Advancing Operational Medicine: USU Highlights Solutions at MHS Day Two

USU leaders share solutions for clinical skills, CBRN readiness, and enlisted degree programs at the 2026 MHS Conference.

May 29, 2026 by USU News

Day Two of the Military Health System Conference featured a series of Uniformed Services University (USU)-led sessions that highlighted how education, research, and system governance are converging to strengthen medical readiness across the Joint Force. From allied health workforce development to nursing innovation, radiological preparedness, and senior leadership perspectives on system-wide risk, USU faculty and partners underscored a shared imperative: ensuring the military medical system is prepared for both current demands and future large-scale conflict.

CAHS, USNCC, & CCAF: Partnering for a Ready Medical Force: Bridging Technical and Academic Excellence for the Enlisted Medical Warfighter

Dr. James Nash, Dean of the Uniformed Services University College of Allied Health Sciences (CAHS), opened the day by outlining how the college directly contributes to military readiness through the conversion of technical training into accredited academic degrees for enlisted personnel, primarily based in San Antonio.

Nash emphasized that CAHS exists to "academicize" military medical training, transforming service-provided instruction into recognized college credit that strengthens critical thinking, clinical competence, and long-term professional resilience. "We were established to help… take the training that our medics and a lot of our allied health professions are getting at the service component, academicize that and give them academic credit," he noted.

Beyond educational outcomes, Nash highlighted CAHS as a model of fiscal stewardship. By retaining tuition assistance within the force, the program has helped the Services avoid more than $51 million in education costs. CAHS also works closely with the Community College of the Air Force and the U.S. Naval Community College to close general education gaps and support degree completion pathways for enlisted personnel.

Ultimately, Nash emphasized that translating military training into portable credentials ensures service members are prepared not only for operational assignments, but for "a career for a lifetime," whether within the Military Health System or beyond.

Advancing Operational Readiness Through Graduate Nursing Curricular Innovation

Faculty from the USU Graduate School of Nursing (GSN) showcased how the school is deliberately designing curricula to exceed civilian standards and produce nurses fully prepared for operational environments.

Led by Dr. Diane Seibert, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, the panel included Cmdr. Lauren Suszan (USU Nurse Anesthesia Program), Lt. Col. Kenneth Romito (USU Adult Geriatric Clinical Nurse Specialist Program), and Capt. Connie Braybrook (USU Psych Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program). Together, they described an integrated model of education built around interprofessional readiness, simulation, and tactical exposure.

A key feature of the GSN model is the incorporation of Tactical Combat Casualty Care Tier 4 certification directly into academic requirements. Students also participate in advanced field and simulation experiences, including training with elite units such as the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, as well as austere environments like the University's Bushmaster and Gunpowder exercises at Fort Indiantown Gap. Additional electives in dive, maritime, mountain and cold weather medicine further expand operational exposure.

The panel also addressed evolving Defense Health Agency structures aimed at preserving clinical training opportunities during ongoing facility restructuring.

Seibert emphasized the intent of the program, stating, "We are excited by this new concentration, that all of our GSN students are going to graduate with operational medicine and leadership and really continue to provide the tri-services with that unique flavor they get when they come to USU."

CBRN Medical Training for Large Scale Combat Operations: Knowledge is the Best Antidote

A joint panel featuring Col. Susan Whiteway from USU's Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI) and leaders from the Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) focused on sustaining readiness for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) contingencies.

Discussion emphasized both the low-probability and high-impact nature of radiological events, and the importance of maintaining proficiency despite limited real-world exposure. AFRRI leadership underscored the need for medical personnel to be capable of rapidly assessing risk, correcting misconceptions, and sustaining operational capability in contaminated environments.

Whiteway noted, "Our medical personnel need to be ready. Not just book ready."

The panel highlighted ongoing efforts to expand training capacity and field integration, including mobile training teams and scaled support to operational units. Experimental training initiatives with the US Special Operations Command and the FBI Hostage Rescue Team were also described, including simulation exercises using tissue models with embedded radioactive materials to safely rehearse casualty care and extraction procedures.

Speakers emphasized that readiness itself functions as deterrence, particularly in nuclear and radiological scenarios. "Being medically ready is a strategic deterrent," Whiteway said. "Sustaining proficiency and lethality in a nuclear contaminated battlefield is a deterrent."

MHS Senior Leader Round Table

The senior executive panel-featuring Service Surgeons General, the Defense Health Agency Director, senior enlisted advisors, and USU leadership including Dr. Eric Elster, Dean of USU's School of Medicine-focused on systemic challenges facing the Military Health System as it transitions between peacetime operations and wartime readiness demands.

A central theme was the persistence of the "Walker Dip," the well-documented decline in high-acuity trauma experience during periods of low operational casualty volume. Leaders warned that this erosion of clinical exposure creates risk for both deployed care outcomes and provider confidence in austere environments.

While acknowledging the benefits of reduced casualties in current operations, panelists emphasized that the absence of complex trauma cases creates a readiness gap that cannot be ignored. Leaders also highlighted the risk of moral injury when clinicians perceive a mismatch between training, equipment, and operational demands.

The discussion further addressed the structural tension between sustaining Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) for beneficiary care and ensuring they function as readiness platforms capable of generating deployable medical capability.

Panelists stressed the importance of intentionally integrating enlisted medics and technicians into advanced training pipelines, noting that these personnel often deliver frontline care in operational settings.

Civilian partnerships were identified as essential but in need of consolidation and governance reform. Leaders called for a shift away from fragmented arrangements toward a smaller number of fully integrated, high-performing trauma hubs.

Dr. Elster highlighted the "Blue Book," developed with the American College of Surgeons, as a foundational framework for structuring and evaluating these partnerships. He envisioned a future state with 12 to 14 deeply integrated civilian trauma centers that support clinical readiness, graduate medical education, research, and operational casualty reception.

Across all sessions, Day Two underscored a unified message: readiness is not a theoretical construct but a continuously maintained capability. Whether through allied health education, nursing innovation, CBRN preparedness, or enterprise-level governance reform, USU faculty and leaders emphasized that sustaining military medical advantage requires deliberate investment in training, integration, and systems designed for both peacetime and conflict.