Meet Christopher VanFosson, a 2017 PhD graduate who has been in the Army for 22 years. He is married to another nurse, Kelly, and they have four adult children. “I am a critical care nurse by training and have mostly burn and trauma experience. I’ve deployed twice for about a year each time during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-2004) and Operation Enduring Freedom (2010-2011).”
Dr. VanFosson worked closely with Dr. Linda Yoder and Dr. Terry Jones to complete his dissertation work describing the patterns and prevalence of unfinished nursing care at the US Army Burn Center. The papers Dr. VanFosson wrote while working on his dissertation research have informed the entire Defense Health Agency, the organization responsible for health care across the Department of Defense, as unfinished nursing care is being considered as one of the nurse-sensitive quality indicators across the enterprise.
Since graduating from the UT Austin School of Nursing, most of his research and leadership efforts have focused on trauma care in the combat and deployed environments. “I worked as a researcher at the US Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) in San Antonio, Texas where I led or participated in funded research efforts totaling more than $11 million. I’ve also authored or co-authored 20 peer reviewed articles and abstracts, five invited publications, seven podium presentations, and 24 posters. In addition to these publications, I have also authored four book chapters, contributed to four combat casualty care-related texts, and was a part of an augmented reality working group of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).”
Dr. VanFosson currently serves as the Chief of the Center for Nursing Science and Clinical Inquiry at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC). “Brooke Army Medical Center is the only Level 1 trauma center and the largest, most complex hospital in the Department of Defense. In this role, I get to mentor new PhD graduates and more than 20 clinical nurse specialists who work at BAMC. Additionally, in May 2022, I was appointed as the Consultant to The Surgeon General of the Army for Critical Care Nursing; meaning I am the senior critical care nurse in the Army. In this role, I have the opportunity to coach and mentor younger critical care nurses throughout the Army and help the Surgeon General make strategic decisions about the use of critical care nurses throughout the Army. In August 2022, I was promoted to the rank of colonel and in July of 2023, I will move to Washington D.C., where I will attend the National War College—an infrequent opportunity for Army Nurses.”
Today, Dr. VanFosson is the chair of two Department of Defense institutional review boards (IRBs), serves on numerous panels that scientifically assess grant proposals, and serves as an editorial board member for two journals. He also served as an advisor, or committee member, for four doctoral students, including Allison Ferro, a graduating UT Austin School of Nursing PhD student and fellow Army officer.
We honor Christopher VanFosson for utilizing nursing research to improve health care for our men and women in uniform, and for his dedication to helping mentor future nurses in patient-centered care in the armed forces and beyond.