JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
The U.S. Army Medical Center & School, Health Readiness Center of Excellence at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston was represented by Lt. Col. Stephen E. Cassle, Food Protection Branch Department of Veterinary Science chief, at the Preventive Medicine Subject Matter Expert Exchange held Dec. 3-7, 2018, at the Central Military Medical Hospital at Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The visit was an opportunity for subject matter experts from the U.S. military, Uzbek Ministry of Defense and Uzbek Ministry of Health to discuss preventive health, food and water safety, infectious disease control and share medical best practices.
The visit included briefs on a variety of preventive medicine topics agreed upon between both delegations prior to execution.
The goal of the exchange was to develop a way forward and future events to increase military medical capacity.
Maintaining a robust, positive relationship through engagements with Uzbekistan allowed for the enhancement and development of U.S. diplomatic and political influence in the region and supports the U.S. Central Command Security Cooperation Plan.
“This was my second Global Health Engagement and exchange with the Uzbek Ministry of Defense,” Cassle said. “The addition of civilian members of the Uzbek Ministry of Health was vital to building a lasting partnership with Uzbekistan. By the end of the week, we all had a better shared understanding of the preventive medicine programs for both countries and how future exchanges can strengthen mutual support and collaboration.”