More than 300 aeromedical specialists attended a weeklong conference onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, which ended Jan. 13, designed to provide participants the latest information regarding aerospace medicine.

Rear Adm. Rebecca J. McCormick-Boyle, commander, Navy Medicine Education, Training and Logistics Command (NMETLC), was one of a number of featured speakers at the conference which is hosted by the Navy Medicine Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI). According to Capt. Joseph LaVan, NAMI officer in charge, the event is a critical component in maintaining the continued excellence of Navy Medicine's aerospace community.

"This conference brings together some of the best in aerospace medicine to discuss, analyze, and reinforce the top concerns in our field," LaVan said. "These medical topics are essential to the mission of military aviation across all services, and are a focus of concern at the highest levels in the organization. On top of the opportunity to refine our understanding of these critical areas among aeromedical professionals at all levels, we also had the distinct pleasure of welcoming Rear Admiral McCormick-Boyle, the commander of NMETLC."

In her presentation on the first day of the conference, McCormick-Boyle touched on readiness and partnerships, two of the surgeon general's three strategic goals (the third is health) and the role aeromedical specialists have in achieving those goals.

"It's important that you see yourself in the 'One Navy Medicine' team," said McCormick-Boyle, "and that you connect this conference and your daily responsibilities to the strategic imperatives of the chief of naval operations, the commandant of the Marine Corps, and the surgeon general."

The USNAC is geared toward active-duty and Reserve occupational flight surgeons, senior medical officers, dental officers, ship nurses, medical administration officers, and aerospace medicine technicians (AVTs). The conference is a platform for participants to learn the latest in aerospace medicine, receive briefs on emerging technology, discuss challenges facing carrier and air wing personnel, develop courses of action to improve aeromedical support to fleet, fleet Marine force, and joint warfighters, and hear firsthand from senior leadership.

"As members of the aeromedical community," McCormick-Boyle addressed during her presentation, "you each have a critical role in preparing and sustaining warfighters for their individual and collective operational roles through training, clinical care, research, subject matter expertise, and planning. Your impact is direct and indirect, near term and far term and extremely far reaching."

NAMI is a component of Navy Medicine Operational Training Center (NMOTC), which reports to NMETLC, the sole point of accountability for Navy Medicine education and logistical support.

NAMI, NMOTC, and NMETLC are all part of the Navy Medicine team, a global health care network of Navy medical professionals around the world who provide high-quality health care to more than 1 million eligible beneficiaries. Navy Medicine personnel deploy with Sailors and Marines worldwide, providing critical mission support aboard ships, in the air, under the sea, and on the battlefield.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Navy Medicine Education and Training Command, visit http://www.navy.mil/.