GoArmy.com > Medical Service Corps

When you join the Army Health Care Team, you become part of a committed team of Health Care professionals who have the same goals that you do. The collaborative environment you'll encounter may be unmatched in the civilian sector. You'll be surrounded by peers, not competitors, as you work alongside dedicated medical professionals.

Meet some members of the Medical Service Corps Team in the videos above, as they talk about their experiences being a part of the Army Health Care Team.

	Captain Lisa O'Brien Entomologist - Fort Sam Houston, TX Formerly a professor of Biology at Texas A&M International University, Captain O'Brien chose the Army for the challenging opportunities and overwhelming benefits it presented, but also because, "First and foremost, the Army's a fun job."
	Captain Eugene Handza Pharmacist (Reserve) - Fresno, CA Currently the Chief of Pharmacy at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Fresno, California, Captain Handza has been with the VA for almost ten years. "I think the Army Reserve offers many opportunities that you wouldn't have otherwise."

	My name is Captain Lisa O'Brien. I'm a 72-Bravo—that is an Entomologist.
	I'm currently stationed at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. I joined the Army for a variety of reasons, mostly change and challenge.
	I was a professor of biology at Texas A&M International University. I felt fairly limited by the types of classes that I was teaching and I was also fairly confined by my Ph.D. research, and in the Army I have more opportunities to go out and really expand my skills.
	The Army uses leading-edge technology in its research very heavily. We're involved in a lot of things, particularly in entomology, in trying to determine what insects actually carry diseases.
	One of the prime examples of very nice technology that we're currently using is a malaria antigen test. In this case, soldiers in the field can grind up insects and determine whether they have the malaria plasmodium present or not.
	We're also developing PCR (gene-splitting machine) techniques to identify insects so our soldiers can go out in the field and determine whether the bugs that are biting them carry diseases or not.
	We conduct a lot of research in such things as repellents, particularly with interest for developing new products that are not as harmful to the environment, to people, to pets and to wildlife. We also conduct a broad variety of research on specific vector-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever and leishmaniasis. These are all particularly important to the military because they can be mission-stoppers—they can truly debilitate Soldiers.
	There are a lot of exciting technologies that are coming down the pipeline in the future such as the Land Warrior System. We envision being able to use it in entomology to uplink information via satellite and then in return, get rapid, immediate identification of insects and diseases.