Military physicians have played a role in most medical breakthroughs - everything from treatments for infection and infectious disease, revolutions in trauma care, and innovations in telemedicine and prosthetic technology. While these advancements may have originated on the battlefield in the treatment of injured soldiers, the benefits have served all of humanity.
At the same time, these advances keep the United States military at full physical force, allowing it to continue to engage in long-standing conflicts that are often more deadly for civilians than the troops. Soldiers can now physically survive severe injuries; this also takes a toll on their emotional and physical health, and there's been a noticeable increase in post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD).
So, is war good for medicine? How have the military medical breakthroughs benefited society - and what's next on the horizon? And, after years of continuous combat, are we offering our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines the best care we can or is there more we can do?
Vice Admiral C. Forrest Faison, III
Surgeon General and Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, United States Navy
Toby Cosgrove, M.D.
Executive Advisor; Former President and CEO, Cleveland Clinic
Dan Moulthrop
CEO, The City Club of Cleveland
