This month, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania united with First Lady Michelle Obama and more than 100 other members of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to improve the health and wellness of military service members and their families as part of the new Joining Forces initiative.
As an advocate of this new initiative, the Perelman School of Medicine has pledged to commit our integrated mission of education, research and clinical care in helping to train the next generation of physicians and researchers to provide the quality of care to our honored veterans.
Penn has a long history of supporting research and clinical care programs that directly benefit our nation’s active duty and veteran military populations. From our mental health professionals advancing treatments for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to training military surgeons to manage penetrating trauma injuries on the battlefield and re-animating damaged nerves, Penn’s physicians and researchers have built a fruitful collaboration with their colleagues at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Joining Forces initiative lays the groundwork for medical schools and their associations to enrich medical education to ensure that physicians are aware of the unique clinical challenges and best practices associated with caring for military service members, veterans and their families. The goal is to develop new research and clinical trials on PTSD and traumatic brain injury so they can be better understood and treated; share information and best practices with other institutions through a collaborative Web forum created by the Association of American Medical Colleges; and expand the body of knowledge leading to improvements in health care and wellness for military service members, veterans and their families. In addition to the Perelman School of Medicine, AAMC institutions currently participating in Joining Forces represent 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and nearly 79 percent of all U.S. medical students.
"I'm inspired to see our nation's medical schools step up to address this pressing need for our veterans and military families," Michelle Obama said. "By directing some of our brightest minds, our most cutting-edge research and our finest teaching institutions toward our military families, they're ensuring that those who have served our country receive the first-rate care that they have earned."
Mrs. Obama and Dr. Jill Biden created Joining Forces to bring Americans together to recognize, honor and take action to support veterans and military families as they serve our country and throughout their lives. The initiative aims to educate, challenge and spark action from all sectors of society to ensure veterans and military families have the support they have earned. The initiative focuses on key priority areas -- employment, education and wellness -- while raising awareness about the service, sacrifice and needs of America's veterans and military families.
More information is available at www.JoiningForces.gov or visit the AAMC website.