Photo By Robert Hammer | Jules W. Hurst III, performing the duties of Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel...... read more read more
The annual Military Health System Conference launched on April 29, 2025, with the theme, “Future of Military Medicine: Integrated, Innovative, Ready.” Topics at the conference, held in Cleveland, Ohio, focused on ongoing efforts to stabilize, strengthen, and modernize the MHS.
Jules W. Hurst III, performing the duties of Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, opened the conference, stating, “Our number one responsibility is making sure that our medical professionals are ready to provide lifesaving care on the battlefield.”
“We also have a responsibility to be prepared to support the men and women who volunteer to go overseas and fight our nation’s wars,” he added.
Underscoring his role as an advocate for the MHS, Hurst said, “I am going to advocate for you to receive the resources you need…and ask for better policies and authorities to let you provide the kind of patient care that you want to provide, so we can be world-class leaders in medical care.”
Hurst discussed the need to further coordinate with the Department of Veterans Affairs, strengthen relationships with public and private institutions, and increase opportunities for military healthcare workers to enhance their skillsets.
‘Medical Readiness is Combat Readiness’
The MHS Conference is a four-day annual conference hosted by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. Attendees include government civilian, military, and private-sector healthcare professionals. The conference offers opportunities for knowledge sharing, advancing innovation, and highlighting exciting new initiatives within the MHS.
Addressing just under 2,000 personnel from across the MHS, Dr. Stephen Ferrara, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, said, “We have a unique mission in that we are the only U.S. healthcare program that goes to war. That separates us from all other healthcare systems, and that is what makes us unique.”
“The geopolitical environment is incredibly challenging,” he said. “The margin between calm and chaos is quite thin. The threats are incredibly real, and if, and when, (something) occurs, the country looks to the military and the Military Health System to keep (it) safe. And so we have to be ready to meet that call.”
Ferrara highlighted three priorities for the MHS:
• Support our warfighters to ensure they are fit to fight by ensuring they have access to care during peacetime.
• Sustain medical skills by increasing the volume and complexity of patient care in our hospitals.
• Strengthen our force generation platform by continuing to train thousands of early- and mid-career healthcare professionals in military hospitals and clinics.
“We’re also forging new partnerships, both government, civilian, and military partnerships to bring in more patients—to be able to make sure that we're getting as many patients as possible into the military medical hospitals and clinics, and to get our people trained,” said Ferrara.
Ferrara said it’s important to make sure the MHS is “better than we found it, and to leave the next generation of warfighters in skilled and secure hands. Those future generations are going to be the ones that take care of our children and our grandchildren when they go out in uniform.”
Acknowledging the Department of Defense budget as an important issue, he said, “We show our value by how we keep the guns in the fight. When the soldier goes into battle carrying the sword of freedom, we are their armor, and we are their shield.”
Retired Navy SEAL Shares Story of Recovery
Dan Cnossen, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL and a Paralympian, delivered the keynote address. Cnossen lost both of his legs above the knee from an improvised explosive device while serving in Afghanistan and received his care in the MHS.
To recover from his injuries, stay busy and in shape, he took up cross-country skiing, and has competed for Team USA in the 2018 and 2022 Winter Paralympics.
Cnossen talked about his injury and the immediate aftermath, the recovery process, and his path to becoming a world-class Paralympian.
“It’s very meaningful to be here in front of you given your critical and vital mission,” Cnossen told conference attendees. “The mission is vital… I am alive on this high platform because of the MHS. This is a success story.”
Following the morning plenary and keynote speakers, conference attendees chose from dozens of break-out sessions featuring distinguished military medical leaders, with topics including operationalizing workforce engagement, DOD and VA collaboration, the Defense Health Agency’s My Military Health program, infectious disease research, the DOD’s blood program, force generation and sustainment, and much more.
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.30.2025 14:37 |
| Story ID: | 496605 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 93 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 2025 Military Health System Conference Kicks Off in Cleveland, Focused on Warfighter Readiness, by Robert Hammer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
