Dr. James Ficke
Photo courtesy Johns Hopkins University
Retired Army Colonel, Dr. James R. Ficke, will speak at the College of Charleston on November 11, 2014 in connection with The College Reads! book selection, The Good Soldiers. Dr. Ficke, professor and director of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Johns Hopkins Medical School, will discuss his experience serving as a physician on the battlefield in his presentation entitled, “Dual Agency or Double Service? On being a good soldier and surgeon.” The event, hosted by the Honors College and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Science Education Grant, is free and open to the public. The lecture will take place at 5 p.m. in the School of Science and Math Auditorium (SSMB 129) at 202 Calhoun Street.
Dr. Ficke has acted as a consultant to the Army Surgeon General and served as Chief Medical Officer of the Combat Support Hospital in Mosul, Iraq, treating more than 600 U.S. soldiers and Iraqi patients. David Finkel, author of The College Reads! book The Good Soldiers, visited the Combat Support Hospital during Dr. Ficke’s tenure. Finkel’s visit was part of his research on a special battalion of American soldiers known as “The Rangers.”
Beth Meyer-Bernstein, associate dean of the Honors College believes that Dr. Ficke’s experiences in battlefield medicine will provide “unique insight into what really happens in a time and place where war and medicine intersect.”
Dr. Ficke is a nationally renowned expert on the treatment of complex foot and ankle injuries, lower extremity trauma patients, and amputees. He has over 50 peer-reviewed publications on military related injuries and battlefield medicine. Dr. Ficke received his M.D. from Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in 1987. His internship was completed at Madigan Army Medical Center in Washington State and his residency at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. His fellowships include an AO (American Orthopaedic) Fellowship in Trauma in Munich and a foot and ankle fellowship in Dallas.
Among other awards for his work as a surgeon and educator, Dr. Ficke’s service awards include the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons’ prestigious 2010 Colonel Brian Allgood Memorial Leadership Award, and The Surgeon General’s 2010 Major General Lewis Aspey Mologne Award. Dr. Ficke will draw his extensive experience in battlefield medicine into his presentation and make connections to the 2014-2015 The College Reads! book. “His talk should be of great interest to the entire community as it will bring together the sciences and humanities and tie in beautifully with the College Reads book selection” said Meyer-Bernstein.
