Biomedical Sciences Corps appreciation week

  • Published
  • By Ilka Cole
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
The Air Force is recognizing the achievements of the men and women who comprise the Biomedical Sciences Corps by designating Jan. 28 through Feb. 1, as BSC Week.

The roots of the BSC date to 1917, when the Army established the Army Sanitary Corps to combat infectious diseases. The Army Medical Administrative Corps followed three years later. In 1949, the Air Force Medical Service was officially established and continued to expand over the next two decades. In 1965, the BSC was born. Since then, the BSC continued to expand its range of personnel to include a wide variety of medically-trained professionals.

The BSC mission is to provide full-spectrum allied health support to optimize all we serve. More than 2,400 officers supported by 1,000 civilians and 5,800 enlisted members encompassing 16 distinct professions corps provide an environment of diversity in the Air Force Medical Service.

The BSC includes physical therapists, optometrists, podiatric surgeons, physician assistants, audiologists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, occupational therapists, aerospace and operational physiologists, dietitians, bioenvironmental engineers, public health officers, medical entomologists, pharmacists, biomedical laboratory officers, and health and medical physicists. BSC officers also serve at every level of medical command within the military treatment facilities, major commands and forward operating agencies. Additionally, the BSC is invested in research and a host of other vital roles to meet the demands of the Air Force mission.