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| From
left to right, Maj. (Dr.) Igor Maryanchik; Gen. Igor
Bykov, Russian surgeon general; Capt. Jennifer Vecchione,
executive officer to the Air Force surgeon general;
Col.(Dr.) Arnyce Pock and Lt. Gen. (Dr.) George Peach
Taylor Jr., stand together during a break at the Russian
World Congress in St. Petersburg, Russia, in early June.
(Courtesy photo)
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By
Col. (Dr.) Arnyce Pock
Commander, Det. 2, 311th Human Systems Wing
ST.
PETERSBURG, Russia -- Heralded by the onset of the illustrious
Russian “White Nights” (a time when the sun is still shining
brightly in the sky as late as 11 p.m.), the 36th
World Congress on Military Medicine – with a formidable
Defense Department and Air Force Medical Service presence
-- convened in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 5-11.
This
international event attracted military medical delegates
from around the globe, with 740 participants representing
68 different nations. The World Congress was established
in 1921 and is the oldest and largest international military
medical organization. It was established to foster
enhanced international military-medical relations, a facet
that was further supported by this year’s theme of “International
Cooperation in the Field of Military Medicine: Present
and Future.”
Lt.
Gen. (Dr.) George Peach Taylor Jr., the Air Force surgeon
general, led the Air Force delegation, and was assisted
by Maj. (Dr.) Igor Maryanchik, from 11th Medical
Group at Bolling AFB, D.C. , and Capt. (Dr.) Paul Puchta,
a member of U.S. Euroipena Command’s International Health
Specialist team. The two senior International Health
Specialists’ extensive knowledge of the Russian language
and culture proved invaluable to the entire DOD delegation.
Dr.
William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary of defense for
health affairs and outgoing president of the World Congress
was the senior DOD representative, and was accompanied by
Ellen Embrey, deputy assistant secretary of defense for
force health protection and readiness.
While
members of the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy also attended the
congress, Air Force representation included winners of a
recently held Air Force-wide competition that focused on
abstracts. Col. (Dr.) Ken Olivier; Lt. Col. (Dr.)
Don Jenkins; and Lt. Col. (Dr.) Todd Rasmussen submitted
the winning abstracts, and were each awarded SG sponsorship
to this international event.
Five
other AFMS members were also invited to speak at the 36th
Congress. These were Col. (Dr.) Chris Henderson; Col.
(Dr.) Arnyce Pock, Lt. Col. (Dr.) Michael Jaffee; Lt. Col.
(Dr.) Susan Mongeau; and Maj. (Dr.) Igor Maryanchik.
Their presentations covered a broad spectrum of topics,
ranging from battlefield acupuncture to the history of military
dentistry. They also addressed issues of health communications,
the management of traumatic brain and vascular injuries,
as well as the impact of critical care air transport teams
(CCATT) support in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi
Freedom.
Among
the many highlights of this conference, was the opportunity
for Taylor to address a special session of the congress,
and share some AFMS experiences in response to natural and
man-made disasters. There was also a unique opportunity
for Taylor and Gen. Igor Bykov, the current Russian surgeon
general, and his predecessor, Gen. Ivan Chizh, to meet and
discuss potential military-to-military exchange opportunities.
Other
highlights included a field visit to a demonstration site
featuring the Russian counterpart to our AFMS EMEDS and
a live-fire exercise, complete with the helicopter evacuation
of a “wounded” casualty. In a different venue, Col
Pock and Col Henderson were interviewed by representatives
from a Russian military television station.
While
the next World Congress on Military Medicine won’t take
place until 2006 in Tunisia, this year’s congress left an
indelible impression on all of our AFMS attendees, all of
whom gained a new and/or renewed appreciation for the many
ways in which medicine can truly unite people of disparate
views and cultures, building bridges, even in situations
in which there may otherwise be a prominent political divide.
