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59th Medical Wing collaborates with Mayo Clinic to develop a temporary vascular shunt for vascular injury and disease
March 26, 2024 — The 59th Medical Wing, the U.S. Air Force’s largest medical wing and functional medical command for Joint Base San Antonio, announced it has entered into a patent license agreement with Mayo Clinic to develop an advanced temporary vascular shunt for the operative management of vascular injury and vascular disease... MORE

"Calm Under Pressure": JBSA-Lackland Pharmacy teams operate through nationwide cyberattack
March 25, 2024 — Last month, a reported cyberattack on the nation’s largest commercial prescription processor impacted military clinics and hospitals worldwide, as well as some retail pharmacies. In response, the 59th Medical Wing's Pharmacy team at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland implemented emergency plans to continue serving patients and provide medical support to the United States Air Force's basic training mission... MORE

Military Pharmacy technician smiles at patient

Passion, purpose and dental care: Capt. Anna Olson's odyssey
March 8, 2024 — The story follows Capt. Anna Olson's journey from her Southern roots to becoming a dedicated dentist serving in the U.S. Air Force. Inspired by her grandfather's military service, Olson's passion for dentistry was ignited during her formative years... MORE

Capt. Anna Olson, a dentist assigned to the 59th Dental Squadron, poses for a photo at Dunn Dental Clinic, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, in honor of National Dentist Day, March 6, 2024.

59th Medical Wing transitions to TRICARE website
February 16, 2024 — In a strategic move to consolidate military healthcare, the 59th Medical Wing has undergone a realignment under the Defense Health Agency. As part of this transformation, all medical treatment facilities have transitioned from their previous Air Force websites to a unified TRICARE website. ... MORE

DOD conducts first dual-patient ECMO C-17 transport
February 8, 2024 — The Department of Defense’s only Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation team traveled to El Paso, Texas, on Oct. 23, 2023, to support a civilian patient with acute respiratory distress syndrome. The ECMO team, located at Brooke Army Medical Center possesses the capability for global transports of all service members. Additionally, the team may also transport civilian patients through the Secretarial Designee program or with the Secretary of the Air Force’s approval. Once approval is granted, the medics use any means necessary to quickly reach the patient... MORE

Medics from the 59th Medical Wing’s and Brooke Army Medical Center's Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation and Critical Care Air Transport Teams care for one of two patients from the University Medical Center of El Paso, Texas in a C-17 Globemaster III on the way to BAMC, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Oct. 24, 2023. This is the first air transport of dual-patients on ECMO simultaneously in the Department of Defense’s history. (Courtesy photo by the medical team)

Operation AGILE Medic: Joint Forces Collaborate in Full-Spectrum Medical Readiness Exercise
February 6, 2024 — In December 2023, military forces conducted Operation AGILE Medic at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis, Texas. More than 100 medical professionals collaborated to enhance full-spectrum medical readiness. The exercise addressed communication and training gaps, incorporating stress-inducing scenarios and a phased training approach... MORE

Operation AGILE Medic, a week-long exercise at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis, Texas, was a Tri-Service medical training exercise that immersed military medics in the seamless process of transporting patients from the Expeditionary Medical Support unit to the En Route Patient Staging System team, and further to Air Evacuation and Critical Care Air Transport Teams, and vice versa.

Leaders join forces to improve health care access for military recruiters, families
January 24, 2024 — To ensure the greatest outreach, the military often locates its recruiters and their families close to communities with eligible youth, but far from the peer support and health care resources of an installation. To help fill this gap in support, leaders from the Air Force Recruiting Service, Defense Health Agency and TRICARE, the military’s health care program, met Jan. 11 to discuss the unique challenges military recruiters face in remote locations, particularly from a health care standpoint, and to brainstorm solutions... MORE

59th MDW: Office of the Chief Scientist, Science and Technology scores high with multiple presenters accepted at AsMA Annual Scientific Meeting
January 23, 2024 — The 59th Medical Wing, Office of the Chief Scientist, Science and Technology will have a strong showing at the 2024 Aerospace Medical Association Conference held in Chicago in May 2024... MORE

AFRL, 59th Medical Wing launch space medical research group
November 30, 2023 — A newly established collaboration between the 711th Human Performance Wing’s Human Effectiveness Directorate, the Air Force Research Laboratory and the 59th Medical Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland is creating a military research working group to address defense space-linked medical research gaps... MORE

