IT Blog

As a senior physician-diplomat, I got a rare, up-close view of how this influence is quietly wielded around the world. In Moscow, I visited clinics and hospitals to discuss strategies for responding to mass casualty events. In New Delhi, we worked with the Indian Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Bangalore with USAF medical partners to provide outreach, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief. In dozens of countries over my 14 years of service, we coordinated with international partners to serve American diplomats, to learn from host nations, and to plan for crises like a global pandemic. 

Ironically, the coronavirus pandemic may be upending this dynamic. Historically, America’s medical “soft power” is wielded in two ways. For people of means, the United States is a top destination for medical tourism, a place for VIPs to receive top notch health care. It is thus a prime national security asset and valuable intellectual property. We also export health care solutions, in…