What Military Medicine Has Taught Us for Tragic Events

What have we learned from military doctors that can help us in times of terror and tragedy?
Explosions like those that happened in Boston are usually only seen in war zones - like in places such as Afghanistan or Iraq.

So... what have we learned from our military doctors that can help save lives here at home? Which methods have already been useful in treating victims, such as those affected in the Boston bombing?

We speak to active duty military physician, Col. Robert Gerhardt, who explains how lives can be saved by adopting some wartime medical practices.

Additional Info

  • Segment Number: 4
  • Audio File: ER_101/1317er5d.mp3
  • Featured Speaker: Col. Robert Gerhardt, MD, FACEP
  • Guest Bio: Bob Gerhardt, MD, MPH, is the Director of the Prehospital and Emergency Care Research Program, and is the chief medical officer for the Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) Research Task Area at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (ISR).  He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Military and Emergency Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (UHUHS). His Doctor of Medicine, Master of Public Health, and Bachelor of Arts degrees are from the University of Miami, Florida.   He completed an Emergency Medicine Residency at Carl R.  Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Hood, Texas, and an Emergency Medical Services Fellowship at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas.

    Dr. Gerhardt has published and presented extensively on topics including trauma resuscitation, EMS, TCCC, emerging technologies, research design, ethical issues in combat research, and the building of civil-military research partnerships.  He has lectured and served as an expert consultant both nationally and internationally, including venues such as the National Institutes of Health, the Texas Governor’s Emergency and Trauma Advisory Council, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of The Army Surgeon General, the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command, NASA, Royal Army Medical Corps – United Kingdom, the Iraqi Ministry of Health, the Israel Defense Forces, NATO, Royal Norwegian Maritime Special Operations Forces, CBS News / 60 Minutes, ABC News and WGBH Radio.
  • Length (mins): 10
  • Host: Dr. Leigh Vinocur