A graphic depicting Rocket Cargo, one of the Department of Air Force Vanguard programs that focuses on rapid global mobility including delivery of medical supplies. The Clinical and Operational Space Medicine Innovation Consortium, or COSMIC, created a research working group to address defense space-linked medical research gaps. This newly established collaboration between the 711th Human Performance Wing’s Human Effectiveness Directorate, the Air Force Research Laboratory and the 59th Medical Wing will serve as a platform to fuse human health and performance research capabilities and expertise across both organizations. (U.S. Air Force illustration)

59th Medical Wing’s own honored with Aerospace Medical Association fellowship
October 25, 2023 — Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Dr. Paul M. Sherman, was recently honored with a fellowship for his exceptional contributions to aerospace medicine at the 2023 Aerospace Medical Association's 93rd Annual Scientific Meeting... MORE

Official photo of retired U.S. Air Force Col. Dr. Paul M. Sherman, the Director of Radiological and Aerospace Medical Research at the 59th Medical Wing Chief Scientist’s Office, Defense Health Agency, Joint Base San Antonio Lackland, Texas.

Local Air Force physician chosen to lead military’s largest medical network
October 6, 2023 — An Air Force physician with more than 30 years of service became the first director of the newly designated Defense Health Network Central, the military’s largest medical network, on Oct. 1... MORE

Flight nurse devoted to helping others overcomes adversity
September 21, 2023 — On Aug. 30, 2023, family, friends, and colleagues gathered to commemorate the retirement of Lt. Col. (ret.) Dana Duerr. Prior to becoming a patient with the Airman Medical Transition Unit, she served as the Senior Program Manager of the Nurse Corps Education and Training Program at the Air Force Medical Readiness Agency... MORE

Lt. Col. (ret.) Dana Duerr, who recently served as Senior Program Manager of the Nurse Corps Education and Training at Air Force Medical Readiness Agency, and her daughter, Mikaela, share an expression of love during Duerr’s retirement ceremony in the Gateway Club at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, Aug. 30, 2023. When Mikaela was growing up, she used to help her mother prepare mannequins that were used to train medics. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Melody Bordeaux)

59th Medical Wing: Air Force's premier medical wing welcomes new commander
September 12, 2023 — Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, commander of Air Education and Training Command, presided over the ceremony in which Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Harrell took command of the 59th Medical Wing. The outgoing commander is Brig. Gen. Jeannine M. Ryder... MORE

Transforming lives, one eye at a time: Local medical personnel take part in ophthalmology mission, Panamax Alpha 2023
September 11, 2023 — In July 2023, a team of 32 members from the Air Force, Army, and Navy embarked on an Ophthalmology Medical Readiness Training Exercise, or MEDRETE, to Regional Hospital Dr. Luis "Chicho" Fabrega in Santiago de Veraguas, Panama... MORE

Two Ophthalmologists and a medical technician stand around a patient who received cataract surgery at Regional Hospital Dr. Luis "Chicho" Fabrega in Santiago de Veraguas, Panama, July 17, 2023.

59th Dental Group changes command
July 14, 2023 — The Department of Defense’s largest dental service welcomed a new commander during the 59th Dental Group change of command ceremony on July 13, 2023, at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas... MORE

Service members stand for "presentation of colors"

Allies, partner nations collaborate at military nursing conference, enhance USAFE-AFAFRICA partnerships and readiness
June 14, 2023 — Nurses and medical professionals from 24 Allied and partner nations, including the U.S., converged at the U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa 2023 European-African Military Nursing Exchange conference, May 31 to June 2, to share medical knowledge and professional best practices with one another. Brig. Gen. Jeannine M. Ryder, commander of the 59th Medical Wing, San Antonio Military Health System, was one of the guest speakers... MORE

USAFE-AFAFRICA European-African Military Nursing Exchange Conference

SAUSHEC graduation ceremony celebrates 261 residents, fellows
June 12, 2023 — The San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium celebrated military medical professionals during a graduation ceremony June 8 at the Lila Cockrell Theatre in downtown San Antonio... MORE

Military health leaders honor best in military medicine, medical education
May 10, 2023 — Military health leaders celebrated the top faculty members of the year during the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium annual awards dinner May 6 at the Parr Club at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph... MORE

59th Medical Wing: An Airman who wants to make a difference through international relations
April 17, 2023 — Airman 1st Class Stephanie Essomba, a dental laboratory technician at the 59th Dental Support Squadron, began learning about policy processes, decision making and the impact those policies could have on people’s lives and fell in love with it... MORE

Courtesy photo of Stephanie Essomba after graduating basic military training with her mother and sister. (Courtesy photo)

PHOTOS | 59th Medical Wing conducts readiness training
March 30, 2023 — The 59th Medical Wing recently conducted training to allow classroom instruction and hands-on demonstrations of care to ensure mission readiness is maintained in the operational and deployed environment... MORE