Commentary

Meeting 21st Century Public Health Needs: Public Health Partnerships at the Uniformed Services University

Fed Pract. 2019 January;36(1):8-11

References

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6. Noren J, Kindig D, Sprenger A. Challenges to Native American health care. Public Health Rep. 1998;113(1):22-23.

7. Indian Health Services. Follow Your Path: The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Participant Program Guide. https://www.ihs.gov/careeropps/includes/themes/responsive2017/display_objects/documents/USUHS-IHS-Participant-Program-Guide.pdf. Published October 2015. Accessed August 16, 2018.

8. Starfield B, Shi L, Macinko J. Contribution of primary care to health systems and health. Milbank Q . 2005;83(3):457-502.

9. Health Resources and Services Administration. Projecting the supply and demand for primary care practitioners through 2020. https://bhw.hrsa.gov/health-workforce-analysis/primary-care-2020. Accessed December 14, 2018.

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12. Department of Health and Human Services. Memorandum. Continued PHS Participation at USUHS. https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/ps/access/QQBBZV.pdf. Published December 11, 1981. Accessed December 14, 2018.

Traditional medical school didactic coursework is supplemented by lectures on disaster response, emergency preparedness, and global health engagement. As training progresses, students translate their knowledge into action with practical fieldwork exercises in mass casualty triage, erection of field hospitals using preventive medicine principles, and containment of infectious disease outbreaks among displaced persons—under the close observation and guidance of military and public health subject matter experts from across the country. Medical students complete their clinical training at military treatment facilities around the country and have elective clerkship opportunities in operational medicine nationally and internationally. PHS graduates of USU are well prepared to interface with their military colleagues, building effective joint mission capacity.

Additional Training Opportunities

In addition to the 4-year, tuition-free MD program, the university offers 7 graduate degree programs in public health and residency programs in preventive medicine specialty areas. Continuing education opportunities and graduate certificates are available in global health, tropical medicine and hygiene, travelers’ health, international and domestic disaster response, and other fields of interest to any public health professional, military or civilian. Many programs are available to federal or uniformed service members at no cost, some incur a degree of service commitment. Furthermore, the university is home to multiple research centers, including the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, which strive to improve public health through research efforts and education.

Conclusion

Though the emerging public health needs of the nation are both varied and daunting, the USU/PHS partnership trains providers that will heed the call and face the modern public health needs head-on. USU remains an important source for commissioning PHS physicians and producing career officers. The unique training provided at USU educates and enables PHS physicians to ease disparities experienced by AI/AN, combat the shortage of PCPs, generate exceptional clinical researchers, and be prepared and ready to respond to emerging threats to public health.

Meeting 21st Century Public Health Needs: Public Health Partnerships at the Uniformed Services University

References

Additional Training Opportunities

Conclusion

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