Interview with Major General David A. Rubenstein, FACHE, Commanding General of the US Army Medical Department Center and School, and Chief, US Army Medical Service Corps

Abstract

Major General David A. Rubenstein, FACHE, is the commanding general of the US Army Medical Department Center and School and chief of the US Army Medical Service Corps. He previously served as the Army deputy surgeon general and, prior to that, as the commanding general of Europe Regional Medical Command and command surgeon for US Army Europe and 7th Army.General Rubenstein is the recipient of numerous military awards and decorations. He has served as a Regent, Governor, and Chairman (2008-2009) of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is a member of ACHE's Counselors Committee and Voluntary Giving Committee.A graduate of Texas A&M University and the Army War College, he also earned a master's degree in health administration from Baylor University and a master's degree in military art and science from the Army's Command and General Staff College. He has twice been listed among Modem Healthcare magazine's 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare, was appointed an honorary graduate professor of healthcare administration at Baylor University, and received the Outstanding Federal Healthcare Executive Award from the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States.General Rubenstein earned the inaugural US Army Medical Service Corps Mentor of the Year Award and was inducted into the Army Medical Department's Order of Military Merit. He is the recipient of ACHE's 2012 Gold Medal Award in the category of nondelivery healthcare organizations. This award recognizes individuals who go beyond the confines of their own organizations to continually contribute to the improvement of healthcare services and community health.Dr. O'Connor: Congratulations on being a recipient of ACHE's 2012 Gold Medal Award! What factors led you to a military career and to healthcare management in particular?MG Rubenstein: What led me into a military career was receiving an ROTC scholarship and taking it to Texas A&M University. I was a member of the Corps of Cadets, who were in uniform all the time, with formations twice a day. That experience lit a fire and made me want to stay in the Army for as long as I could and as long as I enjoyed it.Why healthcare? I had designs in college of eventually going to graduate school to become a physical therapist. I applied to two programs and was the number-one alternate at each. Both told me to reapply the following year. I graduated from college and was commissioned a lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps. I was interested in healthcare, and if I was going to be in the Army, that was what I wanted to do. My interest in healthcare is centered on taking care of soldiers and their families. That is what has driven me. Interestingly enough, a year later when it was time to reapply to the two physical therapy programs, I found myself in Germany as a medical platoon leader in charge of 35 medics and two providers and taking care of 800 infantrymen. I was enjoying myself and never reapplied to those physical therapy programs. One of those two programs was the Army graduate program in physical therapy, over which I am now the commanding general.Dr. O'Connor: What are the greatest challenges you face as the commanding general of the US Army Medical Department Center and School and chief of the US Army Medical Service Corps?MG Rubenstein: In the current phase of my career I have two duties. My primary duty is to command the Army Medical Department Center and School. We envision, design, and train a premier military medical force for the nation. Envision and design mean that we develop the doctrine, organizations, and equipment to support healthcare on a battlefield or in a humanitarian situation. Train speaks to the education and training mission. My challenge is to ensure that we stay relevant to a transforming military, providing it the healthcare it demands and deserves. Staying relevant means looking at and studying our experiences in Afghanistan, for example, and attempting to foresee what future conflicts might look like. …