Eric B. Schoomaker

MD, PhD

Department of Primary Appointment:
School of Medicine
Military and Emergency Medicine
Title
Professor Emeritus
Location: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Research Interests:
Leader and Leadership Education and Development
Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management
Office Phone

Education

EDUCATION

1999-2000 U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA
Degree: Masters in Strategic Studies

1978-1979 Fellow in Hematology/Oncology (PGY3); Hematology/Oncology Division, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

1977-1978 Junior Assistant Resident in Medicine (PGY2); Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

1976-1977 Intern in Medicine (PGY1); Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

1975-1979 University of Michigan Rackham School of Graduate Studies, Ann Arbor, MI
Degree: Ph.D. (Human Genetics)

1971-1975 University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI
Degree: M.D. (With Honors)

1966-1970 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Degree: B.S. (Zoology-Anthropology)

Biography

Eric B. Schoomaker, MD, PhD
Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (Retired)
Professor Emeritus
Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Former U.S. Army Surgeon General and
Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command

Prior to his retirement after 32 years of active service, Lieutenant General (Retired) Eric B. Schoomaker, MD, PhD served as the 42nd U.S. Army Surgeon General & Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command. He committed his career to meeting the health needs of soldiers, their families and veterans throughout the U.S., Europe and the Pacific, focusing on soldier medical readiness, enhancing battlefield care, establishing comprehensive behavioral healthcare, fostering a culture of trust, advancing comprehensive pain management, and promoting health by preventing combat wounds, injury and illness.

He is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Military & Emergency Medicine, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine at the nation’s only Federal health university, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) in Bethesda, MD. His principal interests are in both Complementary and Integrative Health & Medicine (CIHM) in the shift from a disease management-focused healthcare system to one more centered on the improvement and sustainment of health & well-being leading to optimal human performance. He promotes CIHM education and training for physicians and other health professionals, especially as they contribute to the management of acute and chronic pain. Doctor Schoomaker is also exploring the central importance of leadership education and training for health professionals, so as to realize USU’s vision as the nation’s “health leadership academy”.

Career Highlights: Positions, Projects, Deployements, Awards and Additional Publications

11/2014-04/2019 Professor and Vice-Chair for Leadership, Centers & Programs, Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), Bethesda, MD Serves as MEM Vice-Chair overseeing strategic focus and achievement of goals and objectives for MEM-centered Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program, three USU centers (Consortium for Health and Military Performance [CHAMP]; Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Man

4/2012-11/2014 Scholar-in-Residence, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD Served as full-time scholar for the Nation’s only Federal health university and academic health center and Special Projects Officer for the President of the University. Areas of scholarly inquiry and focused activity included evaluating the roles and missions of USU in achieving the larger Military Health System’s (MHS) strategic goal of enhancing the health & wellbeing of the Warrior and the Military

12/2007-12/2011 Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command & U.S. Army Surgeon General, Falls Church, VA, Washington, DC/ Ft. Sam Houston, TX Served as Army Surgeon General and Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command (USAMEDCOM). Principal leader for health and healthcare strategic development and execution for the U.S. Army. As the Surgeon General, served as the health and healthcare expert & advisor on the Army’s staff, advising the Secretary of the Army, the Army Chief of Staff, and other Army

3/2007-12/2007 Commanding General, Walter Reed Army Medical Center & North Atlantic Regional Medical Command, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC Commanded one of the U.S. Army Medical Command’s six regional medical commands, consisting of over 15 medical centers, community hospitals and health clinics in the northeast United States (NY, NJ, PA, MD, VA, NC, and KY). Commanded the principal teaching medical center (WRAMC) serving as one of two of the principal referral hospitals for the regiona

7/2005-3/2007 Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Research & Materiel Command and Commanding General, Fort Detrick, MD Commanded a global command of research laboratories, agencies and headquarters elements which oversees the life cycle development, testing, procurement and supply chain management of intellectual products and medical materiel in support of the U.S. Army and joint medical force—approximately 75% of all biomedical research & development in the Department of Defense.

7/2002-12/2006 Chief, U.S. Army Medical Corps (concurrently held with duties as CG, EAMC & SERMC and CG, USAMRMC and Ft. Detrick, MD) Served as the principal proponent for the recruitment, retention, career development, distribution and deployment of approximately 4300 physicians (Medical Corps officers) on active duty in the U.S. Army.

