The Military Tropical Medicine (MTM) Course, led by the Navy Medicine Professional Development Center (NMPDC) and taught by NMPDC Course Directors in conjunction with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences trained 86 coalition and U.S. medical providers.

The six-week annual course started July 5 and went to Aug. 11, with four weeks of classroom training and two weeks of field application to sites in Africa, South America and the Pacific.

MTM educates medical providers on historic war-time diseases and emerging infectious diseases, such as diarrhea, as well as more severe viral event outbreaks from leishmaniasis, viral hemorrhagic fever, malaria, Zika virus and Ebola. The overarching goals of MTM are to increase Force Health Protection and readiness for our beneficiaries as well as supporting Military Stability Operations. The methods of achieving these goals is through helping medical professionals identify, diagnose and provide support in a Department of Defense or host nation environment for these tropical diseases.

As more military members are deployed globally, in smaller units and often without robust medical capabilities, the training is especially critical. Force Health Protection can be a driving factor in the continued health and well-being of service members deployed to regions of the world where tropical diseases are still prevalent and quality care may be a significant distance from the military base.

The MTM training opportunities can also be tools for health diplomacy and creating strategic partnerships with our partner nations. Military personnel are also able to obtain over 120 continuing medical education credits for attending. This is highly beneficial for members. It satisfies most medical professional annual educational requirements in one event. It is a significant cost savings to Navy Medicine, and provides medical professionals valuable training they can use immediately prior to a deployment or assignment at a remote location.

This years training took medical professionals from the Navy, Army, and Air Force, as well as Naval Academy Cadets, to Ghana, Honduras, Liberia, Peru and Tanzania. International military students from Cambodia, Liberia, Peru, India, Tanzania, and Canada join the class to learn and share their experiences. MTM students learned from the Walter Reed Military Medical Center staff that set-up the Ebola Unit to prepare for beneficiaries infected with the disease and hear from a doctor from the Armed Forces of Liberia regarding his experience in Liberia during the outbreak of Ebola.

Members of the medical community who cannot make it to the six-week training have other opportunities to receive this critical training. "Mini-MTM" classes are available at the request of the unit/command and the course director can take the class to the unit/command, if requested. Mini-MTM is a week-long classroom-only class geared toward enlisted and officer medical staff with key topics from the six-week course. This class has previously been given to members of the Chilean military, USNR and SOF medics. Another training option is the Just-in-Time MTM. This is also classroom-only and is typically a few days in length. This option has been highly successful for deploying or deployed units/commands, Flight Surgeons and Undersea Medical Officers.

Navy Medicine Professional Development Center is part of the Navy Medicine team, a global healthcare 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.

Originally posted here:

Military Tropical Medicine Course Provides Valuable Training - Pentagram