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Relevance through medical adaptation: AFMEDCOM commander visits AFSOC mil-civ partnership at UAB Hospital

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Yasmeen Joachim Jordan
  • Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --  

Special Operations Medicine is unlike any other medical field and requires lifesaving skills under immense pressure often in remote, austere and hostile environments. To ensure SOF medics are properly trained, Air Force Special Operations Command fosters a Military-Civilian Partnership with the University of Alabama at Birmingham. This partnership was on full display during a visit by Lt. Gen. John J. DeGoes, U.S. Air Force Surgeon General and Air Force Medical Command commander, and Chief Master Sgt. James M. Woods, Chief of the Medical Enlisted Force and AFMEDCOM senior enlisted leader on June 17, 2026.

Established in 2006, the partnership between AFSOC and UAB Hospital has grown into a comprehensive medical training platform, preparing both officer and enlisted Special Operation Forces medical professionals through clinical, rotational, embedded and research programs.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for our SOF medics to work side-by-side with civilian medical professionals in a high-volume Level 1 trauma center,” said Col. Brad Brough, AFSOC Command Surgeon. “The experiences gained here makes each SOF medic more proficient in complex interventions in order to support USSOCOM missions. The experience cannot be overstated.”

Through the military-civilian partnership at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and SOCMID, an Air Force Special Operations Command medical training facility, officer and enlisted medical professionals receive high-volume training at a Level I trauma center to maintain a high level of readiness.

Relevance through medical adaptation: AFMEDCOM commander visits AFSOC mil-civ partnership at UAB Hospital

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. James M. Woods, right, Air Force Medical Command senior enlisted leader, engages with Special Operations Center for Medical Integration and Development leadership and the UAB Trauma medical director at the SOCMID training facility in Birmingham, Alabama, June 17, 2026. Through the military-civilian partnership at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and SOCMID, an Air Force Special Operations Command medical training facility, officer and enlisted medical professionals receive high-volume training at a Level I trauma center to maintain a high level of readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Yasmeen Joachim Jordan)
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SOCMID is an Air Force Special Operations Command medical training platform that operates in conjunction with the University of Alabama at Birmingham to provide vital training at the facility and high-level clinical rotations in a Level I trauma center, ensuring skill sustainment and maximizing the readiness of Air Commandos.

Relevance through medical adaptation: AFMEDCOM commander visits AFSOC mil-civ partnership at UAB Hospital

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John J. DeGoes, left, Air Force Medical Command commander, engages with U.S. Air Force Maj. Brian Ferguson, right, Special Operations Center for Medical Integration and Development director, to learn about the programs offered through the SOCMID facility in Birmingham, Alabama, June 17, 2026. SOCMID is an Air Force Special Operations Command medical training platform that operates in conjunction with the University of Alabama at Birmingham to provide vital training at the facility and high-level clinical rotations in a Level I trauma center, ensuring skill sustainment and maximizing the readiness of Air Commandos. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Yasmeen Joachim Jordan)
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Air Force Special Operations medics must meet U.S. Special Operations Command training and operational needs, which is why AFSOC and UAB Hospital have prioritized "relevance through adaptation," rapidly adapting programs to meet those evolving needs.

“We have had this partnership for two decades, offering military personnel the opportunity to grow their skill set in a civilian setting,” said Dr. Jeff Kerby, director of the Trauma and Acute Surgery Division.

Following the tour of UAB Hospital, AFMEDCOM leadership visited Special Operations Center for Medical Integration and Development. SOCMID is an AFSOC medical training platform that provides advanced skill sustainment for enlisted medical professionals by blending military medical advances with cutting-edge civilian resuscitative care.

Pararescuemen, Special Operations Independent Duty Medical Technicians, and Joint service personnel all train at SOCMID which can see upwards of 300 personnel each year and hosts multiple courses annually. Among the courses include clinical rotations that ensure SOF medics in peacetime remain expertly proficient.

“This is a unique platform, one of the fifth largest hospitals in America, as far as volume and complexity, great academic medicine, great facilities that’s continuing to grow. I see a lot of potential to bring some of our Air Force medics from multiple medical treatment facilities at Air Force bases that aren't getting to practice their full spectrum,” said DeGoes.

UAB is home to an AFSOC Military-Civilian Partnership that prioritizes special operations medical training and ensures United Sates Special Operations Command SOF medical standards.

Relevance through medical adaptation: AFMEDCOM commander visits AFSOC mil-civ partnership at UAB Hospital

U.S. Air Force Medical Command and Air Force Special Operations Command leadership teams walk to the University of Alabama hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, June 17, 2026. UAB is home to an AFSOC Military-Civilian Partnership that prioritizes special operations medical training and ensures United Sates Special Operations Command SOF medical standards. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Yasmeen Joachim Jordan)
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Touring the hospital provided the AFMEDCOM team with a deeper understanding of the high-volume training afforded to AFSOC medical professionals to ensure they maintain a high level of readiness required by special operations.

Relevance through medical adaptation: AFMEDCOM commander visits AFSOC mil-civ partnership at UAB Hospital

Dr. Daniel Cox, right, University of Alabama at Birmingham Trauma medical director and U.S. Air Force Reserve Air Force Special Operations Command senior medical advisor, explains the advantages of the UAB-AFSOC military-civilian partnership to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John J. DeGoes, left, Air Force Medical Command commander, during a tour of the hospital facilities in Birmingham, Alabama, June 17, 2026. Touring the hospital provided the AFMEDCOM team with a deeper understanding of the high-volume training afforded to AFSOC medical professionals to ensure they maintain a high level of readiness required by special operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Yasmeen Joachim Jordan)
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UAB Hospital is home to central Alabama’s only American College of Surgeons verified Level I Trauma Centers. This exposure to high-volume civilian trauma, emergency, and surgical units ensures when peacetime SOF medics deploy, their first time seeing a catastrophic injury in months is not on a remote battlefield.

“UAB’s purpose is to be clinically excellent,” said Dr. Daniel Cox, UAB trauma medical director and U.S. Air Force Reserve senior medical advisor. “These teams are who you need at a moment’s notice and they can go and do whatever clinical job you need them to do in austere environments” Impressed by the training, DeGoes stressed the importance of intentionally resourcing, developing, and nurturing the AFSOC-UAB partnership.

“I'd like to invest a little more in the cadre that are here now, the staff that are working at UAB, and leading some of the training as student groups come in from AFSOC to prepare them optimally for whatever the special operations community needs,” said DeGoes.

Remaining medically operationally ready any place, anytime, anywhere.