The Soft Power of Solid Medicine

• Author: Fred L Brocker,Stepen O Cunnion,Donald A Donahue,Richard H Carmona
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.2202/1948-4682.1121
• Date: 01 December 2010
• Published date: 01 December 2010

World Medical & Health Policy

www.psocommons.org/wmhp

Vo l . 2 : I s s . 4 , A r t i c l e 7 ( 2 0 1 0 )

The Soft Power of Solid Medicine

Donald A. Donahue Jr, DHEd, MBA, FACHE, Potomac Institute

for Policy Studies and University of Maryland University College

Stephen O. Cunnion, MD, PhD, MPH, Potomac Institute for Policy

Stud ies

Fred L. Brocker, MPH, RS, Brocker Staffing & Consulting, Inc.

Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS, 17th Surgeon General of

the United States & University of Arizona

Abstract

Medical assistance undertakings have a long history of engendering positive

international relations and fostering domestic stability. Interactions ranging from

military medical civic action program (MEDCAP) missions to nongovernmental

organization (NGO) efforts have demonstrated effectiveness, yet this capability is

not routinely available in a meaningful way to the Secretary of State or the extended

diplomatic community. MEDCAP and other global military presences can generate

positive reactions, but can also be tainted by host nation suspicions of ulterior

motives. In this p aper, the authors posit that an org anized, global public health

presence would support international diplomacy while also establishing a worldwide

surveillance capability for emerging communicable diseases.

Keywords: global health, health surveillance, medical intelligence, public health

Author Notes: No funding was involved in the development of this manuscript.

This work has not been previously published or presented. There are no conflicts of

interest, real or potential, in this work. Copyright issue: the figures are acquired

from publicly available data. Corresponding author: Donald A. Donahue, Jr.,

Program Director, Health Policy and Prep aredness, Potomac Institute for Policy

Studies, 911 Massa chusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA. Tel.: +1

202-607-4718. Fax: +1 202-543-7113. E-mail: donald.donahuejr@verizon.net.

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