USU Enlisted-to-Physician Program Celebrates 10-Year Milestone
Established in 2014 by the Uniformed Services University, the Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program marks 10 years of transforming enlisted service members into physicians
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On May 17, 2024, members of EMDP2 cohort 10 were commissioned as officers in their respective services in preparation for their entrance into medical school. Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Mary K. Izaguirre, administered the Oath of Office to the new officers. (Photo credit: Tom Balfour) |
June 25, 2024 by Hadiyah Brendel
Ten years ago Joseph Merfeld, an enlisted Air Force staff sergeant and manpower analyst at LIttle Rock Air Force Base, Ark., was moving his family’s belongings from base housing into a home off base when he noticed his boss walking across the street towards him. Merfeld asked if he’d come to help him move.
”No, I was actually looking for a doctor,” his boss responded, smiling. Merfeld replied, “Well, there’s a
possibility of that…maybe,” to which his supervisor said, “No, there’s a good possibility. Congratulations.” And that’s how Merfeld learned he had been accepted into the Uniformed Services University’s (USU) Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program (EMDP2).
This year marks a decade since EMDP2’s establishment. The program serves a unique and vital purpose: helping dedicated enlisted service members, regardless of military profession or medical experience, transition into a career in military medicine.
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2024 marks a decade since EMDP2's establishment. On December 17th, 2014, EMDP2 was implemented to help dedicated enlisted service members transition into a career into military medicine. (USU photo) |
Dr. Charles Rice, then-USU President, worked with the Services to identify ways to help further diversify the School of Medicine applicant pool. Rice reasoned that the enlisted ranks were much more diverse than the officer corps or the college graduates who were applying, and knew that there were enlisted members who had college degrees, but not in the sciences. If the University could help them “get heavy in the sciences,” they could very likely be educated to become competitive for admission to medical school. According to Rice, the University wanted potential candidates to be nominated by the Services, from whom USU would select. “When I presented the idea to the Surgeons General, [former Air Force SG, then-Lt.Gen.] Tom Travis immediately said, ‘the Air Force is all in.’" The Army and Navy later followed suit. Retired Army Command Sergeant Major Althea Green later became the EMDP2 program director, which she successfully led for approximately nine years.
“I was actually dreaming about a program like the EMDP2 while I was still serving on active duty in the Army. During my time in military medicine, I'd met lots of talented, motivated, enlisted service members who had aspirations to become physicians. Unfortunately, their many responsibilities (military, family, life) just got in the way of those goals,” Green says. “I met Dr. Charles Rice, then USU's president, during my tenure as the Senior Enlisted Advisor for Army Medicine. In those days, Dr. Rice would invite me and my sister-service counterparts to USU and the main conversation was about developing a program to help enlisted members get into medical school. I was so excited at our first meeting that I almost jumped across the conference table in the BOR Conference Room! When I later updated my boss, Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, he was almost as excited as I was.”
Green says “fast-forward a few years and a few more meetings at USU” and she retired from the Army in early 2012. That summer, she heard that USU was ready to start the EMDP2 and was looking for a program director, so she applied for the job. Green was selected and began her duties in November.
“I had to hit the ground running. When I moved into my office I was presented with a one-page concept paper. That's when I realized I had a lot of work to do; but hard work never scared me. I was excited and honored to be part of this program that would provide extraordinary opportunities for enlisted people and their families. I knew EMDP2 was about to change healthcare, military healthcare, and change lives for the better.” Green served as director until July 2022.
EMDP2 is a two-year, full-time program designed for enlisted personnel who demonstrate academic potential and a strong desire to serve their country in the medical field. USU launched EMDP2 in 2014 to open doors to medicine for underrepresented groups and first-generation medical students. EMDP2 equips service members with the academic foundation and practical skills needed to excel in medical school applications.
Since its inception, USU has partnered with George Mason University’s College of Science in Manassas, Va., to administer the program. The program includes premedical coursework, primarily at GMU, and MCAT preparation. USU coordinates the clinical experience, mentorship, and pre-health advising from expert advisors, all while EMDP2 students remain on active duty, drawing their existing salary and benefits.
