JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
The Borden Institute, an agency of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Medical Center of Excellence, is marking 35 years of excellence in publishing academic military medical textbooks in the year 2022.
In 1987, U.S. Army retired Brig. Gen. Russ Zajtchuk, then-Col. Zajtchuk, Army retired Col. Ron Bellamy, and Dr. Donald Jenkins collaborated and the “Center of Excellence in Military Medical Research and Education” was born. Their vision to promote excellence through the development and publication of military medical scholarship was made a reality and the Center was aligned under the Office of the Surgeon General, or OTSG.
As a way to honor U.S. Army Surgeon Lt. Col. William Cline Borden, who was a close friend and personal physician to U.S. Army physician Maj. Walter Reed, the Center’s name was officially changed to the Borden Institute. This act of goodwill was very fitting since Borden heavily advocated and lobbied congress for the establishment and naming of the original Walter Reed General Hospital in 1902.
The institute was located at Delano Hall on the campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, or WRAMC, in Washington, D.C. After WRAMC’s closure, the Institute relocated to its current location at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. It is an agency of the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence.
Retired Lt. Gen. Ronald Blanck, D.O. and 39th Surgeon General of the U.S. Army from 1996 to 2000, played an important part in the early organization and guidance of the Borden Institute. “The Borden Institute provided a way to capture the history of military medicine as well as updating military medicine practices,” Blanck said.
In 1992, then-Brig. Gen. Blanck recognized that Borden Institute’s original placement under the OTSG was complex and didn’t provide for clear support authority. Blanck then directed WRAMC to provide exclusive services in order to support the institute’s mission. This decision proved to be the catalyst for the institute's growth and advancement. “The Borden Institute was recognized early as filling in a much-needed gap,” Blanck said.
Since its inception, the Borden Institute has produced more than 70 publications and won numerous awards from the American Medical Writers Association, Washington Book Publishers, and the Army Historical Foundation for excellence in publishing.
Several Borden publications are well received around the world as evidenced by permission requests to translate in 30 languages. In addition, through analytics, Borden Institute’s website eBook download tracker identifies 120 countries with an interest in certain published volumes.
Currently, Borden publishes and maintains three categories of books that consist of textbooks of Military Medicine, Specialty Titles, and Historical Titles.
Textbooks of Military Medicine volumes constitute a comprehensive treatise on the art and science of military medicine. Covering such diverse topics as biological and chemical warfare, military preventive medicine, military medical ethics, combat behavioral health, harsh environments, and care of combat injuries.
Borden also publishes Specialty Titles, such as Emergency War Surgery (6th edition in progress now), Promoting Successful Integration, and Pediatric Surgery and Medicine for Hostile Environments (3rd edition in progress now).
The institute’s volumes on biological, chemical, and nuclear warfare are regularly updated and are DOD-required training texts in several military and civilian programs of instruction.
Additionally, the Borden also publishes a diverse series on military medical history, which includes the latest releases "Army Medicine Starts Here! A Pictorial History of the Army Medical Center of Excellence, 1920-2020," "A History of the Army Blood Program," and "The Evolution of Forward Surgery in the U.S. Army."
For the latest publication information or to order complimentary copies from the Borden Institute, please visit https://www.medcoe.army.mil/borden. In addition to the print version, publications are also available in PDF and eBook formats on the website.