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Proceedings of the DoD Symposium: DoD Entomology: Global, Diverse, and Improving Public Health
Download the Proceedings in PDF Format (If you would like a hardcopy of this document, please contact us)
Since 2001, the Armed Forces Pest Management Board (AFPMB) has organized a symposium on some aspect of military entomology at the annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America. The 2010 meeting was held at the Town and Country Conference Center, San Diego, California, and our symposium was held on Tuesday, 14 December.
The theme of the 2010 symposium was “DoD Entomology: Global, Diverse, and Improving Public Health,” with the intent of showing the diversity of non-entomology work performed by military entomologists, the worldwide impact of military entomology, and the positive impact military entomology has on improving public health in developing countries. The adaptability of military entomologists and the ability to lead and function in occupational
areas not even closely related to entomology is one of many strengths found in the military entomology corps.
Lt Col Mark Breidenbaugh began the symposium with an unscheduled presentation on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico during the summer of 2010. This event occurred after deadlines for presentation submissions, but we were able to work this important talk into the symposium by minimizing the moderator and director’s comments. Lt Col Breidenbaugh explained how entomological spray assets were used to apply oil-degrading treatments to contaminated areas in the Gulf of Mexico and thereby reduce the effects of the oil spill.
LTC Sonya Schleich discussed entomologists working outside the field of entomology and the types of work they did. Some worked with non-vector disease programs, commanded laboratories that processed human samples, worked issues related to water quality, procured medical equipment, trained foreign public health personnel, or commanded an overseas medical research laboratory.
COL Scott Gordon and LCDR Peter Obenauer discussed how US military medical entomologists built new partnerships in Africa to reduce the impact of vector-borne disease on that continent.
MAJ Kendra Lawrence, LT Ephraim Ragasa, Maj Stephen Wolf, Dr. Terry Klein, and Dr. Amy Morrison presented a series of papers discussing the work and impact of DoD programs and projects in the former USSR, Afghanistan, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and Peru. Their work, like that of COL Gordon and LCDR Obenauer, attempted to defeat disease and bring stability to large areas of the world.
To close the session, LCDR Jeffrey Stancil told of his experience on the USS Comfort and its response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti in early 2010. LCDR Stancil’s presentation is perfectly in keeping with the theme of this symposium. It’s global (Haiti), diverse (working a non-entomology job), and served to improve the immediate medical and, later, public health of a people in crisis.
My sincerest thanks to LTC William Sames, Chief of the AFPMB’s Operations Division, for organizing and moderating this symposium, and for compiling, editing, and coordinating the completion of these proceedings. I also thank Lt Col David Bowles and Dr. Richard Robbins for their reviewing and editing of these proceedings.