7/2002-6/2005 Commanding General, Eisenhower Army Medical Center & South East Regional Medical Command, Fort Gordon, GA Commanded one of the USAMEDCOM’s six regional medical commands consisting of 11 medical centers, community hospitals and health clinics in located in the southeast United States (SC, FL, GA, AL, MS, TN, KY, and Puerto Rico), providing care for approximately 500,000 soldiers, family members and retirees and retiree family members.

3/2001-6/2002 Commander, 30th Medical Brigade & Vth Corps Surgeon, Heidelberg, Germany Commanded a six battalion medical brigade for health protection and deployable health care delivery for the approximately 65,000 soldiers of the Vth U.S. Corps. Concurrently served as principal advisor on force health protection and deployment healthcare for the Commanding General, Vth U.S. Corps.

7/2000-3/2001 U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) Surgeon , United States Army Forces Command, Fort McPherson, GA Principal advisor to the Commanding General, U.S. Forces Command (USAFORSCOM) on all health and healthcare matters pertaining to the approximately 750,000 soldiers on USAFORSCOM installations and their families

7/1997 – 7/1999 Commander, Evans Army Community Hospital, Ft. Carson, CO Commanded a 195-bed Army community hospital with 7 independent troop medical outpatient clinics, 4 distant satellite occupational health clinics (UT and CO) serving a population of 70,000 health care beneficiaries (active duty military, family members, military retirees and their family members).

Representative Bibliography

1. FG O’Connor, N Grunberg, AL Kellermann, and EB Schoomaker (2015) Leadership Education and Development at the Uniformed Services University. Mil Med; 180, April Supplement: 147-152.

2. C Buckenmaier III, C Crawford, C Lee, E Schoomaker (2014) Are Active Self-Care Complementary and Integrative Therapies Effective for Management of Chronic Pain? A Rapid Evidence Assessment of the Literature and Recommendations for the Field. Pain Medicine; 15(Suppl 1).

3. PA Deuster and EB Schoomaker (2015). Mindfulness: A Fundamental Skill for Performance Sustainment and Enhancement. J Spec Oper Med; 15 (1): 93-99.

4. JK Gilman, M Wright, HC Lane, and EB Schoomaker (2014) A Model of Federal Interagency Cooperation: The National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research. Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice and Science; 12 (3): 144-150.

5. W Jonas and EB Schoomaker (2014) Pain and Opioids in the Military: We Must Do Better. Invited commentary in JAMA-Internal Medicine. http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1885985 accessed July 29, 2014.

6. K Ressler and EB Schoomaker (2014) Army STARRS: A Framingham-like Study of Psychological Health Risk Factors in Soldiers. Invited commentary in Psychiatry 77 (2): 120-129.

7. E Elster, EB Schoomaker and C Rice (2013) The Laboratory of War: How Military Trauma Care Advances are Benefiting Soldiers and Civilians. Health Affairs Blog http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2013/12/18/the-laboratory-of-war-how-military-trauma-care-advances-are-benefiting-soldiers-and-civilians/ accessed March 1, 2014.

8. E Schoomaker (2013) Complementary and Integrative Medicine: No Longer ‘Alternative’. Invited commentary for Psychiatric Annals 43(4): 178-179 http://www.healio.com/psychiatry/journals/psycann/%7Bd9cb2e3c-1dd1-44e7-bd28-2af82ddfe461%7D/complementary-and-integrative-medicine-no-longer-alternative# accessed 31 March 2014.

9. NE Grunberg, ES Barry, HG Kleber, JE McManigle, EB Schoomaker. Chapter: Seven Steps to Establish a Leader and Leadership Education and Development (L2EAD) Program. In M Clark (ed): Leadership Development Deconstructed. (Submitted for Publication)

10. H Tick and EB Schoomaker. Chapter: Transforming Pain Management Through the Integration of Complementary and Conventional Care. In R Carmona and M Liponis (eds) Integrative Preventive Medicine (Weil Integrative Medicine Library series). Oxford University Press, New York. (Submitted for publication)