Lieutenant General (Ret). Mark A. Ediger, MD- From Rural Family Medicine Physician to Flight Surgeon to Air Force Surgeon General

     In this episode you will hear Dr. Ediger talk about what led him from an early career as a Rural Family Medicine Doc to join the Air Force to become a Flight Surgeon.  He provides a behind the scenes look at what it is like to train to become a Flight Surgeon in the Air Force and support a fighter aircraft squadron.  He relates his experiences while serving as Command Surgeon for the Air Force Special Operations Command during the attack on 9/11.   He deployed to Iraq as Commander of the 363rd Expeditionary Medical Group and shares some of the unique challenges of preparing for and then supporting Forces invading Iraq.  He describes how the Air Force was able to adeptly handle a significant amount of en route medical care from the battlefield all the way back to the United States.   Leveraging lessons learned from his experiences in military aviation, he was able to improve communication and safety within Air Force Medicine modeling processes after high reliable organization principles. He talks about his experiences as the Air Force Surgeon General planning for major military medical transformation which would be mandated by the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act in the midst of evolving requirements for deployment medical support.     Dr. Ediger shares many insights and lessons learned over a distinguished career and provides some valuable advice for all listeners.  You don’t want to miss this episode!     Find out more about Dr. Ediger at wardocspodcast.com/guest-bios and visit our webpage and become part of Team WarDocs at wardocspodcast.com.     Please take a moment to follow/subscribe, rate and review WarDocs on your preferred Podcast venue.   Follow Us on Social Media Twitter: @wardocspodcast Facebook: WarDocs Podcast Instagram: @wardocspodcast