It has been over 50 years since the creation of the Biomedical Sciences Corps. Due to the growing demands of military healthcare and hospital operations, medical logistics has become so complex that a need for diversity between the two professional career tracks of administrators/logisticians and scientific/allied technical specialists became apparent. The formation of the BSC from the Medical Service Corps addressed those issues and also helped solve problems related to officer utilization, career progression, retention, promotion, and training.

A Brief History

The BSC saw its beginning over 100 years ago as part of the Army Sanitary Corps, formed in 1917. This reserve unit, comprised of science and health related specialties, was only activated during times of war and national emergencies. Its primary purpose was to help combat infectious diseases. Some of these sanitary engineers included bacteriologists, biochemists, physiologists, entomologists, industrial hygiene engineers and other scientific personnel. The original medical department of the Army consisted of five officer groups (medical, dental, veterinary, sanitary, and Medical Administrative Corps) along with their respective enlisted components.

In 1943, both pharmacy and dietetics became their own Corps within the Army. By mid-1945, the Sanitary Corps grew to 2,560 active duty officers. These professionals worked together with the 19,385 medical personnel from the Medical Administrative Corps; 70 from the Pharmacy Corps, 1,520 dieticians and 1,150 physical therapists from the Women’s Medical Specialist Corps.

In 1947, when the Air Force separated from the Army, the medical services remained. Maj. Gen. Malcom Grow was a strong proponent for an independent Air Force Medical Service. He continued his advocacy, arguing that the difference in medical organization between the Army and the Air Force required a separate medical command. In 1949, his argument was finally successful. A joint agreement between the Army and Air Force authorized the transfer of over 3,700 officers and 1,400 enlisted medical personnel to the Air Force. This decision allowed for the formation of what we now know as the Air Force Medical Service. Additionally, 89 WMSC officers were also transferred from the Army to the Air Force. In 1956, the WMSC changed its name to the Medical Specialists Corps to reflect the addition of male officers and the dietetics specialty.

March of 1964 saw Maj. Gen. Richard F. Bohannon, Surgeon General of the USAF, recommend the establishment of an allied sciences Corps that eventually led to today’s BSC. The increased use of medical electronics, diagnostic and therapeutic equipment based on physical and biological sciences had made the practice of modern medicine more complex. This complexity resulted in the demand for a more robust and separate allied sciences Corps. On January 28, 1965, Gen. Curtis LeMay, signed the Department of the Air Force Special Order GA-5 which formally established the BSC. The major Corps within the AFMS expanded and settled into the Medical Corps, Dental Corps, Veterinary Corps, Medical Service Corps, Biomedical Sciences Corps, Nurse Corps, and the Medical Specialist Corps.

Upon its formation, the BSC officer structure consisted of 700 diverse scientific positions, 214 dietitians, physical and occupational therapists, and appointed its first Corps Chief, Col. Alvin Meyer, Jr., a Bioenvironmental Engineer. In 1978, graduates of the Physician Assistant training program were sworn in as officers and Veterinarians became a part of Public Health in 1983. As the BSC continued to grow and develop, a General Officer Corps Chief position was approved by Congress. This GO position was first filled by Brig. Gen. Theresa Casey, a Public Health Officer, in 2006.

BSC Today

Today, the BSC is comprised of more than 2,500 officers, 2,500 civilians and 5,600 enlisted members, showing immense growth over the years. The BSC’s mission is to “provide full-spectrum Allied Health support to optimize health and readiness for all we serve”. This is accomplished by experts within 14 career fields and 17 specialties. These specialties are divided into two distinct categories: BSC clinicians (42X series) and BSC specialists (43X series). The 17 AFSCs and their corresponding specialties are listed below.

The AFMS recognizes the last week of January as BSC Appreciation Week during which we celebrate the accomplishments of our Corps. This year, on our 56th anniversary, we are taking the time to recognize the work of the men and women who make up the most multifaceted Corps in the AFMS. These outstanding professionals have chosen to dedicate their careers and lives to the care and support of our Airmen, beneficiaries, and retirees.  They exemplify what it means to stand “United and Ready” as our Corps’ Vision states and are truly “a top performing officer Corps executing the Air Force’s mission”…a testament, we could never achieve without our amazing enlisted and civilian teammates. Thank you all for taking care of people, our most important asset, and for your commitment to the 59th Medical Wing’s mission.