Articles

July 13, 2023

59th Dental Group changes command

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas — The Department of Defense’s largest dental service welcomed a new commander during the 59th Dental Group change of command ceremony July 13, 2023 at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.Brig. Gen. Jeannine Ryder, who serves as the 59th Medical Wing commander, San Antonio Military Health System market

July 11, 2023

59th MDW, VelocityTX partner to advance military research

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas — The 59th Medical Wing recently entered a new partnership with Texas nonprofit organization, VelocityTX, to advance military medical research and development.In a Military Cooperative Agreement announced in Spring 2023, the 59th MDW’s Chief Scientist’s Office - Science and Technology and VelocityTX, a subsidiary of the Texas Research and Technology

June 30, 2023

Mosquito bites: When are they more than just a pesky itch?

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas — Mosquitos aren’t just pesky insects that bite, they can spread some serious diseases such as Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, dengue, and malaria. Within the last two months, five cases of malaria spread by mosquitos have been reported in the United States. Four cases were in southwest Florida and one here in southern Texas. The five cases are the first in 20 years to be detected locally in the United States.

June 29, 2023

559th THLS commander prepares next generation of medically ready warfighters

Joint Base San Antonio- Lackland, Texas — Lt. Col. Williams Cox intends to continue optimizing trainee readiness and patient-centered care through collaborative health delivery, education, training, and research while simultaneously prioritizing the needs of her airmen to succeed.

June 13, 2023

Men’s Health Month: ‘Don’t be shy about sharing symptoms’

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas — June is Men’s Health Month, a time to encourage men to “take the bull by the horns” and focus on their health and wellness.“This month is an opportunity to educate, empower and energize men to make healthy choices and to focus on preventable health problems,” said Air Force Col. (Dr.) Travis Batts, medical director, Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical

June 13, 2023

SAUSHEC graduation ceremony celebrates 261 residents, fellows

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas — The San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium celebrated military medical professionals during a graduation ceremony June 8 at the Lila Cockrell Theatre in downtown San Antonio.The ceremony honored 261 residents and fellows from 57 diverse physician and allied health specialty programs. SAUSHEC is the organization responsible for

June 9, 2023

24 Allies and partner nations collaborate at military nursing conference, enhance USAFE-AFAFRICA partnerships and readiness

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany — Nurses and medical professionals from 24 Allied and partner nations, including the U.S., converged at the U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa 2023 European-African Military Nursing Exchange conference, May 31 to June 2, to share medical knowledge and professional best practices with one another.

June 5, 2023

59th MDW: Mental Health impacts readiness

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas — Our mental, physical, and emotional well-being can affect many aspects of our health. Taking a holistic approach allows us to achieve wellness in all faucets of life. “It is a disservice to isolate mental health from physical health because they influence one another,” said Capt. Samuel Alex, a 59th Medical Operations Squadron mental health provider. “Taking care of your mental health requires the same level of attention many people give to their physical fitness.”

June 1, 2023

TriService Nursing Research Program cultivates medical innovative solution through evidence-based practice, research

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas — The TriService Nursing Research Program is the country’s first and only Department of Defense program that supports and fund armed forces nurses to conduct operationally relevant military nursing research and EBP that improves the quality of care provided to service members. TSNRP held its annual Research and Evidence-Based Dissemination Course April 4-6, 2023, in San Antonio, Texas. The course serves as an opportunity for military nurse scholars to come together to discuss ongoing and past research, as well as plan future research efforts. Collaboration among all military nurses and military nurse retirees is essential for fostering innovative nursing science solutions and relies on every member to contribute to the overall success.

April 14, 2023

59MDW: An Airman who wants to make a difference through international relations

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas — It was a beautiful, breezy afternoon with the sun high in the sky. Stephanie Essomba was about 15 years old in Yaoundé, Cameroon in Central Africa, walking in the city with her mother. The roadside was bustling with restaurants and traffic from nearby businesses and embassies when a car she’d never seen before drove past them. The license plate was different. It had a flag hanging on the front. Essomba asked her mom “Why is that car so different?” and she responded “It’s a diplomat’s car.” In that moment, the desire to become “that person” was triggered. Airman 1st Class Stephanie Essomba, a dental laboratory technician at the 59th Dental Support Squadron, began learning about policy processes, decision making and the impact those policies could have on people’s lives and fell in love with it.