Healthcare Technology Management Professionals Recognized During U.S. Army Summit
Healthcare technology management (HTM) professionals were celebrated during a two-day summit hosted by U.S. Army Medical Logistics Command at Fort Detrick, Maryland. The event brought together dozens of HTM subject-matter experts from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and other DOD-level agencies to recognize the workforce and discuss the future of the career field.
Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel Wright emphasized the critical role of HTM professionals in maintaining nearly 90,000 medical devices in support of the operational force. “If it wasn’t for the ingenuity of our 68As [Biomedical Equipment Specialists] … without those maintainers, we would not have been able to provide care to the warfighter and we would surely have lost more lives,” Wright said, recalling his experience during a deployment to Afghanistan.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jerry Schmaljohann, AMLC’s senior warrant officer advisor, expressed his satisfaction with the event’s ability to bring together various stakeholder voices and build synergy across the DOD HTM community. “For as small of a field as we are, I was really pleased not just with the support from within the building, but also the external commanders and organizations across all services,” Schmaljohann said.
The summit included reports from the services, distinguished guest speakers, team-building events, equipment demonstrations, and career field updates. HTM leaders discussed adapting to future battlefield conditions and evolving technologies like AI and additive manufacturing.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Deanna Hughes stressed the importance of being prepared for large-scale combat operations and the need for HTM professionals to be forward-deployed. “We will be overwhelmed in casualties,” she said. “That means that we have to rethink how we do business. We need to get medical devices as far forward as possible, and BMETs have to be there as well.”
The summit concluded with a senior leader Q&A session and the presentation of the 2025 Dean Ohlsen HTM Awards of Excellence. The awards, now in their fifth year, recognize outstanding contributions to the HTM community.
The winners of the 2025 Dean Ohlsen HTM Awards of Excellence were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Richard Hendricks, Staff Sgt. Yazmin Sheridan, and Wendell Johnson. Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel Wright reiterated that HTM professionals ensure readiness and serve as a force multiplier to keep service members, their families, and DOD beneficiaries safe and healthy.
