Burns also is an associate professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine and Division of Pediatric Critical Care.
During the past year he’s traveled on missions to Rwanda six times and also to Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand as part of joint operations between the Department of State and U.S. combatant commanders. His next venture will be to the Ukraine.
The Department of State works with such commanders to determine what regional needs are and how the U.S. military may cooperate with that country on improvement and stabilization efforts.
Burns joined the Air Force in 1997 and has devoted much of the last decade to global health engagement, he said, and wants more Air Force personnel to know about the opportunities such work affords.
“The International Health Specialist Program is a great opportunity, along with the Defense Institute for Medical Operations Program. They are looking for people with competitive academic credentials and experience, along with a certain amount of cultural competence,” Burns said.
He became passionate about global health because he wanted to do something different in his Air Force career.
“The Air Force tells you to expand your horizons and look for opportunities. I’ve always had an interest in preventive medicine, disaster medicine and global health and how to make the world a better place. You can make huge impacts when you work in international health,” he said.
As an example, he cited his most recent trip in May to Kigali, Rwanda, to help establish a reliable simulation center for the military hospital there to support United Nations peace-keeping operations. The DIMO-funded missions are assisting the Rwandan military with training their physicians to become their own instructors.
“Now they can train their own trainers so they can practice the same standards as we do and they can certify their own people,” Burns pointed out. “A big goal of what we do is to assist other countries to build capabilities they might not have otherwise.”
In Rwanda he helped personnel meet one of the United Nations’ standards of managing a cardiac patient’s arrest and survival.
“The Rwandan personnel were amazing to work with,” he said. “They are extremely open, receptive and excited learners who follow up with in-depth questions. Teaching there was very rewarding. ”
Burns said he is proud to be a part of Air Force Materiel Command’s culture of expertise and footprint in sending forth pockets of international health specialists.
He said he is thankful that his work is so well supported by Air Force Medical Service leadership, including Col. Shari Silverman, 88 MDG commander.
But the lieutenant colonel is away from home frequently, which can be a challenge to his spouse, Lt. Col. (Dr.) Cassandra Burns, a pediatric neurologist in the 88 MDG, and their three children, ages 16 to 5.
“They don’t like it when Dad is gone, and Dad doesn’t like it when Dad is gone,” he laughed. “But such work helps me expand the next generation of Air Force physicians so they get the knowledge and wisdom of what we’re doing. They are learning how to practice international medicine.”
Burns is encouraging Airmen to retrain and pursue a career change as an international health specialist or if not interested in a medical career, enter the Language Enabled Airman Program. LEAP sustains, enhances and utilizes the existing language skills and talents of Airmen across specialties and careers.
“When I hear people on base speaking a second language, I ask them if they are a ‘LEAPster.’ We don’t have enough such Airmen who have this expertise; we need more for international missions,” Burns said.
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