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	Collaboration at Indo-Pacific military health exchange enhances interoperability 
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        <h1 class="title">Collaboration at Indo-Pacific military health exchange enhances interoperability </h1>
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                <div class="image-title">Collaboration at Indo-Pacific military health exchange enhances interoperability</div>
                <div class="image-caption">Lt. Col. Richard Caballero, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command co-chair for the Indo-Pacific Military Health Exchange, welcomes personnel to the medical exchange on the first day in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The IPMHE is a multilateral military event focused on partnership and interoperability and co-hosted by the armed forces of a country in the Indo-Pacific region together with the United States Indo-Pacific Command Surgeon. (U.S. Army photo by SFC Timothy Hughes)</div>
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                <div class="image-title">Collaboration at Indo-Pacific military health exchange enhances interoperability</div>
                <div class="image-caption">CDR Joseph Stastny, Navy Environmental Preventive Medicine, left, and Lt. Col. Richard Trowbridge, International Health Specialist at Pacific Air Forces, middle, tour the Malaysian field hospital at the Indo-Pacific Military Health Exchange, or IPMHE, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The IPMHE is a multilateral military event focused on partnership and interoperability and co-hosted by the armed forces of a country in the Indo-Pacific region together with the United States Indo-Pacific Command Surgeon. (Courtesy photo)</div>
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                <div class="image-title">Collaboration at Indo-Pacific military health exchange enhances interoperability</div>
                <div class="image-caption">Lt. Gen. Dato’ Dr Zulkeffeli bin Mat Jusoh, Director General of the Malaysian Armed Forces Health Services, awards U.S. Air Force Maj. Lisa Paulson, 374 medical group at Yokota Air Base, Japan, for her poster presentation on “Efficacy of VTE Prophylaxis in Trauma Patients with Elevated BMI” at the Indo-Pacific Military Health Exchange, or IPMHE, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The IPMHE is a multilateral military event focused on partnership and interoperability and co-hosted by the armed forces of a country in the Indo-Pacific region together with the United States Indo-Pacific Command Surgeon. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Richard Trowbridge)</div>
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                <div class="image-title">Collaboration at Indo-Pacific military health exchange enhances interoperability</div>
                <div class="image-caption">CDR Jason Brill, U.S. Indo Pacific Command Combatant Command Trauma System Medical Director, demonstrates tactical care during a hands-on clinical training workshop at the Indo-Pacific Military Health Exchange, or IPMHE, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The IPMHE is a multilateral military event focused on partnership and interoperability and co-hosted by the armed forces of a country in the Indo-Pacific region together with the United States Indo-Pacific Command Surgeon. (U.S. Army photo by SFC Timothy Hughes)</div>
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                <div class="image-title">Collaboration at Indo-Pacific military health exchange enhances interoperability</div>
                <div class="image-caption">Capt. Audrey “Frankie” Belmonte, Critical Care Air Transport Nurse from the Washington Air National Guard, presents her brief entitled ‘Early Inclusion and Collaboration Among Partners to Enhance En Route Patient Care’ during a symposium at the Indo-Pacific Military Health Exchange, or IPMHE, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The IPMHE is a multilateral military event focused on partnership and interoperability and co-hosted by the armed forces of a country in the Indo-Pacific region together with the United States Indo-Pacific Command Surgeon. (U.S. Air Force photo by Col. Elizabeth Erickson)</div>
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                <div class="image-title">Collaboration at Indo-Pacific military health exchange enhances interoperability</div>
                <div class="image-caption">Col. Gregory Richert, U.S. Forces Japan Command Surgeon, listens to a symposium presentation at the Indo-Pacific Military Health Exchange, or IPMHE, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The IPMHE is a multilateral military event focused on partnership and interoperability and co-hosted by the armed forces of a country in the Indo-Pacific region together with the United States Indo-Pacific Command Surgeon. (U.S. Army photo by SFC Timothy Hughes)</div>
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    <div><b>By Col. Elizabeth Erickson and Chloe Arevalo,</b> <span class="date">/ Published Oct. 10, 2023</span></div>
    <span class="dateline-text">FALLS CHURCH, Va., </span>
    <p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">More than 500 health professionals from 24 nations, including the U.S., converged at the Indo-Pacific Military Health Exchange, September 26 to September 29, to share experiences and increase interoperability among military health teams.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The Indo-Pacific Military Health Exchange, or IPMHE, is a multilateral military event focused on partnership and interoperability and co-hosted by the armed forces of a country in the Indo-Pacific region together with the <a href="https://www.pacom.mil/" target="_blank" title="Link to United States Indo-Pacific Command">United States Indo-Pacific Command</a>, or USINDOPACOM, Command Surgeon. The co-host for this IPMHE was the Malaysian Armed Forces Health Services.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Participants, from non-commissioned officers to senior leaders, came together for a four-day exchange, including symposium and poster presentations, hands-on clinical training workshops, bilateral meetings, and a visit to the Malaysian field hospital, focusing on this year’s theme, ‘Achieving Health Solutions Through Diversity and Inclusivity’.