Sutherland and Berglass to keynote USU-HJF Military Medicine Symposium

Three prominent speakers have been added to the slate of experts—which includes military medical leaders—for the USU-HJF Military Medicine Symposium: Advancing Public-Private Partnerships, on September 23, 2010, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. The event is a premier opportunity for representatives of the public and private sectors to come together to discuss medical partnerships to benefit our nation's wounded warriors and their families.

Army Colonel David Sutherland, special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for warrior and family support, will provide the symposium's opening keynote address. With deployments to Iraq, Kuwait and Southwest Asia, Sutherland has commanded at all levels from platoon through brigade, including the 1st Cavalry Division's 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team. He has been recognized for his work on behalf of wounded warriors and Gold Star families.

Sutherland, along with Army Major John Copeland, authored "Sea of Goodwill: Matching the Donor to the Need," a white paper that seeks to foster better transitional support of veterans and their families as they return to civilian life. The paper highlights the importance of military-civilian collaborations to ensure optimal care for returning servicemen and women. In his keynote, Sutherland will discuss the many emotional and physical challenges facing servicemembers on the battlefield and at home.

Nancy Berglass, director of the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund (IADIF) and principal, Berglass Community Investment Consulting, has 25 years of leadership experience in grassroots and institutional philanthropic and nonprofit organizations. Berglass is the strategic force behind the IADIF, a groundbreaking grants program that has distributed nearly $250 million to nonprofit organizations serving the needs of men, women and families affected by deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.

She was honored with the 2008 Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian of the Year Award. Berglass will present the afternoon keynote address, which will emphasize the importance of new and promising solutions to issues of warrior care involving collaborations among the Department of Defense and civilian partners.

Army Colonel (Ret.) Charles Hoge, M.D., a neuropsychiatry consultant to the Office of the Army Surgeon General and senior scientist at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, will deliver the luncheon address. Hoge directed the U.S. military's premier research program on the mental health and neurological effects of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2002 to 2009. He deployed to Iraq in 2004 to improve combat stress care.

Hoge's articles on post-traumatic stress disorder, mild traumatic brain injury and stigma are among the most frequently cited medical publications resulting from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He continues to work as a staff psychiatrist, treating servicemembers, veterans and families.

TriWest Heathcare Alliance will sponsor the symposium luncheon. TriWest partners with the Department of Defense to support the healthcare needs of 2.7 million members of America's military family in the 21-state TRICARE West Region.

"TriWest is honored to support this vibrant dialogue on critical health care issues facing our servicemembers and their families," said David J. McIntyre, President and CEO of TriWest Healthcare Alliance. "As a private-sector partner with the Military Health System, we value the opportunity to serve the medical needs of military families every day, and this symposium provides an outstanding platform for optimizing care delivery for those who serve and sacrifice for our nation."

The 2010 USU-HJF Military Medicine Symposium is designed to foster collaboration and expand public-private partnerships to advance military medical research. The program will include opportunities for discussion and networking among participants. In addition to keynote and other featured speakers, the day will include expert-discussion panels on regenerative medicine, as well as topics in traumatic stress, including resilience and suicide prevention.

The program will culminate in a military medical leaders panel, during which speakers including the Navy and Air Force Surgeons General, Army Deputy Surgeon General and Medical Officer of the Marine Corps will identify areas of need that could be addressed through new or expanded civilian partnerships. All panels will end with question-and-answer periods to ensure that attendees have opportunities to explore featured topics in greater depth. The day will conclude with a networking reception.

Provided by Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine