November 2015
Members of the BADER Consortium are in San Antonio, Texas for the 2015 AMSUS Continuing Education meeting, where federal and military health professionals are discussing how healthcare is flexing to meet the changing needs of its patients.
The conference features top leadership from the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Defense Health Agency and others talking about health and scientific issues under the theme, “The New Normal.”
AMSUS is a non-profit organization for federal and international health professionals that helps advance healthcare knowledge and effectiveness among its members. It includes the uniformed services along with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Dr. David Shulkin, Under Secretary of Health for the VA, will provide an update on the current and future state of the VA and also describe his vision for veterans’ healthcare. Medical and clinical operations, global health, and military health system updates are among the educational tracks.
In addition, BADER Consortium is co-sponsoring the WARRIOR Symposium. The symposium will discuss rehabilitation needs for servicemembers and civilians following amputations or extremity trauma.
WARRIOR stands for WARfighters Receiving Innovative Orthopedic Rehabilitation. The symposium is intended to offer a comprehensive look at the issue of orthopedic rehabilitation, from a military and civilian perspective. It will include a discussion of the findings of the Defense Health Board report issued earlier this year, which made recommendations for the sustainment and advancement of amputee care.
Participants in the WARRIOR Symposium include Vice Admiral Raquel Bono, MD, director of the Defense Health Agency, discussing the “Roadmap for Change;” Maj. Gen. George Anderson, MD, talking about the Defense Health Board report; and Maj. Daniel J. Stinner, MD, and Col. (Ret.) Paul Pasquina sharing insight about federal programs.
Civilian programs also will be highlighted, with perspectives from James Campbell, PhD, president of the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association; Jason Highsmith, PhD, president of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists; and Dennis Clark, president of the Orthotic and Prosthetic Group of America. Al Dobson, PhD, will discuss the economic value of orthotic and prosthetic services among Medicare beneficiaries.
There also will be a panel discussion featuring Lt. Col. Kathleen Yancosek, director of the Center for the Intrepid; Lt. Col. Owen Hill, PhD, chief of the Research & Surveillance Division with the Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence; and Brandon, Sampson of the Limb Lab.
Dr. Steven J. Stanhope, director and principal investigator of the BADER Consortium, will talk during the symposium about the way BADER serves as a bridge connecting clinical care and research for patients with limb trauma.
Helping wounded warriors with limb loss and limb difference re-engage in their life and work activities is the vision of the BADER Consortium, which is centered at the University of Delaware and works with orthopedic researchers around the country.
“BADER Consortium is playing a central role in supporting the critical efforts in orthopedic rehab research to help these men and women reach their new normal,” Stanhope said.
Stanhope also will be part of an expert panel, “The New Normal: Sustainment and Advancement of Care for Warfighters with Extremity Trauma.” The panel, moderated by Dr. Fred Cecere, will discuss how best to operationalize the Defense Health Board recommendations and maintain readiness for future conflicts.