Green notes that getting the program itself established is among her most notable memories.
“We were simultaneously designing the program structure and curriculum, coordinating with the military services on application procedures, and managing inquiries from interested servicemembers, all while going through the funding allocation process! It was a nerve-wracking time - like building an airplane while it's in flight,” she says.
Another was building the first and second EMDP2 student cohorts.
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Since 2014, 188 students have completed the program, 161 matriculated into medical school, and 57–including 16 members of the Class of 2024–have completed their medical degrees and entered careers in military medicine. (Photo credit: Tom Balfour) |
“We needed at least two of the Services on board to start the program, so, the first cohort had 10 students from the Air Force and Army. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Tundra, who was chief of the Medical Enlisted force, was the lead for the Air Force, and she was simply a force of nature,” Green says. “The Air Force was the first service to commit. We knew the Army was coming on board but didn't get an official commitment from them until 30 days before the semester started. The second cohort had 12 students, including two Marines in addition to five Soldiers and five Airmen. We were almost out of time when the Marine Corps leadership decided to commit. The soldiers in the first cohort received only 30 days' notice, and while there were some challenges, that timeline was workable. The Marine Corps’ response was if the Army did it in 30 days, the Marines could do it in seven! And they did. Both Marines graduated and are now physicians: one is in Air Force emergency medicine and the other is in Navy family medicine.”
Once everyone was in place, an implementation ceremony was held in December 2014. All the key individuals who were instrumental in getting EMDP2 established were there: USU leadership, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Service SGs, George Mason University leadership, and Cohort 1 members. Students were presented with “plank owner” awards to signify their roles as the first to be part of this new endeavor.
Green stays in touch with many of the EMDP2 program graduates. “I think of them as my mentees and protegees and I enjoy getting news about what's happening in their lives. We communicate by phone, texts, Facebook messages, cards, etc. I especially love the pictures of their kids,” she says.
After learning of his acceptance, Merfeld, one of Green’s Cohort 1 students, said it felt like a “pinch me” type of moment. He believed it would offer him and his family a bright future. “I think it’s the best opportunity for my family, but I think it’s also going to prepare me the best as a future physician,” he said in 2014.
Now, a decade later, Merfeld says EMDP2 provided him the opportunity to pursue a career field he didn’t even think was feasible. He completed the program in 2016, entered medical school at USU, and graduated with his M.D. degree in 2020. He later completed an internship, followed by a flight surgery tour at Scott Air Force, Illinois. In 2023, now-Capt. Merfeld returned to USU to pursue a residency program in general preventive medicine.
“It has given me the opportunity to serve my country as a medical officer and leader, provide for family and future, and impact those in need of medical care,” he says. Merfeld advises if becoming a physician and medical officer in the military is your goal, there is no better route for an enlisted member than the EMDP2. “All qualified applicants should apply regardless of race, gender, background, religion or creed. Accessions should be based on aptitude for medicine and ability to lead as an officer; merit is key. Each person should strive for excellence and respect their fellow man or woman,” he adds. “Each time I counsel or advise future EMDP2 candidates, I have a frank discussion. It is a rewarding pursuit, but a long road,” he emphasizes.
"This military physician pathway program is a unique opportunity to create the next generation of leaders in medicine," says EMDP2 director and assistant dean for Pathways and Recruitment Dr. Lisa Harris. “The years of operational experiences combined with the diverse backgrounds of each student ensures USU continues to lead in health equity as we maintain medical readiness of the armed forces."
EMDP2 attracts motivated enlisted personnel, with an average rank ranging from E-4 to E-8. Many bring valuable life experiences, with about 50% having been deployed. The program recognizes the unique strengths and experiences of these individuals. After completing EMDP2, participants become commissioned officers in their respective services and matriculate into the Hebert School of Medicine at USU or a civilian medical school via the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program.
