Photo By Robert Hammer | Dr. Stephen Ferrara, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, gives...... read more read more
The evolving transformation of health care and military medicine were the main focal points of plenary speeches given by Dr. Scott Steele, president of main campus at the Cleveland Clinic, Uniformed Services University President Dr. Jonathan Woodson, and Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Stephen Ferrara on the closing day of the 2025 Military Health System Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 1.
Steele, a physician with experience in military and civilian health care, emphasized how the MHS can improve patient outcomes through regionalization, specialization, and collaboration.
During his talk, he reflected on his leadership journey, stressing the importance of embracing challenges, effective time management, and aligning professional and personal goals through work-life integration. He encouraged the audience to write down their leadership philosophies, use coaches, and take initiative by completing tasks early and with excellence.
Steele told the audience to “embrace the problems, feel those problems, learn from those problems—because you're going to need to rely on that kind of thought process of how you work through it in order to embrace the challenges that are going to happen in the future.”
Steele concluded by urging that military and civilian healthcare leaders to rethink traditional models, prioritize quality over volume, and remain committed to delivering the highest standards of care, regardless of setting.
Developing the Military Healthcare Workforce for the Future
Woodson emphasized that as the healthcare landscape goes through a rapid transformation, the MHS needs to develop a workforce capable of meeting emerging needs in his session titled, “Developing the Healthcare Workforce for the Future: A Focus on the Military Medical Workforce.”
He noted factors shaping the future of health care include demographic shifts, evolving public interest in healthcare careers, advancements in technology, and the transition toward value-based and community oriented care.
Military health professionals need a broad skillset, acknowledged Woodson, which includes cross-cultural communication to address global and operational challenges.
“We're in charge of our destiny, and it really is a promising future as long as we think differently and act differently going forward,” he said.
Woodson recommended investing in robust and adaptable training programs, leveraging technology, fostering a culture of collaboration, prioritizing recruitment and retention, adapting regulatory practices, and promoting research and innovation.
He said technological tools such as artificial intelligence show promise in optimizing workforce deployment, and AI applications, including virtual reality training and telehealth services—particularly for veterans—offer innovative solutions to enhance efficiency, education, and access to care.
“Developing a health care workforce relevant for the future is a complex, but essential enterprise undertaken,” Woodson stated. “The evolving healthcare landscape demands a proactive, adaptive, and collaborative approach that embraces technological advancement, fosters professionalism, and prioritizes the well-being of the workforce.”
“We need to recognize the essential nature of our mission,” he stressed. “It is a no-fail mission. The important message is that looking backward is not going to make us win in the future. We must redesign, develop a new mindset in how we are going to proceed forward … the health and readiness of our nation, both at home and abroad, is in your hands.”
MHS Conference Vital to ‘Grow as an Organization’
“I think based on the success of this week's MHS conference, it helps us to know this is an absolute must-have,” said Ferrara. “We’ve got to keep this going.”
“There was just an incredible opportunity to exchange ideas, to network, to meet other people, and really to grow as an organization, as a team,” he added.
Ferrara said the conference was “moving and inspiring, and helped bring us back to the center of what the nature of our mission is all about.”
He also noted the quality of breakout sessions at the conference, adding, “We had everything from workforce well-being, interoperability, operational medicine, modernization, and others.”
Ferrara closed by sharing his confidence in the MHS.
“The theme was the future of military medicine: integrated, innovative, and ready. I hope everybody is leaving here as excited and inspired as I am,” he said. “Every time I get to interact with the people that we have, the MHS, I know that we are in great shape.”
| Date Taken: | 05.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.05.2025 15:06 |
| Story ID: | 496999 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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