Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/1048847
T M C » P U L S E | N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8 11 "I don't think I'd have the job I do if I hadn't had those experi- ences. I'm a small-town kid. I'm not boisterous," Love said. "My early discussions about Afghanistan with Red Duke ... He was there before the wars and he started up the medical school in Kabul. Although our experiences were vastly different—his memories of Afghanistan were a little bit romanticized compared to my expe- rience—that sort of kindred relation- ship let him and my relationship grow to the point where he trusted me enough to take over Life Flight as the medical director." In addition, the trauma Love saw in Afghanistan prepared him to care for Life Flight patients. "I came here in 2011, just a few years out of fellowship, but the volume of trauma and breadth of trauma that I saw on the military side—it would take years to see that here," Love said. University. Upon graduation she started her career at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Her time in the army took her to Hawaii, Kansas, New York, Louisiana and the Middle East. Just over two years ago, Darnauer accepted the position of Senior Vice President of Support Services at Harris Health System. "The military teaches you to grow and to be a leader, to accept responsibilities and to be flexible," she said. "All of those things trans- late into the civilian sector. If there was one thing that transferred over without a second thought it was that mission focus—taking care of your patient, taking care of that popula- tion. Many of our patients, truth be told, they don't have many advan- tages or options in their lives, so to know that we are an entire health system that is focused on taking care of them and bringing them the best care possible is really meaning- ful and important." (continued) PATRICIA DARNAUER > Senior Vice President of Support Services at Harris Health System; retired colonel in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps In Afghanistan, Patricia Darnauer commanded a combat support hospital—a deployable medical task force. "We were down in Helmand province. In 2011, that was a pretty hostile environment; we supported marines and we were a trauma hospital," Darnauer said. "It was an amazing time to know that you could make a difference. The one incredibly positive thing about a deployment is that sense of unity focus—everyone was there to take care of the soldier, the sailor, the civilian that came in—and Afghan soldiers." Darnauer began her 29-year tenure in the U.S. Army through the ROTC program at Cornell VISIT TMCNEWS.ORG TO WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT VETERANS WORKING IN THE TMC.