For Army Capt. Steven Capen, EMDP2 in one word is an ‘opportunity’. “It is an opportunity for enlisted service members who would otherwise not have the time or option to take prerequisite courses, to pursue their dream of becoming a physician. The program itself provides every opportunity for aspiring physicians to succeed in medical school and beyond. It is an opportunity for individuals with real-world leadership experience to shape the future of military medicine,” he says.
Capen learned of his acceptance into the program in 2014 while a sergeant working as a medic in charge of setting up a Role II field hospital. Capen and his company were working a field problem, and he was sitting inside “a grungy old tent” when he received a cell phone call congratulating him on his acceptance into EMDP2.
“I jumped out screaming and hollering and I ran around the tent,” Capen says.
His interest in medicine led him to volunteer at local hospitals after high school, and in college he majored in biochemistry and volunteered as an emergency medical technician. He decided to enlist in the Army and continue to serve as a medic but felt he could do more.
Starting the program felt like he won the lottery, Capen says. He was newly married with a two-month-old son at the start of EMDP2. “This program takes care of me and my family and you can’t beat the end goal of being a good doctor,” he said at the time.
Capen is currently finishing his final year of residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. Recently selected for a fellowship in dermatopathology at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, he will soon return to the Maryland area.
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The Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program at the Uniformed Services University celebrates its 10th anniversary with the commissioning ceremony of cohort 10 on May 17th. The EMDP2 serves a unique and vital purpose: helping dedicated enlisted service members, regardless of career field or medical experience, transition into military medicine.(Photo credit: Tom Balfour) |
Air Force Capt. Kenneth Johnson, an EMDP2 and USU School of Medicine classmate of Merfeld and Capen, said it was a lifelong dream of his to attend medical school. As a child, he told his grandmother he would one day do mission work in Central America, yet the chance to attend medical school seemed out of reach. He wanted to apply after high school to a program but didn’t have the necessary prerequisites. Then, after enlisting in the Air Force and working as a lab technician, he considered leaving the service and attending medical school full-time. His wife supported his goal, but they had two children at the time and it wasn’t the right move for their family. So when Johnson learned about the EMDP2 program through another service member who saw it on the Air Force Knowledge Exchange, he was ecstatic.
Having a chance to go to medical school, in addition to getting paid, is not something a lot of people have a chance to do, Johnson said in 2014. “However, being an enlisted member continuing my service – having nine years in and being able to continue my service – without getting out is unbelievable,” he added.
Johnson is currently a fourth-year general psychiatry resident in San Antonio, Texas. Afterward, he will follow as the psychiatry consultant and liaison officer-in-charge at Brooke Army Medical Center. Being accepted into the EMDP2 program was “a means to change the course of my life forever,” says Johnson now. “It has allowed me to elevate my family to a level that I didn’t think was available through the military. It has been the ignition to a blazing journey of helping others through their darkest moments,” he continues.
Johnson encourages future EMDP2 students “to use the opportunity for everything it offers. If you’re trying to make it, keep pushing and never give up,” he says.
Since 2014, 188 students have completed the EMDP2 program, 161 matriculated into medical school, and 57 – including 16 members of the Class of 2024 – have completed their medical degrees and entered careers in military medicine.
On May 17, 2024, approximately 25 members of EMDP2 cohort 10 were commissioned as officers in their respective services in preparation for their entrance into medical school, and 15 will matriculate to USU. Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Mary K. Izaguirre administered the Oath of Office to the new officers.
As the EMDP2 program enters its next decade, it remains dedicated to its mission of creating an opportunity for underserved and first-generation medical students to join a ready-force of skilled military physicians.
“The EMDP2 is a phenomenal program that capitalizes on the skills, talents and potential of the enlisted corps,” says Green. “I'm proud and honored to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this novel program.”
To learn more about the EMDP2 program, and to apply for the next cohort, visit https://medschool.usuhs.edu/academics/emdp2.
