Photo By Malcolm McClendon | Rear Adm. Walter Brafford, commander of the Naval Medical Forces Development Command...... read more read more
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KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Since 2005, the U.S. Navy has hosted Navy Weeks in cities around the country without a significant Navy presence to educate the American public on its capabilities and relevance to national security. It brings Sailors from all around the globe to conduct outreach and immerse themselves in these communities for a week.
For some of these Sailors, it could also be a type of homecoming.
“This is where I went to Dental School on the Health Professions Scholarship Program,” Rear Adm. Walter Brafford, commander of the Naval Medical Forces Development Command and chief of the Navy Dental Corps, said. “It’s great to be back and to share my experiences of all the things I’ve done in the Navy and the opportunities the Navy provides.”
During this year’s Navy Week, Brafford and a group of Naval Medicine officers and corpsmen visited several schools in the Kansas City area November 11 – 17, 2024, to make connections and share what it’s like to be a health care professional in the Navy.
One of the schools on the list was the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s School of Dentistry.
“I graduated from here in 1996 and joined the Navy as a dental officer shortly after on July 7,” he said. “It’s been an awesome ride. I’ve met a lot of great people, made some really good friends.
“The opportunities the Navy has given me, not only to grow as a person, but to develop in my profession are invaluable, and now I’m back here to share that with students who are in the same spot as I was back in the day.”
The faculty at UMKC said it was great to have a former student back and appreciated the visit to learn more about Navy Medicine.
“It was good to have the Navy here, specifically the Navy Medical professionals,” James Spence, Associate Dean of Academics for UMKC’s School of Nursing and Health Studies, said. “I had no idea the Navy had such a wide range of specialties in the medical field – like who knew there were Navy rheumatologists?”
It’s good to know that, because now we can share this information with students who are potentially looking for a career in the military, he added.
The Navy Medicine team also visited several high schools in the area to speak to students who are enrolled in health science programs.
“It’s awesome to interact with these young students, especially in areas that might not have a military presence, and to share what we do in the Navy,” Master Chief Phillip Jean-Gilles, command master chief of the Naval Medical Research Command, said. “When I was in their shoes, I never thought about joining the military. I believe that if I would have had an opportunity to interact with Sailors like this, I would have opened my eyes a little bit more and maybe it would have sparked my interest in the health care career field earlier.”
The high school students had great questions and it was an honor to represent Navy Medicine here this week and to showcase the impact we have, not only to the U.S. Navy but all of the DOD, he added.
Sailors from the USS Constitution, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, Navy Talent Acquisition Group Mid-America, Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron Two, Navy History and Heritage Command, The Strike Group, Fleet Outreach Ambassador Team, Office of Small Business Programs, Office of Civilian Human Resources, Naval Reserve Center Kansas City, and Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Kansas City (LCS 22) also represented the Navy this week and engaged in community celebrations at local museums and volunteered with local charities; and some residents enjoyed free live music by Navy Band Great Lakes.
“It was inspiring to see all of the different Navy commands here in full force, engaging with the local community and letting everyone know what we do,” Brafford said. “For me it was also insightful to exchange best practices with the local colleges and learn of the cutting-edge technology they are using to develop their medical professionals, which is in line with where we’re taking Navy Medicine at NMFDC.
“And, I even met a student who is enrolled in the Health Professions Scholarship Program at UMKC and joining the Navy, just like I did many years ago! Can’t wait for the next Navy Week,” he added.
The Naval Medical Forces Development Command is the designated training agent for Navy Medicine, and develops and delivers integrated education and training to all Maritime Medical Forces in order to force develop and force generate trained and certified medical forces that preserve the Naval human weapon system now and in the future. For more information visit: https://www.med.navy.mil/Naval-Medical-Forces-Development-Command/
| Date Taken: | 11.15.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.15.2024 17:07 |
| Story ID: | 485456 |
| Location: | KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 140 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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