DVIDS – News – Air Force medical personnel support US and UAE medical capabilities, partnerships and readiness

U.S. Air Force medical personnel are partnering with sister services to establish a Complex Trauma, Burns and Rehabilitation Competency Center in Abu Dhabi in partnership with the United Arab Emirates.

The U.S. Department of Defense is committed to sharing best practices in trauma, burns, and rehabilitation medicine with partners through global health engagement.

In 2017, the Secretary of Defense directed members of the Department of Defense to work with the UAE on a series of bilateral cooperation initiatives to deepen and expand the military relationship between the United States and this important regional partner. One of these initiatives focuses on building an intensive, long-term bilateral joint military trauma and rehabilitation care capacity in the UAE. Ultimately, the Trauma, Burn and Rehabilitation Medicine Program (TBRM) was established jointly by the Administrative Office in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with US Central Command, which began initial operations in 2019.

Since its inception, U.S. Air Force medical personnel have participated in the TBRM program, which leverages global health engagement to share military medical knowledge. This improves readiness, strengthens international civil-military partnerships, and supports U.S. strategic priorities.

In January 2023, the UAE Ministry of Defense, in collaboration with the TBRM team, organized the first annual UAE Military Health Conference, providing a forum for civilian and military medical experts to exchange knowledge and skills. At the conference, Dr. Aysha Aldhaheri, Surgeon-General of the UAE Armed Forces and Staff Brigadier General, highlighted the continuous improvement in trauma care organized by this unique partnership between the two military and civilian sectors.

“The purpose of the conference was to exchange knowledge and skills and enhance civil-military collaboration to enhance trauma, burns and rehabilitation,” said Lt. Col. Erik DeSoucy, deputy director of the US Air Force Trauma US and UAE TBRM team.

In support of this goal, the TBRM team and its UAE partners have taken an integrated approach to strengthening trauma care infrastructure at the national level, which benefits both the military and civilian sectors.

Pilots of the TBRM team are working with policy leaders at the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Health to build regional trauma infrastructure, while working with the UAE Armed Forces Medical Services Corps and Mayo Clinic clinicians to build trauma programs that meet the needs of the injured Sheikh Shakhbout Healthcare civilian and military patients in Abu Dhabi, a 760-bed hospital run jointly by the UAE government and the Mayo Clinic.

“The TBRM program provides pilots with a unique opportunity to work with our partners to develop trauma care systems,” DeSoucy said. “The U.S. Air Force and the UAE Ministry of Defense have been able to leverage our combat casualty care experience to create a robust trauma care system.”

In Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, the TBRM team worked with UAE civil partners to establish an independent trauma program and train trauma resuscitation teams. They also developed mass transfusion protocols, designed performance improvement and patient safety programs, and published several Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City clinical practice guidelines.

Despite increases in trauma hospital admissions and injury severity, teamwork efforts have reduced trauma patient mortality over the past two years.

“By focusing on systems-based care and evidence-based care in the context of a strong performance improvement program, the entire team contributes to improving patient outcomes,” said Lt. Col. Brian Gavitt, Trauma Director, U.S. Air Force, TBRM, UAE team. “It’s interesting to see how trauma care improves over time. By taking advantage of our partners’ experience, the impact is huge.”

With the relationship established with the Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, and the support of the UAE Ministry of Defense and US Central Command, it will be possible in the future for Air Force medical personnel to intern at the hospital when deployed to the region during their missions.

“This will maintain individual readiness and allow medical personnel to rotate through Sheikh Shah Bout Medical City to maintain critical skills competencies in high-volume trauma centers while developing their ability to function and adapt in cross-cultural environments,” Gavitt said.

Gavitt also emphasized the impact of this civil-military collaboration on programs and Air Force personnel.

“Working in a hybrid trauma system is a learning experience, where there is a wide variety of training and background expertise. Learning how to use our strengths and our individual strengths as we work together to enhance trauma care and meet the needs of injured patients Skill is very important,” Gavitt said. “This international partnership, in a global health engagement environment, allows for the exchange of best practices among partners and improves pilot cross-cultural communication, cultural competence and interoperability.”

The TBRM program helps build a resilient joint force and develop an in-theater military readiness platform to support the U.S. Department of Defense and other partners with the support of the UAE Ministry of Defense.

“When I stand at the bedside of a trauma patient, I can impact that patient. But when we build a system around trauma care, we can impact multiple patients at once, potentially across multiple generations,” DeSoucy said . “The TBRM program is an opportunity to expand collaboration across the U.S. Central Command region and grow an unparalleled network of partners.”

The program’s enduring goal is to establish comprehensive and sustainable UAE trauma, burn and rehabilitation medicine capabilities, as well as in-theater military readiness platform personnel to support civilian trauma care, war wound care and subsequent recovery and rehabilitation of civilians and military personnel.

“The TBRM team is working with our UAE partners to build a civil-military trauma care system to retain skills and develop a strong and resilient health infrastructure for all involved. We all understand that when we work with our UAE partners, We can achieve great things,” DeSoucy said.