Through this collaboration, students enrolled in the Doctor of Executive Leadership (DEL) and Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) programs will benefit from expanded educational opportunities focused on disaster preparedness, emergency response, and global health.
The new DEL program was developed to meet the growing demand for experienced leaders who can navigate organizational change, workforce transformation, innovation, and increasingly complex business environments.
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.
Through this new partnership, ACHE’s developing Doctor of Executive Leadership (DEL) will connect with one of the world’s foremost organizations dedicated to advancing military medical education, doctrine, training, and multinational healthcare collaboration.
The Arkansas Colleges of Health Education has partnered with Global Health ImPAct to expand leadership development and global service opportunities for healthcare professionals through the DMSc and DEL programs.
As President, Dr. Blondin will provide leadership and guidance as ACHE continues its mission of educating future healthcare professionals and advancing excellence in health sciences education.
The collaboration is designed to enrich curriculum offerings, provide exposure to best practices in emergency medicine, and create meaningful opportunities for mentorship and engagement with leaders in the field.
Come visit with the team at the World Extreme Medicine Conference 2025 in Edinburgh, Scotland! We will have a booth at the event, and two
Hosted by the ACHE Center for Clinical Skills Development, the large-scale event brought together students from all programs for a full day of teamwork, competition, and hands-on learning.
The partnership creates a formal pathway for UAFS students seeking admission to ACHE’s Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, School of Physical Therapy, School of Occupational Therapy, and Master of Science in Biomedicine program.
