Page 122 - JSOM Fall 2022

An Ongoing Series
An Ongoing Series

Critical Competencies of Military Embedded
Health and Performance Professionals
The “Culture General” Approach

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Rachel A. Chamberlin, PhD, MPH *; Rory McCarthy, PhD ; Travis Lunasco, PsyD ;
Gloria H. Park, PhD, MAPP ; Patricia A. Deuster, PhD, MPH, FACSM 5
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ABSTRACT
Human performance teams (HPT) delivering a wide range of Introduction
services within military unit communities serve as a model for
advancing business practices in support of the 2018 National Military embedded health and performance professionals
Defense Strategy. Relatively new, the demand for these em­ services trace their origins back as early as 1862, during the
bedded professionals continues to grow in response to its fa­ American Civil War, in which battlefield services and medi­
vorable proximity, community­based design, operationalized cal personnel were revolutionized in response to the rapidly
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delivery system, and adaptive business practices. Recruited shifting needs of combat operations. Favored for their prox­
from a variety of disciplines, specialties, and experiences, it imity and modified delivery systems, embedded professionals
has become apparent that many do not possess formal train­ continue to serve as force multipliers and are charged with
ing or the experience requisite for embedded service delivery. preserving the health and capabilities of diverse career field
Such training is needed to deliver community­based services, members to execute their mission essential tasks. In response
culturally adapt their professional skills, and/or work with the to their building success, the demand for these embedded pro­
US military and its Servicemembers. Given the steep learning fessionals continues to grow. To address this need, the military
curve in transitioning from a conventional delivery model to has recruited civilian professionals from an array of health and
the military embedded model, even newly minted military performance disciplines. While these civilian professionals are
health and performance professionals may be underprepared experts in their own disciplines, they are often not fully pre­
when they arrive at their assigned military unit communities. pared for the demands of embedded practice in a military con­
In this article, we examine the military’s embedded health and text. Similarly, military health and performance professionals
performance service delivery model. We add specific focus may experience challenges integrating their services into oper­
on those critical “embedded” professional competencies and ational communities and contexts.
skills foundational to establishing and sustaining thriving ser­
vice delivery. We then offer strategies and tools collected from Military embedded health and performance service delivery
embedded health and performance professionals currently is unique in comparison to conventional delivery systems,
serving in military unit communities across the Department of requiring additional competencies specific to delivering ser­
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Defense (DoD). Finally, we provide a rationale for the need for vices within military unit communities. Whereas some
embedded competency training to improve the preparedness community­engaged professions (e.g., anthropologists, ethnog­
of professionals who are currently serving, will be serving, or raphers, health education specialists, etc.) intentionally learn
have a general interest in serving as an embedded professional community­based competencies as a part of their educational
within DoD military unit communities. programs, many universities training conventional health and
performance professionals do not. In addition, there is limited
availability of curricula and training opportunities to provide
Keywords: professional embedded competencies; human per-
formance teams; human performance optimization; culturally a depth of understanding of military and unit cultures. As a
competent care; mission readiness result, civilian professionals and newly minted military health
professionals who are being employed to serve as part of em­
bedded health and performance teams may experience a steeper

*Correspondence to rachel.chamberlin.ctr@usuhs.edu
1 Dr Rachel A. Chamberlin is the senior anthropologist and a human performance optimization (HPO) integrator, Dr Rory McCarthy is a re­
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searcher and cultural anthropologist, Dr Travis Lunasco is the senior HPO integrator, Dr Gloria H. Park is the director of performance psychol­
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ogy, and Dr Patricia A. Deuster is the executive director at the Consortium for Health and Military Performance in the Department of Military
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and Emergency Medicine, Hébert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD.
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