About the Medical Center of Excellence

The U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, or MEDCoE, is located at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The Army Medicine proponent responsible to envision and design responsive Army Medicine capabilities and structure that support the fielded force and the future force. We develop adaptive medical doctrine that supports Army and Joint Force operational requirements. As one of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command’s 10 Centers of Excellence, the Army relies upon MEDCoE to train, educate and inspire all of its medical personnel. Army Medicine Starts Here! We ensure that Army Medicine is ready today “To Conserve Fighting Strength,” so that Soldiers are able to win our nation’s wars and then come home safely. MEDCoE creates the highest standards of achievement in medical expertise by generating synergy through effective and efficient combination and integration of functions while reinforcing the unique requirements and capabilities of the Army Medical Department.

Mission

MEDCoE develops medical professionals, integrates medical capabilities, and drives change in Army Medicine to enable the Joint Force to with the Nation`s wars.

Vision

To be the foundation on which Army Medicine is built, sustained and transformed.

Lines of Effort

Mission Statements are important. In the absence of verbal guidance, they communicate priorities and define the “Why” in what we do. To organize and prioritize initiatives to accomplish the mission, military organizations also develop Lines of Effort (LOEs). LOEs provide the structure to facilitate communication, define progress, and maintain organizational focus on what is important. We have four lines of effort that nest within the Army`s, TRADOC`s and the Combined Arms Center`s lines of effort.

1. Steward the Profession  Enable growth and development in a values-based, safe and healthy environment through a whole-of-person lens.

2. Develop Leaders  Deliberately and progressively grow Soldiers and Army Civilians into competent, committed, professional leaders.

3. Drive Change  Continuously manage multi-domain operations and large-scale combat operations-oriented change, informed by threat and resources.

4. Modernize the Training Base  Enable MEDCoE to see itself to enable current operations and future planning efforts.

Enduring Priorities

While LOEs may change based on the mission, an organization’s enduring priorities change less frequently demonstrating the consistent nature underlying what is most important to the command.  Our enduring priorities are to “Develop People; and Care for Soldiers, Civilians and Families.”

 

Organizations

There are several major organizations that comprise the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence:

The Office of the Commandant is led by the Deputy Commandant and is consists of a diverse group of training and education assets like the Department of Leader Training, Department of Graduate Education, Department of Aviation Medicine, the Borden Institute, the AMEDD Journal, Medical Soldier’s Outlook, Stimson Library, Enlisted Subject Matter Expert Department and more. The MEDCoE Commanding General is dual-hatted as the School Commandant.

The 32d Medical Brigade is the MEDCoE’s training brigade, the largest in the Army, and is comprised of the 232nd Medical Battalion and the 264th Medical Battalion, the 187th Medical Battalion and the 188th Medical Battalion and 23 subordinate companies.

The Medical Noncommissioned Officers Academy (NCOA) is our center for NCO professional military leadership education. The Academy teaches courses at both the entry and advanced levels.

The Directorate of Training and Doctrine (DOTD) creates relevant customer-focused education and training products that support the medical mission. The MEDCoE is accredited by the Council of Occupational Education, and all programs of instruction are reviewed by the American Council on Education. Students attending courses at the MEDCoE can get undergraduate and graduate college credits. The Graduate School also conducts nine doctoral and five masters degree programs.

The Directorate of Simulation (DOS) is the central focal point for Army Medical Modeling and Simulation initiatives with the responsibility for the development and execution of medical simulation training and the emerging medical simulated training environment, or STE.

The Personnel Proponent Directorate (APPD) does force modeling. The Army Medical Department has over 130,000 military and civilian members who work in 200 different officer, warrant officer, enlisted, and civilian specialties.  This directorate ensures that the Army`s medical force is properly structured to accomplish the Army Medicine`s many missions.

The U.S. Army Medical Test and Evaluation Activity (USAMTEAC) provides independent operational testing and evaluation of medical and medical-related materiel and information technology products in support of the Army`s Department of Defense acquisition processes. USAMTEAC provides assessments of emerging concepts, doctrine, and advanced technology applications applied to the delivery of healthcare-both on the battlefield and in fixed facilities.

The Fielded Force Integration Directorate (FFID) enables the delivery of solutions for the fielded force across the domains of doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership, personnel, facilities and policy (DOTmLPF-P) for the Army Health System.

The Medical Capability Development and Integration Directorate (MED CDID) develops future concepts and requirements and conducts experimentation, data collection and analysis to validate those concepts and capabilities.  Identifies capability gaps, and develops appropriate requirements to mitigate and close capability gaps for the future. As of 1 OCT 2019, CDID is a subordinate organization of the Futures and Concepts Center (FCC), Army Futures Command, though located at Fort Sam Houston with MEDCoE to ensure synchronization of effort. https://armyfuturescommand.com/ 

The Army Capabilities Manager-Army Health System (ACM-AHS) is the modernization proponent and the capability developer for all things medical. ACM-AHS coordinates, integrates, and synchronizes doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities and policy, or DOTMLPF-P domain activities in support of the Army Health System as a whole. ACM-AHS is a subordinate organization of the Futures and Concepts Center (FCC), Army Futures Command though located at Fort Sam Houston with MEDCoE to ensure synchronization of effort. https://armyfuturescommand.com/ 

History

The U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence (MEDCoE) traces its origin to the Medical Field Service School (MFSS) established, nearly 100 years ago in 1920 at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. The mission of the MFSS was to train doctors, dentists and nurses in their duties as Army officers.

In 1924, the MFSS conducted the first professional courses for noncommissioned officers and privates first class.

