Enable MEDCoE to see itself to enable current operations and future planning efforts.
Latest News
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MEDCoE publishes ATP 4-02.11, ‘Casualty Response, Tactical Combat Casualty Care, and First Aid’
April 1, 2026
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MEDCoE holds 2025 Best Medic Competition, names top team
December 15, 2025
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MEDCoE, Army Leaders, COSA honor Gold Star Mothers and Families
September 30, 2025
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McQueen assumes command of U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence
July 14, 2025
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MEDCoE Symposium highlights research on Soldier Health, Readiness
June 13, 2025
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Medal of Honor recipient provides lessons on leadership at MEDCoE
March 19, 2025
U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence Change of Responsibility
The Change of Responsibility Ceremony for the Medical Center of Excellence.
MEDCoE Change of Command, July 11, 2025
U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence Change of Command Ceremony.
32nd Medical Brigade Change of Command and Change of Responsibility - 01 July 2025
The Combined Change of Command and Change of Responsibility of the 32d Medical Brigade.
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Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Center of ExcellenceMaj. Gen. Anthony L. McQueen -
Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army Medical Center of ExcellenceCommand Sgt. Maj. Jesus H. Gonzalez -
Command Chief Warrant OfficerChief Warrant Officer 5 Lee B. Nelson -
Deputy to the Commanding GeneralMr. Joseph (Joe) C. Holland -
Chief of StaffCol. Aristotle A. Vaseliades
MEDCoE Community Outreach
As the Senior Army Element Command for Joint Base San Antonio, MEDCoE Community Outreach coordinates engagements in the South-Central Texas area. Situated in the heart of Military City USA, MEDCoE maintains relationships within the community that span decades and will continue to build relationships with civic, education, business and military-based organizations in San Antonio and beyond.
Requesting Army Support for Public Events
The Army is able to support broad-based civic organizations or organizations whose primary purpose is to stimulate patriotism, promote public understanding of the necessity of national security, or foster public appreciation of our national heritage, and not promote the organization's private objectives. All events must be open to the entire community. The event must not promote the partisan, fraternal or commercial objectives of the organization itself.
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Non-aviation Department of Defense assets include military bands, color/honor guards, exhibits and speakers.
Department of Defense regulations and policies require that participation in community events will be provided on a non-interference basis to the military mission at no additional cost to the U.S. Government. Therefore, the sponsor must bear the cost of lodging and meals for all participants and for other services which have been determined in advance and agreed to by the sponsor.
To request Non-Aviation events:
- Complete and sign a DD Form 2536: Request for Armed Forces Participation in Public Events. [PDF - 98.2 KB]
- Email the signed form to our Community Outreach Office no earlier than 90 days but not later than 45 days before the event. Do not mail or fax the form.
usarmy.jbsa.medical-coe.mbx.community-outreach-request@army.mil
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Aviation support requests include flyovers, static displays and parachute demonstrations to eligible events from air shows to professional sporting events.
A current DD Form 2535 (Request for Military Aerial Support) [PDF - 342.3 KB] must be thoroughly completed to get you started on your request for an aircraft flyover, air show static display, tactical aircraft exhibit, post open house, or parachute demonstration. Prior to submission, the DD 2535 must be:
- Completed and signed by the sponsoring organization
- Certified (and signed) by the event owner
- Approved by the local Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Flight Standards District Office (FSDO)
Once you complete the form, it must be submitted and approved by the local FAA Flight Standards District Office, who will complete section IV – FAA Administration Coordination (Airspace Coordination).
FAA Coordination
FAA coordination is not required for static displays only. Find your local FAA office here.
FAA approval does not guarantee the availability of air resources.Submitting your request
Submit your completed requests to the MEDCoE Community Outreach office via email usarmy.jbsa.medical-coe.mbx.community-outreach-request@army.mil
Requests should be submitted no earlier than 90 days and no later than 30 days prior to the scheduled event.Things to keep in mind
Aircraft participation is at no additional cost to the U.S. Government and on a non-interference basis with Department of Defense missions. Therefore, military contingencies and training requirements may preclude event participation at the last minute.