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Several senior leaders from around the world attended the exchange, including <a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/2664202/robert-i-miller/" target="_blank" title="Link to Lt. Gen. Robert I. Miller bio">Lt. Gen. Robert I. Miller</a>, Surgeon General, Department of the <a href="https://www.af.mil/" target="_blank" title="Link to U.S. Air Force">U.S. Air Force</a>; and <a href="https://www.airforcemedicine.af.mil/News/Biographies/Display/Article/939605/dawn-m-kolczynski/" target="_blank" title="Link to Chief Master Sergeant Dawn M. Kolczynski bio">Chief Master Sergeant Dawn M. Kolczynski</a>, Chief, Medical Enlisted Force.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">“The IPMHE highlighted successful military health partnerships in the region and was a call to action to accelerate our efforts to enhance interoperability as we face future contingencies,” said Lt. Gen. Miller. “Our collective readiness is critical for sustaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">During the exchange, U.S. Air Force personnel shared presentations on clinical and operational medicine, global health security, and partnerships that enhance readiness of U.S. and partner nations.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">“We can improve care by establishing communication and agreements before they are necessary,” said Capt. Audrey “Frankie” Belmonte, Critical Care Air Transport Nurse from the <a href="https://mil.wa.gov/air-national-guard" target="_blank" title="Link to Washington Air National Guard">Washington Air National Guard</a>, during her presentation entitled ‘Early Inclusion and Collaboration Among Partners to Enhance Enroute Patient Care’.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Airmen also participated in hands-on clinical training workshops to strengthen interoperability with partner nation counterparts. The workshops focused on tactical combat casualty care, surgery and critical care management.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">“Our Airmen, representing the total force and including enlisted and officer health professionals, demonstrated the strength and readiness we achieve in the Air Force Medical Service by embracing diversity and inclusivity,” said Chief Master Sgt. Kolczynski.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">One component of the IPMHE was bilateral meetings between senior leaders from the U.S. and partner nations, allowing for discussion of priorities for cooperation, such as aerospace medicine and patient movement.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">“The IPMHE creates an opportunity for relationship building for our senior leaders around the world. The bilateral meetings enable the U.S. to meet with partner nations one-on-one to talk about opportunities to collaborate further,” said Lt. Col. Richard Caballero, USINDOPACOM co-chair for the IPMHE.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The exchange also included an observation of the Malaysian Armed Forces field hospital. Over many years of cooperation, Malaysia has routinely exercised their field hospital along with the U.S. and other regional partners. In recent years, Malaysia has deployed the field hospital to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in Bangladesh and Türkiye.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Concurrent with the IPMHE, the Washington National Guard and Malaysian Armed Forces Health Service conducted a mass casualty exercise utilizing the field hospital. Washington and Malaysia have been partnered since 2017 as part of the <a href="https://www.nationalguard.mil/" target="_blank" title="Link to National Guard Bureau">National Guard Bureau</a> State Partnership Program.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">“The state partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region are on display here at IPMHE,” said Col. Charla Geist, Global Health Engagement Liaison to the National Guard Bureau Joint Surgeon’s Office. “The enduring relationships, such as Oregon with both Vietnam and Bangladesh, and Washington with both Malaysia and Thailand, have enhanced readiness of all partners.”</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Lt. Col. Chris Webb from the <a href="https://www.142wg.ang.af.mil/" target="_blank" title="Link to Oregon Air National Guard">Oregon Air National Guard</a> presented on an ongoing initiative to support Vietnam’s development of a chapter of the International Trauma Life Support program, which provides training on pre-hospital care to Vietnamese military personnel prior to deployment on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The relationships bolstered during IPMHE are invaluable. The exchange opens cooperation opportunities for partners who may not have worked together before. Relationship building is one of the most important impacts of this exchange.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">“It is easier to reach out to our partners in contingencies when we already have established relationships,” said Caballero.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The IPMHE is one component of a broad portfolio of <a href="https://www.airforcemedicine.af.mil/Organizations/Global-Health-Engagement/" target="_blank" title="Link to global health engagement">global health engagement</a> between the U.S. and Ally and partner nation counterparts in the Indo-Pacific region.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial;">“Our partnerships are deep and enduring,” said Col. Susan Moran, <a href="https://www.pacaf.af.mil/" target="_blank" title="Link to Pacific Air Forces">Pacific Air Forces</a> Command Surgeon. “IPMHE fostered continuous improvement in military medicine as we shared knowledge, lessons learned and best practices. With the diversity of attendees, this conference allowed us to think strategically and tackle complex issues. IPMHE, along with our regular exercises, make us stronger together.”</span></span></p>
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