May 07, 2025 | By Whitney Wetsig, 711th Human Performance Wing
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio — A new partnership between the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, or USAFSAM, a mission unit within the Air Force Research Laboratory, and Purdue University will expand educational opportunities for airmen and guardians and provide added mission flexibility. The new opportunities involve Purdue’s Master of Public Health, or MPH, program and the school’s ability to grant college credits to military members who complete select USAFSAM courses.
“At USAFSAM, we research, educate, consult and lead the Department of the Air Force with integrated operational medical capability development,” said Col. Richard Speakman, USAFSAM commander. “We aim to provide our students with the best possible educational opportunities, and one way we do that is by securing partnerships with top-notch academic institutions. This agreement with Purdue is a win-win for both organizations and will especially benefit our airmen and guardians.”
The agreement, signed by Speakman, enables students in USAFSAM’s Residency in Aerospace Medicine, or RAM, program to complete their required MPH degree online through Purdue University. Before the 2024 academic year, students completed this degree in-person at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
“Because our residents are going on clinical rotations, which often require travel across the country, it is challenging for them to complete an in-person program, and it also causes additional stress,” said Dr. Melanie Lazarus, dean of USAFSAM. “This new online degree option will make the residency a more positive experience for our students.”
Capt. Coty Winn, a resident in the program, said the online MPH provides much needed flexibility and more opportunities for travel. Winn, who is just starting his aeromedical consult service rotation, will work in Florida and Germany for several months and will also spend time in Texas, Utah and Oklahoma. He also wants to spend time at NASA working in its occupational medicine clinic as an elective.
“Now that we are able to complete the MPH online, we have a lot more opportunities for rotations,” he said.
Lazarus said that in addition to providing flexibility for students in the two-year RAM program, Purdue has a strong reputation for providing quality online education.
“Purdue is a leader in online learning with over two decades of experience, and they know how to do it well,” Lazarus said. “They are also willing to work with us to flex as needed for our residents, knowing that we have a very complicated curriculum that must be completed in a short period of time.”