The MFSS moved to Fort Sam Houston in 1946 and was located in the 9th Infantry Regiment quadrangle; where U.S Army North (5th Army) is now located.

In 1972 a reorganization of the MFSS resulted in the re-designation of the MFSS as the Academy of Health Sciences, making it one of the largest medical training institutions in the world.

In 1991, it was re-designated as the Army Medical Department Center and School (AMEDDC&S), with the Academy of Health Sciences becoming the school arm of the institution.

In 1993, AMEDD Center and School was realigned under the U.S. Army Medical Command (Provisional) and remained under the U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) as it became fully functional in 1994.

On 19 February 2015, to better align with the other education and training institutions across the Army, though still under MEDCOM, the Department of the Army added Health Readiness Center of Excellence to the school’s designation, becoming the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School, Health Readiness Center of Excellence (AMEDDC&S HRCoE).

On 19 October 2018, AMEDDC&S HRCoE began realignment from the U.S. Army Medical Command (USAMEDCOM) to U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) with operational control by the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, to be completed effective 2 October 2019.

Effective 15 September 2019, the CoE was finally redesignated as the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence (MEDCoE) to further solidify their abiding dedication to Army Medicine, reverence to their profound history, and their commitment towards Army modernization with the singular focus of training Soldiers who will win our nations wars and then come home safely.

The MEDCoE supports the Army to lead the design, integration, education, and training of new and innovative approaches to health and the Army Health System.

MEDCoE is postured to enable effective and efficient integration and synchronization of Army Medical Department Doctrine, Organization, Training, Material, Leadership, Personnel and Facility, and Policy (DOTMLPF-P) development to ensure the latest solutions to any perceived or predicted Army Medicine gaps are documented and incorporated into our doctrine and instruction.

The CoE structure increases collaboration across TRADOC, other organizations, programs, and the generating force to improve support to the operating force. It embraces best practices and initiatives that improve efficiency and effectiveness of the Army and other Service partners overall. The common structure across all CoEs improves the ability of external agencies to communicate with CoE subordinate elements. Where integrated staffs are realized and common instruction shared, manpower requirements are decreased and greater synergy is gained between staffs and schools.

The MEDCoE is focused on the Army and improving the readiness of the force and training the Army’s Medical Professionals.   We ensure that Army Medicine is ready today “To Conserve Fighting Strength” by training, educating and inspiring Soldiers and Leaders who are capable of meeting the Army’s requirements for a ready medical force and a medically ready force.

Army Medicine Starts Here!

 

Insignia

The official motto of the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, approved by the US Army Institute of Heraldry is “TO CONSERVE FIGHTING STRENGTH” and is inscribed on the distinctive unit insignia.

The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for U.S. Army Medical Field Service School on 17 June 1965. It was redesignated for the Academy of Health Sciences and amended to revise the symbolism on 20 February 1973. The description of the insignia was amended to include metric measurements and to extend authorization of wear to personnel of the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School on 5 January 1993.The insignia was redesignated for the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School on 2 June 2005.It was amended to correct the symbolism on 12 February 2013. Even before official designation, records indicate the symbolism and motto scroll were used in the MFSS student lecture series as early as 1921.In his Medals of the United States Army Medical Department and Medals Honoring Army Medical Officers, COL Edgar E. Hume, then assigned as the MFSS Director of Admissions and Public Relations Officer, wrote in 1942, “The scope of the Medical Field Service School`s teaching is summed up in its motto: ‘To conserve fighting strength.’”

The open book alludes to the study of, and schooling in the techniques, practices, improvements and policies of the former Army Medical Field Service indicated by the field hospital tent and the wheel of a field ambulance (horse drawn). The staff of Aesculapius, an ancient symbol of the medical profession and the unsheathed sword (point down to signify the noncombatant role of medical units in active fighting) refer to all aspects of military medical and health sciences. Maroon (sanguine) and argent (silver or white) are the colors used by all Army medical organizations.

To highlight the fact that every Army Medical Professional is trained here, MEDCoE’s current slogan is “Army Medicine Starts Here!”

According to ACHH, around 2010, under the tenure of MG David A. Rubenstein, the school adopted "AMEDD Readiness Starts Here" as a slogan.  In 2012, under MG Phillip Volpe`s tenure, the slogan was amended to "Army Medicine Starts Here," as it remains today.

 

All medical Soldiers are affiliated with the Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Regiment upon graduation from Basic Officer Leadership Course (BOLC) or a medical Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) producing course. The AMEDD Regiment crest is shown here.  The central part of the insignia is a silver shield with a representation of the national flag on the left side of the shield. The flag’s union contains 20 stars for the 20 states in the Union in 1818, the date of the establishment of the Medical Department. On the right of the shield is the symbol of medicine, the Staff of Aesculapius, a rod wrapped by a single serpent. Above the shield is the crest, with a rooster, also a symbol of Aesculapius and ancient medicine, moving forward (to the viewer’s left), but looking backwards. This symbolizes the department’s motto, Experientia et Progressus, Latin for Experience and Progress. https://ameddregiment.amedd.army.mil/index.html 

 

The shoulder sleeve insignia for the Headquarters, MEDCoE, Medical Professional Training Brigade (MPTB), Noncommissioned Officer Academy (NCOA) and the Headquarters Support Company.  The patch, that was originally established for the U.S. Army medical training Center by the Institute of Heraldry was reinstated for the Center of Excellence in 2018.  The insignia is adorned with a torch, representing knowledge, and a serpent, which is adapted from the Army Medical Corps insignia.  The patch is maroon and white, the traditional colors of the Medical Corps.