Air Force doctor joins White House summit Published April 29, 2016 By Madigan staff Madigan Public Affairs Office MADIGAN -- An Air Force doctor currently based at Madigan joined in a White House summit on April 13 to take part in discussions centered on supporting military-connected students. Lt. Col. Eric Flake, Madigan’s Program Director of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, served as one of ten moderators for the Operation Educate the Educators conference, which is a part of the larger Joining Forces initiative from First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden. “They’ve been tremendously successful in getting community resources and educators all to the table to talk about military children,” said Flake. At the summit, he served as just one of three military representatives amongst a mix of participants from universities, researchers, the Parent-Teacher Association and other experts in fields tied to education and military children. Flake’s volunteer work with the non-profit organization Military Child Education Coalition as a part of their scientific advisory board got him the invite to represent Madigan and the Air Force at the event. “It was an honor to be invited to the White House and to be the moderator for a team of experts to help provide an insight that may help school educators be more aware to support military children,” Flake said. He led a working group that created action plans focusing on what their own institutions could do to further support for military children and how they could influence achievement of the greater Operation Educate the Educator goals in the larger academic community. As one of the only medical professionals there, Flake expressed how school nurses could also be instructed on how to be sensitive if military kids begin to exhibit physical complaints of stress. He also shared concerns that teachers need support too when they see a high turnover of students due to military moves or deployments. In addition, Flake emphasized that the Performance Triad can be an aid for students, encouraging educators to be “acutely aware of children’s diet, exercise, and their sleep.” He especially emphasized the role recess plays in kids’ wellbeing. The Operation Educate the Educator summit also discussed the importance of educators knowing that military children face unique challenges, are resilient, and bring many positive traits to school as well.“The more the educators are aware of the unique experiences military children contribute to the classroom, the better education military-connected children are going to get,” said Flake. He also got the opportunity to speak to Biden at the summit, thanking her for co-sponsoring with First Lady Michelle Obama the Joining Forces initiative, which supports collaborations between the community and schools and the military. Overall, the conference focused on resiliency, the need for more research, the importance of recognizing the diversity of military families, and how the government can legislatively support military-connected students, according to the White House website. “Everyone here today has stepped up to make a real difference, but going forward we must challenge ourselves to do even more,” said Biden during her presentation at the summit. “There’s more that must be done to raise awareness for teaching training as well as reaching all of those teachers already in the classroom.” She asked the universities to commit to including the military child into their curriculums, and to dedicate more research to military-connected kids, which could impact children throughout the United States. Flake echoed the importance of this support for military children. “I think we all owe it to our military families and children to join forces and continue to support military families in the way that they need it. For kids, that’s supporting them during their most formative years when they’re in school,” he said. “To me, that’s part of keeping the promise we make as U.S. citizens.”