Additionally, patriotic events that are free and open to the public and those events designed to enhance Armed Forces recruiting and retention efforts have a higher likelihood of being approved by the Department of Defense. If your event falls within both or either of these categories, please state it on your DD Form 2535 with a detailed explanation.
Directorate of Communication
Welcome to the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence! Digital press kits are available below for specific events.
MEDCoE Change of Command Ceremonies
Information about up coming changes of command and responsibility will be posted on this page; to include links to information about MEDCoE, command history, biographies, press releases, official photos and the ceremony programs.
News Media interested in covering the events can contact the Directorate of Communication.
Director of Communication (VOIP) 520-716-5640
DCOMM Mailbox: usarmy.jbsa.medical-coe.mbx.dcomm@army.mil
Command Information
The U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, or MEDCoE, is located at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The Army Medicine proponent responsible to envision and design responsive Army Medicine capabilities and structure that support the fielded force and the future force. We develop adaptive medical doctrine that supports Army and Joint Force operational requirements.
As one of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command’s 10 Centers of Excellence, the Army relies upon MEDCoE to train, educate and inspire all of its medical personnel. We ensure that Army Medicine is ready today “To Conserve Fighting Strength,” so Soldiers are able to win our nation’s wars and come home safely. MEDCoE creates the highest standards of achievement in medical expertise by generating synergy through effective and efficient combination and integration of functions while reinforcing the unique requirements and capabilities of the Army Medical Department.
A brief history of the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence
Photos of Army Medicine and MEDCoE through history
The Medical Center of Excellence traces its history to the establishment of the Medical Field Service School (MFSS) at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Authorized in May 1920 and reporting directly to the Surgeon General’s Office, the school opened its first class in May 1921 training Medical Department personnel with the skills they would need to support the Army at war. The school included five teaching departments: Administration; Hygiene; Enlisted Training; Equipment and Transportation; and Military Art. Also included in the school’s structure was the Medical Department Equipment Laboratory, established to develop and test new equipment for use in field units, and a printing section which would produce printed materials not only for the school but for distribution throughout the Medical Department. These printed materials included the Bulletin of the Army Medical Department, one of the principal means of disseminating command information within the AMEDD.
The MFSS continued to operate at Carlisle Barracks through World War II, but the facilities there were too limited to support the needs of the Medical Department as it expanded to support the war and additional training sites were established throughout the United States. As the war was ending The Surgeon General began searching for a new location for the school which would have room to expand in the event of another major conflict. The Surgeon General received permission to relocate the school to Fort Sam Houston, Texas where it moved in February 1946. Two other schools, the School of Military Neuropsychiatry and the Army School of Roentgenology, also relocated to Fort Sam Houston and the three were collectively renamed the Army Medical Department Schools.
The Army Medical Department Schools, along with the Army Service Forces Training Center (Medical) and the Medical Department Enlisted Technicians School were placed under the command of the Brooke Hospital Center which was redesignated Brooke Army Medical Center. A further reorganization in 1947 consolidated all training activities and returned to the name Medical Field Service School.
The next significant reorganization and redesignation took place in December 1972 when the MFSS was redesignated the Academy of Health Sciences (AHS). This was part of the much larger Army reorganization that established U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), U.S. Army Forces Command, and the Health Services Command (HSC). The AHS added functions previously performed by the MFSS as well as the U.S. Army Medical Training Center, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursing, the U.S. Army Veterinarian School, and the training mission of the Medical Optical and Maintenance Agency. The following April the AHS was transferred to HSC when that command activated. In July 1991 the school redesignated once again, this time becoming the Army Medical Department Center and School (AMEDD C&S) and it took on the mission of garrison command from 1995 until 2002. It remained subordinate to HSC and in 1994, U.S. Army Medical Command when HSC was redesignated. In September 2019 the AMEDD C&S redesignated again as the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence (MEDCoE) and on 2 October 2019 was reassigned under TRADOC. For over a century this institution has grown and evolved to meet the changing needs of the Army Medical Department but its core function of preparing the next generation of leaders and soldiers so they are ready to deliver lifesaving health care to the Army on the battlefield remains the same.
