"Military Medicine and the Hidden Costs of War”: A Book Talk with Author Dr. Tanisha Fazal

On June 26, 2024, Women In International Security hosted an in-person talk with Dr. Tanisha Fazal on her publication, Military Medicine and the Hidden Costs of War. The book talk raises issues of gender, the development of military medicine, and women’s veterans benefits in today’s military health system.
The book traces the histories of US military medicine and veterans benefits through the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. It argues that improvements in military medicine have resulted in a third more military personnel surviving their wounds, but it has also meant that more military personnel are returning home with serious injuries. Thus, the human and financial costs of war extend beyond fatalities and materiel directly to the question of veterans benefits-and to the state of military healthcare support for women veterans. What are the key issues for women service members today, what are the disparities in health care for women, and what are we missing, in terms of veterans’ health, when we cost out war?
Opening Remarks
Ariela Blätter
President and CEO, Women In International Security
Panelists
Dr. Tanisha M. Fazal
Professor, University of Minnesota
Dr. Tracey Pérez Koehlmoos
Professor & Director of Doctoral Programs in Preventive Medicine & Biostatistics, Director, Center for Health Services Research, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Lourdes Tiglao
Executive Director, Center for Women Veterans, US Department of Veterans Affairs
Moderator
Dr. Karin L. Johnston
Research Director, Women In International Security