The Excelsior Surgical Society (ESS) is excited to announce a formal collaboration with WarDocs–The Military Medicine Podcast. WarDocs is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2021. Its mission is to “honor the legacy, preserve the oral history, and showcase career opportunities, unique expeditionary experiences, and achievements of military medicine.” The WarDocs podcast episodes document the experiences, contributions, and innovations of all military medicine services, ranks, and corps of the people dedicated to the medical care of fellow comrades-in-arms (both on and off the battlefield), wounded warriors, and military families. No matter the provider type–nurse, medic, corpsman, or physician–those interviewed are affectionately called "Doc"—an earned title of respect, trust, and confidence in the military.
The WarDocs mission is complementary to the ESS three-part mission of preserving the lessons of the past, improving care in the present, and anticipating challenges of the future.
The ESS collaboration with WarDocs will help maintain those hard-fought lessons learned by military medicine providers and pass them on to the next generation charged with providing medical and surgical care for those going into harm's way and their families.
To kick off the Excelsior–WarDocs collaboration, past and present podcast episodes of Excelsior Surgical Society Presidents and keynote speakers are highlighted. These podcast episodes and others are available at wardocspodcast.com/episodes.
Captain (Retired) Eric Elster, MD, FACS, FRCS(Eng)
Dr. Elster is the dean of the School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Maryland, and was the first President of the Excelsior Surgical Society in its current iteration from 2015 to 2017.
In this episode, you will hear about Dr. Elster’s journey to becoming a combat-tested general surgeon who later completed a transplant surgery fellowship. He shares his experiences in military medicine, from his time as a ship surgeon on the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) to his role as the director of surgical services for NATO's military medical unit in Afghanistan.
He describes important lessons learned valuable to the next generation of healthcare professionals. Dr. Elster also discusses the importance of translational research in answering important questions about traumatic injuries and his innovative approach to how military medicine can quantify and measure battlefield readiness and how to improve it. Dr. Elster also talks about the critical role USUHS plays as America’s medical school and some of the exciting initiatives and opportunities he is developing as dean.
The interview with Dr. Elster is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
Colonel Stacy Shackelford, MD, FACS, USAF
Dr. Shackelford is currently the trauma medical director of the Defense Health Agency Colorado Springs Market and served as chief of the Joint Trauma System from 2018 to 2022 and 2018 President of the Excelsior Surgical Society.
In this episode, Dr. Shackelford discusses some of her experiences in military medicine, including her role as the Joint Theater Trauma System director in Afghanistan and training Air Force medical teams for deployment. She describes the development of the Joint Trauma System and how data from the battlefield is used to guide trauma surgery going forward.
She also discusses why she focuses much of her research on prehospital battlefield care. Finally, she highlights the evolution of trauma care during the last 20 years, focusing on the significance of whole blood, component therapy, and medic training in improving casualty care.
Colonel (Retired) Todd E. Rasmussen, MD, FACS, USAF
Dr. Rasmussen is currently a professor of surgery and vice-chair of education in the Department of Surgery at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester, Minnesota. While on active duty he served as director of the Department of Defense (DoD) Combat Casualty Care Research Program and as the 2021 President of the Excelsior Surgical Society. During his tenure as Excelsior President, he implemented the monthly webinars that continue today.
Over two WarDocs episodes, Dr. Rasmussen discusses his experiences deployed across the globe as a vascular surgeon. He explains how the work of he and his colleagues at the US Army Institute of Surgical Research and with the DoD Combat Casualty Care Research Program used data-driven research to improve how coalition forces care for wounded service members.
The second episode focuses on the advances in vascular surgery and military surgery driven by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr. Rasmussen also discusses amazing advancements in treating injured blood vessels from a surgical standpoint and what lies ahead in combat casualty care while gaining an understanding of limb revascularization and the options surgeons face when dealing with critically injured combat casualties.
The interview with Dr. Rasmussen is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
Lieutenant General (Retired) Paul K. Carleton Jr, MD, FACS, USAF
Dr. Carleton served as a general surgeon in the US Air Force and as its 17th Surgeon General. Dr. Carleton will give the keynote address at the 2023 ESS Symposium.
During this podcast episode, Dr. Carleton discusses the history and evolution of air evacuation in the military from early air evacuation methods to the concept of flying ambulance surgical teams. He discusses the development of the Critical Care Air Transport (CCAT) team and the introduction of the C-17 aircraft, significantly advancing critical care in the air.
The episode also explores the limitations of previous air evacuation methods, lessons learned from the Desert Storm conflict, and the future of critical care in the air. Dr. Carleton provides insights into advancements in medical transportation, including the transformation of ECMO machines and the implications of changing stabilization doctrines. The episode also covers the possibilities of artificial intelligence and telemedicine in the field, emphasizing the need for more CCAT teams.
Colonel Jeremy Cannon (Retired) MD, SM, FACS, USAFR
Dr. Cannon is the current President of the Excelsior Surgical Society and professor of surgery and trauma program medical director and section chief of trauma at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Presbyterian Medical Center of Philadelphia.
In this new episode, the first recorded during the Excelsior–WarDocs partnership, Dr. Cannon shares his experiences from military service to trauma surgery. Starting at the Air Force Academy to Harvard Medical School, Dr. Cannon discusses his journey and contributions to developing the Air Force's adult ECMO program and his role in the Excelsior Surgical Society.
He provides insight into his deployment stories from Iraq and Afghanistan, discussing the unique challenges and experiences that shaped his specialization in trauma surgery. Dr. Cannon also shares his experience managing casualty flow and making critical evacuation decisions in Bagram, Afghanistan. The episode delves into his current role at the University of Pennsylvania and his civilian medical practice, drawing comparisons to his military experiences. His significant contributions to the research unit at the David Grant Medical Center are also discussed. The episode concludes with Dr. Cannon discussing the concerns for trauma and critical care readiness in the total force.
This episode will be released before the ESS Symposium in October.
