United States Army Medical Department Center and School
The U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence is located at Fort Sam Houston, Joint Base San Antonio, 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. MEDCoE develops 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, MEDCoE is who the Army relies upon to train, educate and inspire all of its medical personnel. Army Medicine Starts Here! MEDCoE ensures that Army Medicine is ready today “To Conserve Fighting Strength,” so that Soldiers are able to win the United States 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. MEDCoE comprises the 32d Medical Brigade, the U.S. Army Medical Professional Training Brigade, and the AMEDD Noncommissioned Officers Academy. It serves the U.S. Army in educating and training all of its medical personnel. The Center formulates the Army Medical Department's organization, tactics, doctrine, equipment, and academic training support. In 2015, the mission for the Academy of Health Sciences moved from the School to the Center, and was renamed the Department of Training and Academic Affairs ''' as result of a reorganization. Although its institutional lineage dates back to 1920, the present "C&S" were established by permanent order of the Surgeon General in 1991.
History
On 1 September 1920, the Medical Department Field Service School was established at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania at the request of the Surgeon General, Major General Merritte W. Ireland. In December that same year, the Army renamed it the Medical Field Service School. After 25 1/2 years of operation, the school was deactivated on 15 February 1946 and its mission transferred to multiple schools located at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The school underwent various name changes and restructuring over the years; incorporating the diverse medical functional areas of the Army Medical Department along the way. One significant change was on 10 December 1972, when the Secretary of the Army, Robert F. Froehlke re-designated the school to the Academy of Health Sciences. On 15 July 1991, the Surgeon General, Lieutenant General Frank F. Ledford, Jr., established the AMEDDC&S by permanent order 103-1. The Academy of Health Sciences now comprises the "school" portion of the AMEDDC&S. In 1993, AMEDD Center and School was realigned under the U.S. Army Medical Command and remained under the U.S. Army Medical Command as it became fully functional in 1994. As a result of 2005 BRAC legislation that required the bulk of enlisted technical medical training in the Army, Air Force, and Navy to be collocated to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, much of the enlisted medical training was moved from AHS to the Medical Education and Training Campus. The transition took place during 2010 and 2011. In 2015, it was designated as the US Army Health Readiness Center of Excellence. In 2008, the Clinical Investigation Regulatory Office began realignment under the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. In 2015, AMEDDC&S reorganized to become AMEDDC&S HRCoE. Also during this time period, the Defense Programs Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute was realigned under the Defense Health Agency. On 19 October 2018, AMEDDC&S HRCoE began realignment from the U.S. Army Medical Command to U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command 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 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.
