The Yellow Berets. In a recent study on Vietnam War and Medical Research: Untold Legacy of the US Doctor Draft and the NIH Yellow Berets, Sandeep Khot, Bulun Park, and W.T. Jr. Longstreth, indicate that from the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 through the end of the Vietnam War in 1973, many American physicians were inducted into military service through the Doctor Draft. Some fulfilled their obligations by conducting clinical research in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Associate Training Programme (ATP) and later labelled themselves “Yellow Berets.” The authors examined the history of the ATP and its influence on NIH associates' future careers. Via interviews with former associates and archival research, those authors (all from the Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington) explored the training and collaboration in the ATP during 1953–1973. Using databases, they compared later academic positions of associates with those of non-associate peers who also entered academia and identified associates with prestigious awards or honouurary society memberships. The authors found that the physician–scientists trained in the selective ATP were highly qualified individuals, who received training and networking opportunities not available to others. They were approximately 1.5 times as likely as non-associates to become a full professor, twice as likely to become chair of a department, and three times as likely to become a dean. Associates were also more likely to hold positions at top-ranked medical schools, to fill leadership roles in the NIH, and to win prestigious awards and honorary society memberships. The authors concluded that the cadre of physician–scientists trained in the ATP during the Doctor Draft rose through the academic ranks to leadership roles and continued their productive scientific collaborations. Their legacy continues to have implications for medical research today, particularly for training programs in clinical research. Lt. Col. Louis Winkler, MD, USA (Ret), former Brigade Surgeon, 173rd Abn Bde said: "The final lesson of Vietnam must be that there is a need for physicians who are well trained in both field and clinical medicine – specialists in combat medicine – to serve as brigade/division/corps surgeons. It is illogical to expect a fully trained pediatrician, internist, or surgeon with only the basic medical officer course to function in this capacity.” “A highly motivated physician will learn his duties on the job, but this is neither optimal nor effective. In order to insure that physicians are prepared for these tasks, formal recognition should be given to the specialty of Combat Medicine just as for Aviation Medicine and Preventive Medicine,” added Winkler. “A training programme and career pattern should be established. This specialty should be encouraged in time of peace as well as times of conflict. Only this way will the lessons learned in Vietnam not have to be relearned in the next conflict," Winkler pointed out. Dear Egyptian Mail readers, Your comments and/or contributions are welcome. We promise to publish whatever is deemed publishable at the end of each series of articles. [email protected]
