Navy Surgeon General Addresses Future of Navy Medicine at Navy Now Forum

By Chantel Furbert, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Public Affairs

ARLINGTON, Va. (NNS) -- Vice Adm. Matthew Nathan, Navy surgeon general and chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, spoke at the Navy Now Forum in Arlington, Virginia, July 23.

The Navy Now Forum provides a unique opportunity for business leaders to network with the leading names in the naval industry and gain critical insight on the inner workings of the Navy.

During the forum, Nathan discussed the mission of Navy Medicine including its strategic priorities of readiness, value, and jointness.

Nathan covered a range of important topics, such as medical readiness, health information technology, medical research and development, and the Navy's enduring commitment to recovering warriors. He also addressed the importance of building partnerships with the private sector to deliver the best of patient care and leverage cutting-edge innovations.

"After more than a decade of war, we have continuously implemented medical lessons learned and increased life-saving capabilities unseen in previous wars" said Nathan. "We have made significant strides in areas such as the care provided to wounded warriors, including the diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and rehabilitative care."

Nathan noted that these advances in military medicine have been shared with the civilian medical community, and in turn have helped developed significant partnerships with academic and industry leaders at home and abroad. Many breakthroughs in combat casualty care have been adopted by civilian trauma centers and emergency rooms.

"Navy Medicine's many partnerships continue to create robust advancements in medicine such as infectious disease research, including malaria vaccine development currently underway at our research labs," said Nathan.

He went on to explain how such innovations and collaborations will help Navy Medicine be better prepared to meet the challenges of the next conflict, contingency, or natural disaster.

Nathan stressed the importance of harnessing virtual medicine as the next revolution in the health care industry. His forward-looking approach aims at innovations in technology and delivering care that will lead to an integrated system of telemedicine and care delivered outside of the hospital or clinic. He stressed that Navy Medicine is focused on improving the overall health of patients as opposed to simply delivering health care.

U.S. Navy Medicine is a global health care network of 63,000 Navy medical personnel around the world who provide high quality health care to more than one million eligible beneficiaries. Navy Medicine personnel deploy with Sailors and Marines worldwide, providing critical mission support aboard ship, in the air, under the sea and on the battlefield.