JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
Revised from BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES CORPS "Hands Across Time" (1965 - 1999) by Rocky D. Calcote
The Air Force recognizes the achievements of the men and women who comprise the Biomedical Sciences Corps (BSC) by designating 26 - 30 January 2015, as BSC Appreciation Week. This year is noteworthy as it marks the 50th Anniversary of the BSC.
If you have ever had an appointment at a base clinic or hospital, chances are you have met a BSC officer. The BSC is the third largest of five corps in the AF Medical Service. With 2,400 officers, supported by 5,800 enlisted members in parallel career fields, BSC members can be found at 81 locations around the world and in multiple settings. The BSC encompasses physical therapy, optometry, podiatry, physician assistants, audiology, speech pathology, clinical psychology, clinical social work, occupational therapy, aerospace and operational physiology, dietetics, bioenvironmental engineers, public health, medical entomology, pharmacy, biomedical laboratory, healthcare facilities architects/engineers and health & medical physics.
"In addition to specialty roles within our military treatment facilities, BSC officers are embedded within operational units, serve at every level of medical command, and lead on staffs of the MAJCOMs, Forward Operating Agencies, and Headquarters Air Force. Additionally, the Biomedical Sciences Corps is heavily invested in research and a host of other vital roles to meet the demands of the Air Force mission," said Lt. Col. Glenn Laird, Senior Biomedical Corps Executive, 779th Medical Group (779 MDG).
The diversity of specialties may seem unusual for a corps, but its history explains how the BSC came into its present form.
"The BSC has its roots in the Army with a long history dating back to World War I. In 1917, Congress established the Army Sanitary Corps, a reserve unit activated only during war and national emergency. Most of these officers were experts in their respective scientific and health-related specialties such as industrial hygiene and entomology, and the Corps' mission was to fight infectious diseases," stated Lt. Col. Jeannette Watterson, 779 MDG Laboratory Flight Commander.
Upon the end of World War I, the Sanitary Corps was essentially demobilized. A few years later in 1920, the specialties previously within the Sanitary Corps were incorporated into the Army Medical Administrative Corps (MAC). Within the next two decades, MAC's mission and reach into allied health fields grew to include pharmacists, biochemists, and physiologists among other specialties. During World War II, the Sanitary Corps was again mobilized and populated by the specialists from the MAC.
In the early and mid- 1940s, many corps changes occurred. The Army Dietetics Corps and Women's Medical Specialist Corps (WMSpC, composed of occupational and physical therapists) were established to create military positions for these specialties instead of filling the positions with civil servants. The two corps eventually combined under the WMSpC. In addition, the Army Pharmacy Corps branched from MAC secondary to growth and scope of their mission.
"Even more changes emanated from the 1947 National Security Act," said Lt. Col. Watterson.
As a result of massive drawdowns in the military after World War II, the Army Medical Service Corps was created with officers from the WMSpC, MAC, Army Pharmacy Corps, and the Army Sanitary Corps. Moreover, the United States Air Force was established as a separate service; however, the Air Force did not have its own medical services and depended on the Army until 1949 when the Air Force Medical Service (AFMS) was authorized. Major General Malcolm C. Grow, the namesake of the Joint Base Andrews clinic, was the first Air Force Surgeon General. More than 5,100 personnel were transferred from the Army to the Air Force, including many from the Army Medical Service Corps.
The new AFMS was composed of six corps: medical, dental, nurse, veterinary, women's medical specialist, and medical service. The WMSpC included occupational therapists, physical therapists, and dietitians; the WMSpC eventually allowed men to join and became the Medical Specialists Corps. The Medical Service Corps (MSC) contained the scientific/technical specialists and administrators/logisticians including optometrists, pharmacists, laboratory officers, industrial hygiene engineers, entomologists, aerospace physiologists, health physicists, social workers, psychologists and medical administrators and logisticians.
The exponential growth and demand of allied health care as well as the complexity of hospital management and logistics within the confines of the single MSC decreased mission effectiveness and personnel utilization, training, progression, and retention. As such, studies were conducted demonstrating the need for separate corps for the scientific and engineering elements of the MSC. As a result, the BSC was officially created as a separate entity from the MSC and merged with the Medical Specialist Corps on 15 March 1965 with Colonel Alvin F. Meyer Jr. as the first appointed Corps Chief. The MSC became a corps of medical administrators and medical logisticians.
To date, the BSC's mission is to enhance Air Force combat capability and effectiveness by providing world-class customer service and scientific expertise, resulting in peak force performance, productivity, and quality healthcare to our beneficiary population. Comprised of 15 primary specialty codes, the BSC is the most diverse corps in the Air Force Medical Service. Capitalizing on their breadth of expertise, the BSC motto is: United in the Mission. Over the past 50 years, the BSC continued to expand its range of personnel to include a wide variety of medically-trained professionals.
Please join the Air Force in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Biomedical Sciences Corps and recognizing the contributions of these outstanding men and women who dedicate their lives to improving health, maximizing performance, and providing trusted medical care to support our most vital resource, our Airmen.