Reserve doctor makes house call to developing nations

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kat Bailey
  • 433rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  As an Air Force doctor, he ran into a group of Texas reservists at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany. There was no way to know that the chance meeting in 1998 would later affect the lives of thousands of people in developing countries. 

It took awhile for Dr. (Lt. Col.) Josef Schmid, 433rd Medical Squadron, to get into such a position. “I was working in the clinic when a medical team from the 433rd showed up,” he said. “I didn’t even know they were reservists until someone said something; they were so professional and competent.” 

After two weeks, the Lackland team went home and Dr. Schmid continued on, but he would see those faces again. 

After leaving the active duty, Dr. Schmid moved to Houston, Texas, to work at the Johnson Space Center. He wanted to continue military service while in residency so he joined the Air Force Reserve. “It was a quirk of fate to find out my unit was the 433rd Airlift Wing,” he said with a grin. “It was Dr. Jaso [Dr. (Col.) Rene Jaso, 433rd MDS Commander] who talked to me in Germany about traveling around the world, improving my skills and helping build that bridge between countries.” Dr. Schmid must have listened well to that message because he recently returned from a trip to Central Africa where he and his team taught hands-on surgical skills to their Rwandan counterparts. For many of the students, it was their first time with hands-on procedures. 

“The whole point of these types of expeditions is to train the trainer,” Dr. Schmid said. “I could go by myself and see some of their patients,” he explained, “but I can amplify my effectiveness by teaching three or four more local medical personnel … who in turn can teach three or four more and so on down the line.” 

The end result is a bridge between nations and thousands of people receiving medical care where none existed before. That bridge starts with the military forces of two nations collaborating on medical training. 

“Medical issues are universal,” Dr. Schmid said. “Once you get militaries talking … that can lead to further cooperation, which can lead to mutual security and provide a foothold for our defense operations. 

My dad was an Army medic who did the exact same type of thing in Thailand and Vietnam. It’s really neat to be able to continue what he started.” 

The training done on his trip to Rwanda and previous visits to Nepal, Mexico City and Sierra Leone parallels that of both his Reserve and civilian careers. 

As the Chief of Professional Services for the 433rd MDS, Dr. Schmid makes sure the wing’s doctors are deployable and prepared for war. For NASA, he teaches medical and diagnostic procedures to flight surgeons, astronaut physicians and biomedical engineers with the space shuttle and the international space station programs. 

In the developing countries, the doctors on his team teach the first responders - medical technicians, physicians and surgeons, who have little or no practical experience with traumatic war injuries, basic emergency medical technician procedures, extrication, triage, initial stabilization and life-saving field surgical care. As with many teaching positions, the learning goes both ways. 

“We often have civilian burn and trauma surgeons join us, bringing skills from their civilian practices, but using them under austere conditions,” Dr. Schmid said. “That hones their skills and they realize their own potential use in disaster-relief or humanitarian situations back in America.” 

The opportunity also gives the civilian practitioners a close-up look and a chance to serve. For some it introduces the Air Force Reserve as an option. 

“There are a lot of doctors out there, looking for something more, looking for some way to serve their country.” Dr. Schmid said. 

His enthusiasm for helping other physicians expand their horizons is what earned him the Col. Thomas M. McNish Physician Recruiting Excellence Award in 2005. The award recognizes the top Air Force or Air Force Reserve medical officer, who, in partnership with Air Force Reserve health professions recruiters, gets the most doctors to join. 

“What better way to serve your country and your profession than by using your skills in the Air Force Reserve?” Dr. Schmid said.