Photo By 1st Lt. Yasmeen Joachim Jordan | Dr. Daniel Cox, right, University of Alabama at Birmingham Trauma medical director and...... read more read more
Subscribe
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Special Operations Medicine is unlike any other medical field and requires lifesaving skills under immense pressure often in remote, austere and hostile environments. To ensure SOF medics are properly trained, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) fosters a Military-Civilian Partnership with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). This partnership was on full display during a visit by Lt. Gen. John J. DeGoes, U.S. Air Force Surgeon General and Air Force Medical Command commander, and Chief Master Sgt. James M. Woods, Chief of the Medical Enlisted Force and AFMEDCOM senior enlisted leader on June 17, 2026.
Established in 2006, the partnership between AFSOC and UAB Hospital has grown into a comprehensive medical training platform, preparing both officer and enlisted Special Operation Forces (SOF) medical professionals through clinical, rotational, embedded and research programs.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for our SOF medics to work side-by-side with civilian medical professionals in a high-volume Level 1 trauma center,” said Col Brad Brough, AFSOC Command Surgeon. “The experiences gained here makes each SOF medic more proficient in complex interventions in order to support USSOCOM missions. The experience cannot be overstated.”
Air Force Special Operations medics must meet U.S. Special Operations Command training and operational needs, which is why AFSOC and UAB Hospital have prioritized "relevance through adaptation," rapidly adapting programs to meet those evolving needs.
“We have had this partnership for two decades, offering military personnel the opportunity to grow their skill set in a civilian setting,” said Dr. Jeff Kerby, director of the Trauma and Acute Surgery Division.
Following the tour of UAB Hospital, AFMEDCOM leadership visited Special Operations Center for Medical Integration and Development (SOCMID). SOCMID is an AFSOC medical training platform that provides advanced skill sustainment for enlisted medical professionals by blending military medical advances with cutting-edge civilian resuscitative care.
Pararescuemen, Special Operations Independent Duty Medical Technicians, and Joint service personnel all train at SOCMID which can see upwards of 300 personnel each year and hosts multiple courses annually. Among the courses include clinical rotations that ensure SOF medics in peacetime remain expertly proficient.
“This is a unique platform, one of the fifth largest hospitals in America, as far as volume and complexity, great academic medicine, great facilities that’s continuing to grow. I see a lot of potential to bring some of our Air Force medics from multiple medical treatment facilities at Air Force bases that aren't getting to practice their full spectrum,” said DeGoes.
UAB Hospital is home to central Alabama’s only American College of Surgeons verified Level I Trauma Centers. This exposure to high-volume civilian trauma, emergency, and surgical units ensures when peacetime SOF medics deploy, their first time seeing a catastrophic injury in months is not on a remote battlefield.
“UAB’s purpose is to be clinically excellent,” said Dr. Daniel Cox, UAB trauma medical director and U.S. Air Force Reserve senior medical advisor. “These teams are who you need at a moment’s notice and they can go and do whatever clinical job you need them to do in austere environments” Impressed by the training, DeGoes stressed the importance of intentionally resourcing, developing, and nurturing the AFSOC-UAB partnership.
“I'd like to invest a little more in the cadre that are here now, the staff that are working at UAB, and leading some of the training as student groups come in from AFSOC to prepare them optimally for whatever the special operations community needs,” said DeGoes.
Remaining medically operationally ready any place, anytime, anywhere.
| Date Taken: | 07.17.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2026 15:21 |
| Story ID: | 570425 |
| Location: | BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Relevance through medical adaptation: AFMEDCOM commander visits AFSOC mil-civ partnership at UAB Hospital, by 1st Lt. Yasmeen Joachim Jordan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
