acquisition course, has helped to accomplish this over the past nine years.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS IMAC was conceived in 2001, when lead- ership at the USAMRMC began shifting the command’s emphasis
from scien-
tific knowledge toward medical product development. As then-Commanding General MG Lester Martinez-Lopez commented, “We conduct world-class medical research, but we must work to move our cutting-edge medical technol- ogy out of the labs and into products faster and more efficiently.”
Recognizing that high-quality acquisi-
tion training was essential to accomplish this
shift in emphasis, USAMRMC
tested a commercially available acquisi- tion training package that provided an introduction to medical product acquisi- tion. Te original training package, called
“Managing Medical Acquisition Pro- grams,” was three days long and received highly favorable feedback from attendees. It was considered interesting, relevant and tailored to the audience. Scientists and others began to attend willingly, pri- marily because they realized value in the knowledge provided by the course.
Building on the success of this early training, the material was expanded to a five-day course. After additional top- ics and concepts were incorporated, the course name was changed to IMAC, and the command sought official Defense Acquisition University certification for IMAC as a 200-level acquisition course. Certification was granted in 2004.
IMAC’s certification has helped to main- tain interest in the course among those seeking to advance within the acquisi- tion workforce. Positive feedback from attendees confirms its perceived value to the medical community. (See Figure 1,
LIFESAVING CAPABILITY
The Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK), while it differs among the services, is an example for all of a critical development in military medical products. Here, A1C Lady Westmoreland, a medical logistics journeyman with the 1st Special Operations Medical Support Squadron, assembles an IFAK at the medical logistics building at Hurlburt Field, FL, Oct. 2, 2012. (Photo by A1C Benjamin Kim, Air Force Public Affairs Agency)
Page 50.) Tis remains a major factor in enrollment, as many participants do not occupy acquisition billets. Dedication to the medical mission is what drives many USAMRMC employees to better under- stand the DOD acquisition process.
SCOUTING SCIENCE, BUSINESS TALENT As IMAC is command-funded, it brings together participants
exercise and help guide their work groups to promising courses of action.
from a variety of
organizations and functional special- ties, and its instructional staff supports USAMRMC’s principal assistant for acquisition. Terefore, it fills another unique role. While most participants are expert in their own functional areas, some may also stand out during the course as potential PMs. Tese
individuals rec- ognize the complexities in the notional
If members of the IMAC staff identify such talent, they will discuss potential opportunities one-on-one with promis- ing students and then suggest interested candidates to leadership as potential PMs. Indeed, several of USAMRMC’s most successful PMs have discovered their niche in this way, both to their own ben- efit and that of DOD.
CONCLUSION Besides its role in supporting Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act certification for PMs, IMAC serves a broader function. Te USAMRMC encourages
IPTs from all functional specialties to attend IMAC. Te group
ASC.ARMY.MIL 53
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