Source: Lewis Barger, MEDCoE Historian
FAQs
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Send an email to our registrar's office: usarmy.jbsa.medical-coe.mbx.registrar@army.mil
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The U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence does not maintain or manage EMT (paramedic) certifications after soldiers complete Combat Medic training at our school . You can contact the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.
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MEDCoE does not maintain or have access to any medical records.
They belong to the U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM). You can also try the Defense Health Agency and TRICARE.
MEDCOM: https://www.army.mil/ArmyMedicine
TRICARE: https://www.tricare.mil/PatientResources/MedicalRecords/Archives
The last military treatment facility (hospital or clinic) you visited may also still have copies of your records.
To order copies of your medical records fax or mail a copy of Standard Form 180, Request Pertaining to Military Records, to the Army Medical Department Record Processing Center. This office does not have a contact telephone or email address.
Link to SF 180: https://www.archives.gov/files/research/order/standard-form-180.pdf
AMEDD Record Processing Center
3370 Nacogdoches Road, Suite 116
San Antonio, TX 78217
FAX 210-201-8310
Note, please do not send this form to MEDCoE as we cannot process it.
2025 Medical Transformation in Contact
2025 Medical Transformation in Contact [PDF - 2.1 MB]
Army Diving Medicine Courses
Joint Hyperbaric Medical Officer Course
Course Number: 6A-F28 (V)
Purpose: Train select U.S. Army, other U.S. Uniformed Service, foreign military, and U.S. Government physicians and physician assistants as HMOs (SI: M7). This course serves as the interagency federal program for HMO training.
Scope: This course provides instruction in diving physics, diving and hyperbaric medicine, performance of diving duty medical examinations, hazardous marine life, aerospace decompression illness, medical oversight of HMTs, and identification of diving diseases/injuries along with their appropriate treatment in an operational and prolonged field care environment. Initial training in the use of the Emergency Evacuation Hyperbaric Stretcher and other operational hyperbaric chambers is provided. This course includes limited diving familiarization training in open-circuit, closed-circuit, and surface-supplied techniques. The JHMOC is approved for 89 hours of Continuing Medical Education and is accredited by the Diving Medicine Advisory Committee (Level 2D: Medical Management of Diving Accidents and Illnesses) as well as the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society (Introductory Course in Hyperbaric Medicine).
Prerequisites/Application:
JHMOC Memorandum of Instruction (FY26) [PDF - 161.9 KB]
JHMOC DA Form 3838 Template (FY26 [PDF - 87.3 KB]
JHMOC Supplemental Application (FY26) [DOCX - 448.1 KB]
JHMOC Commander’s Validation Memorandum Template (FY26) [DOCX - 59.7 KB]
Location: NOAA Western Regional Center (Seattle, WA)
FY26 Course Dates: 14 April 2026 - 28 April 2026 and 24 August 2026 - 05 September 2026
FY27/28/29 Course Dates: Visit https://www.atrrs.army.mil and search “Hyperbaric” under Course Title with the desired FY. CAC/PIV access is required.
Joint Hyperbaric Medical Technician Course (JHMTC)
Purpose: Train select U.S. Army, other U.S. Uniformed Service, foreign military, and U.S. Government field medical technician personnel as HMTs (ASI: Q5). This course serves as the interagency federal program for HMT training.
Scope: This course provides instruction in diving physics, diving and hyperbaric medicine, supporting the performance of diving duty medical examinations, hazardous marine life, aerospace decompression illness, and identification of diving diseases/injuries along with their appropriate treatment in an operational and prolonged field care environment. Initial training in the use of the Emergency Evacuation Hyperbaric Stretcher and other operational hyperbaric chambers is provided. This course includes limited diving familiarization training in open-circuit, closed-circuit, and surface-supplied techniques. The JHMTC is approved for 89 hours of Continuing Education and is accredited by the National Board of Diving and Hyperbaric Medical Technology (“Diver Medic” training course) and Baromedical Nurses Association Certification Board (Introductory Hyperbaric Medicine Course).
