KANSAS CITY, Mo. Sailors with the Bureau of Navy Medicine and Surgery joined the Navy Office of Community Outreach and 11 other commands for Navy Week Kansas City, Nov. 11-15.
Throughout the week, BUMED representatives met with directors and students from local universities, spoke at local high schools and volunteered with the Kansas City Leawood Rotary at Project C.U.R.E., a local community organization. The Dental Corps, Medical Corps, Medical Service Corps, Nurse Corps and Hospital Corps all represented BUMED at Navy Week Kansas City, providing a snapshot of Navy Medicine’s capabilities.
“We have a diverse team of Navy medicine professionals that are ready to meet and talk with the local Kansas City community,” explained Cmdr. Bryan Pyle, the medical service corps policy and practice officer. “Even if we are far from either ocean, we want to show Kansas City what Navy Medicine is all about.”
Southwest Missouri native Rear Adm. Walter Brafford, commander, Naval Medical Forces Development Command and chief of the Navy Dental Corps, graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry. Brafford kicked off the week by returning to his former campus to speak with deans and students about current Navy scholarship programs and medical career paths.
During a sit down with UMKC health recruitment leaders, BUMED and academic leadership discussed Navy partnerships and resources for students, such as the Health Professions Scholarship Program.
“The HSPS program provides monetary benefits, such as graduating from school debt-free, and after serving the amount of time they paid for, students have the opportunity to take advantage of getting into a residency, post-doctoral, or furthering education,” said Brafford. “We are here to let you know what we can do for your students to ensure they have access to the information.”
Navy Medicine staff visited several schools in the Kansas City area, including Oak Park High School, Staley High School and Shawnee Heights High School. BUMED guest speakers met and participated in Q&A sessions with 11th and 12th-grade students in the Kansas City College and Career Pathways Program.
“Engaging with high school is crucial for the Hospital Corps and Navy Medicine, as it helps to inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals,” added Master Chief Philip Jean-Gilles, command master chief, Naval Medical Research Command.
Bethany Kent, a teacher for the biomed strand and college medical interventions classes at Oak Park High School, expressed excitement at having a medical professional speak to her students.
“The speakers were so approachable and could guide the students to decide what they will do next,” Kent said. “I am so relieved that the speakers have been able to provide insight on what a career in health looks like and the different opportunities that students have.”
Students from Kent’s class asked questions about whether it would be better to go to college first or join the Navy, the benefits of joining the Navy and where people in the Navy travel to.
“I did not know that the Navy had doctors and nurses,” noted Kayla, an 11th grader in Kent’s medical interventions class. “Traveling around the world would be so cool, and I would like to go to new places.”
Capt. Shauna O’Sullivan, a board-certified internal medicine and rheumatology physician and the career planner and recruitment and retention lead for the Medical Corps, graduated in 2003 from Kansas City University’s University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine. She had the opportunity to speak to students and faculty at her alma mater during Navy Week.
“It was rewarding to return and witness the extensive changes on campus, along with the new programs and opportunities available for healthcare professionals,” said O’Sullivan. “I have cherished memories of the outstanding teachers who gave me an excellent education.
Kansas City University provides education and training to future providers, expanding their knowledge beyond the traditional classrooms.
After the tour of campus and facilities, BUMED representatives visited the university’s cutting-edge Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) lab, where there was an ongoing session on therapeutic techniques on the neck, giving students medicine hands on experience and a tool for their therapeutic toolkit.
“My medical training at KCU equipped me with the tools for success in my clinical rotations and ultimately helped me complete my residency and fellowship training,” O’Sullivan added.
Following the tours, BUMED visitors sat with the Students Association of Military Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons to answer questions on being an officer, Navy career tracks and whether they could remain clinicians as they advanced in rank.
“The interactions we have with students during events like Kansas City Navy Week not only benefit the students—they also enrich our own understanding of the upcoming generation’s perspectives and aspirations,” said Jean-Gilles. “It’s a mutually beneficial exchange that strengthens our connection to the community and helps cultivate future healthcare leaders."
The KCU students were also interested in hearing the direct benefits of the Navy.
“Overall, the key advantages of serving in Navy Medicine include autonomy in clinical practice, universal patient access, free health and dental care, retirement plans, the ability to transfer educational benefits to family members, paid vacation, maternal and paternal leave policies and equitable pay,” stated O’Sullivan.
On the final day of Navy Week, Navy Medicine joined the rotary club of 13 volunteers at Project C.U.R.E., a distributor of donated medical supplies, equipment, and services to doctors and nurses in more than 135 developing countries.
Navy Medicine volunteers to sort and prepare donated healthcare equipment to be shipped to hospitals and clinics in source-limited countries.
“As Navy service members, we are not only giving support through our time and efforts, but we are also gaining understanding and experiences of the problems facing the rest of the U.S. and the rest of the world,” said Pyle.
The volunteer event took place at the Kansas City Warehouse located in Hunt Midwest Sub Tropolis, BUMED helped prepare a shipment of medical supply and equipment to medical facilities in Ethiopia.
“Outreach programs in cities like Kansas City are vital for fostering community connections and increasing awareness of Navy Medicine’s contributions to the community,” Jean-Gilles concluded. “These initiatives allow us to showcase the valuable services we provide while emphasizing the Navy’s commitment to serving communities nationwide.”
Since 2005, America’s Navy has come home to up to 15 cities across the country every year. The Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s principal outreach effort into areas of the nation without a significant Navy presence, with over 300 Navy Weeks held in 95 different U.S. cities.
Navy Medicine, represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals, provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea and ashore.