From Lessons Learned to Lessons Applied: ACHE Faculty Advance Multinational Medical Readiness at Exercise Vigorous Warrior 2026
FORT SMITH, AR. — Following the announcement of Arkansas Colleges of Health Education’s (ACHE) new partnership with the NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine (NATO MILMED COE) during Exercise Vigorous Warrior 2026, faculty immediately joined NATO and international partners in one of the exercise’s most timely educational initiatives—the Ukraine Lessons Learned Workshop.
At the invitation of the NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine (NATO MILMED COE), ACHE faculty collaborated with World Extreme Medicine (WEM), the World Extreme Medicine Fund (WEMF), and NATO partners to develop and deliver this multinational educational program. The multidisciplinary instructional team was led by Travis Kaufman, DMSc, PA-C, FIBODM (ACHE), and included Robert Gray, DMSc, MBA, PA-C, FIBODM (ACHE); Mark Hannaford, DSc (World Extreme Medicine and Co-founder of the World Extreme Medicine Fund); Luca Alfatti, FRRHH, FEWM, FRGS, MSc (Co-founder, World Extreme Medicine Fund); Alex Gaspar (World Extreme Medicine Fund); David Stanton (University of Nottingham); and Corey Gustafson, CAPT (OF-5), MC, USN, Chief of Lessons Learned and Innovation Branch, NATO MILMED COE.