Prerequisites/Application:
JHMTC Memorandum of Instruction (FY26) [PDF - 164.6 KB]
JHMTC DA Form 3838 Template (FY26) [PDF - 87.2 KB]
JHMTC Supplemental Application (FY26) [DOCX - 445.3 KB]
JHMTC Commander’s Validation Memorandum Template (FY26) [DOCX - 60 KB]
Location: NOAA Western Regional Center (Seattle, WA)
FY26 Course Dates: 14 April 2026 - 28 April 2026 and 24 August 2026 - 05 September 2026
FY27/28/29 Course Dates: Visit https://www.atrrs.army.mil and search “Hyperbaric” under Course Title with the desired FY. CAC/PIV access is required.
Enrollment for Courses Listed Above
The U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence (MEDCoE), Department of Operational Medicine conducts the portfolio of Diving Medicine Courses under the oversight of the Army Diving Medicine Program (ADMP). The U.S. Army serves as the Course Sponsor in mutual support of its Partners including the Canadian Armed Forces, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Public Health Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Other U.S. Government Agencies.
Prospective students for the courses listed above MUST work with their local training office and chain of command to submit in accordance with the MOI. All materials must be delivered to the Course Manager NLT 30 days prior to Report Date. Exception to Policy will be granted only by the Course Director NLT 30 days prior to the report date. If there is concern that any requirement will not be met by this time, early contact with the Course Manager is advised. Enrollments are via DA Form 3838 and not directly through ATRRS. As Army-sponsored Joint Courses, an Order of Merit List is adjudicated NLT 20 days prior to Report Date with quotas based on Interagency Agreement and greatest operational need. Students will be entered into ATRRS on Start Date by the MEDCoE Registrar.
Joint Diving Medicine Skills Sustainment Course (JDMSSC)
Course Number: N/A
Purpose: Provide sustainment training to qualified U.S. Army, other U.S. Uniformed Service, foreign military, and U.S. Government HMO (SI: M7) and HMT (ASI: Q5). This course serves as the interagency federal program for diving medicine sustainment training.
Scope: This course provides instruction to update and refine the skills of diving medical personnel and provide for biennial HMO and HMT requalification in accordance with AR 611-75. The JHMSSC is approved for 4 hours of Continuing Medical Education/Continuing Education.
Prerequisites/Application: Currently qualified as an HMO or HMT per Service/Agency policy. Request attendance from ADMP Administrative Officer at usarmy.ncr.hqda-otsg.mbx.diving-medicine@army.mil or COM: +1-571-278-4329.
Location: Various, primary of NASA Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (Johnson Space Center, TX)
FY26 Course Dates: 30 April 2026 (Raleigh, NC) and 09 December 2026 (Johnson Space Center, TX)
FY27/28/29 Course Dates: Pending, typically APR and DEC
Maritime Prolonged Field Care (PFC) and Diving Medicine Readiness Exercises
Course Number: N/A
Purpose. Provide “real world” operation diving medicine experience in austere maritime environments to qualified U.S. Army HMO (SI: M7) and HMT (ASI: Q5).
Prerequisites/Application: U.S. Army Soldier or Civil Servant currently qualified as an HMO (SI: M7) or HMT (ASI: Q5). Request schedule/attendance from ADMP Administrative Officer at usarmy.ncr.hqda-otsg.mbx.diving-medicine@army.mil or COM: +1-571-278-4329.
Exercise Description: These exercises provide opportunity for currently qualified U.S. Army HMO and HMT to practice their PFC and diving medicine skills during high operational tempo diving operations within remote locations.
Location: Typically INDOPACOM AOR
FY26 Exercise Dates: Various
FY27/28/29 Exercise Dates: Dependent on Operational Need
More Information:
Email for general inquires: usarmy.ncr.hqda-otsg.mbx.diving-medicine@army.mil
Phone number for general inquiries: +1-571-278-4329 (COM)