San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC)

Welcome to SAUSHEC

SAUSHEC is one of two major Department of Defense (DoD) multi-service graduate health education platforms; the other is National Capital Consortium (NCC) at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. SAUSHEC is the second largest DoD physician graduate medical education (GME) platform, largest for the Air Force, and it is the largest DoD site for Graduate Allied Health Education (GAHE). SAUSHEC hosts the training of over 700 U.S. military officers in 34 Graduate Medical Education (GME) and 22 Graduate Allied Health Education (GAHE) specialty programs. Its graduates are prepared to lead in serving the medical needs of the U.S. military across the globe. SAUSHEC falls under the command structure of the Defense Health Agency’s San Antonio Market, with Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) and the 59th Medical Wing’s Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center (WHASC) functioning as the two primary training sites.

Mission, Vision, Values

• Mission: Advancing military health and readiness through the education and development of physicians and allied health professionals

• Vision: Forging premier medical leaders of a globally ready force

• Values:
  Integrity – Ensuring our actions are ethical, honest, and transparent
  Excellence – Striving for the best performance and outcomes in all we do
  Teamwork – Incorporating the interdisciplinary strengths of all to achieve the mission
  Service – Putting the needs of others and our organization ahead of our own
  Diversity – Promoting the strength of a variety of backgrounds
  Stewardship – Using our resources wisely and responsibly
  Innovation – Advancing our education and practices creatively with the future in focus

Strategies/Aims (illustrated in the figure below):

1. Accreditation and Compliance – Equip our programs with the knowledge and resources to meet national accreditation standards.
2. Readiness – Ensure our programs provide experiential instruction in military-specific topics, such as deployment medicine, operational medicine, duty-limiting conditions, and the health effects of military service, to ensure that our military medical professionals are equipped to meet the unique healthcare needs of service members, veterans, and their families in a wide range of environments.
3. Professional Development – Prepare our residents and faculty to be leaders in their respective fields, by providing relevant mentorship, growth opportunities, and development as educators, amidst a strong foundation in the principles of military leadership.
4. Quality Improvement/Patient Safety (QIPS) – Cultivate an environment of just culture and continuous improvement as we seek to improve our systems of care to minimize preventable error and maximize excellent patient care.
5. Scholarship – Foster a lifelong spirit of ongoing scientific inquiry and exploration in the advancement military medical knowledge, by providing opportunities to conduct and publicize research and other scholarly pursuits.
6. Well-being – Emphasize the inherent value of each person in our organization, the importance of well-being and fitness, the meaningfulness of our daily work, and the provision of multiple resources to enhance resilience and reduce burnout.

Mark W. True, MD

Colonel (retired), USAF, Medical Corps
Official Biography

Dr. Mark W. True is the Dean, San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC) in San Antonio, Texas. SAUSHEC falls under the command structure of the Defense Health Agency’s San Antonio Market, with Brooke Army Medical Center and the 59th Medical Wing’s Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center functioning as the two primary training sites. As the Dean, Dr. True serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Designated Institutional Official (DIO) of SAUSHEC, overseeing the training of over 700 U.S. military officers in 34 Graduate Medical Education (GME) and 22 Graduate Allied Health Education (GAHE) specialty programs. SAUSHEC prepares its graduates to lead in serving the medical needs of the U.S. military across the globe. As a practicing physician, Dr. True holds dual board certifications in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. He is a Professor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University, and he has served on multiple national academic committees, to include the chair of the Endocrine Society’s Clinical Endocrine Education Committee from 2018-2021. In 2016-2018, he served as chair of the national endocrinology in-training examination, which is administered to over 600 endocrinology fellows annually. Dr. True has published over 35 peer-reviewed medical journal articles and delivered over 80 conference presentations, primarily in the realm of diabetes care, physician leadership training and, more recently, the national importance of military graduate medical education.

Dr. True is a retired Air Force Colonel. He was commissioned through the United States Air Force Academy (1987-1991). He served as a regular Air Force officer for five years as an electrical engineer in support of Air Force Space Command’s space launch and missile testing program. Dr. True received his medical education through the Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland (1996-2000), completed a military residency in Internal Medicine at David Grant Medical Center, Travis AFB, California (2000-2003) and fellowship training in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at SAUSHEC (2003-2005). In 2006, he deployed to Sather Air Base, Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has served as a staff endocrinologist, teaching faculty, flight commander and clinical service chief, founding director of the Air Force Diabetes Center of Excellence, consultant to the Air Force Surgeon General for endocrinology, program director for the SAUSHEC Endocrinology Fellowship, Director of Graduate Medical Education for the 59th Medical Wing, and Associate Dean for Air Force Graduate Medical Education at SAUSHEC. He entered federal civilian service as the SAUSHEC Dean after his active duty retirement in 2019.