Family Medicine on a Mission Part 1: How Air Force Physicians Achieve Humanitarian Goals

By Aaron Burch

The American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) is proud to shine a light on a recent collaboration with the United States Air Force, highlighting family physicians and patient care on the Caribbean Island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Air Force mission we’ll be examining is known as the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team or LAMAT. The Lesser Antilles is the formal name for the chain of islands in the Southern Caribbean, close to South America. It is home to a series of beautiful countries, filled with residents who have limited access to medical resources.

For the last three years, the Air Force has chosen four Lesser Antilles countries to partner with and visit for humanitarian purposes. They collaborate closely with the US Embassy, as well as local governments, to learn what medical services would be most beneficial to island residents. Then, the Air Force casts a wide net to find reserve members willing and able to care for patients in these unique and challenging environments.

Imagine a handpicked team of 30-40 trained military personnel and medical specialists. They arrive on an island with approximately two weeks to do as much good for the medical community as they can. How should they spend their time? Where should they practice medicine? What preparation, strategy, and skills will help the most people? Those questions define much of the humanitarian work LAMAT strives to accomplish.

How are family physicians involved?

The LAMAT missions first came to ABFM’s attention when Col. Brian Neese, ABFM Diplomate, submitted a Performance Improvement activity about the team’s 2024 mission to St. Lucia.

Struck by how LAMAT embodies an interesting pathway for physicians to pursue a higher standard of care, ABFM Editorial Content Manager Aaron Burch interviewed Dr. Neese and several other physician leaders to share their story.

During those conversations, we learned that LAMAT does not simply serve patients and health care systems in foreign countries. It also allows the Air Force to evaluate their physicians and deployed units in “controlled stress” environments. These medical professionals practice lifelong learning much like ABFM Diplomates. The workplace just looks a little different.

Because ABFM and the Air Force share similar goals of engaging physicians through education opportunities, Dr. Neese invited us to witness firsthand how a LAMAT mission supports lifelong learning for the military family physician.

“I love what LAMAT does for family docs, because they are very important in the military. Few are more qualified to operate in an uncertain environment,” said Dr. Neese. “To go into a place without computers and work in a very foreign system, that’s really in preparation for taking care of our soldiers during conflict.”

Dr. Neese served as a lead strategist of the LAMAT missions in both 2023 and 2024. He began work on the 2025 iteration but was promoted to US SOUTHCOM Command Surgeon, where he now oversees larger mission directives.

Lt. Col. and ABFM Diplomate Aaron Goodrich now serves as LAMAT’s lead strategist. To carry out the mission we’ll be discussing, Dr. Goodrich and his team worked closely with St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Ministry of Health. Together, they determined which medical personnel should visit the island and what they could accomplish.

Why St. Vincent and the Grenadines?

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is an island nation with numerous challenges. Poverty is rampant, the buildings are often in disrepair, and medical care is not always to the same standard as what we have in America. Supermarket shelves are full of home remedies, and technology is much less prevalent. And, like many other Caribbean nations, they must contend with the threat of hurricanes.

In July 2024, Hurricane Beryl made landfall in the Grenadines as a Category 4 storm. Buildings were wiped away, and lives were lost. Medical care was of vital importance, but many facilities and pieces of medical equipment were damaged. The 100,000 citizens of St. Vincent and the Grenadines are still recovering.

Just a few months before Beryl, the Air Force visited St. Vincent as part of LAMAT 2024. A return mission to assist with the recovery effort was quickly approved. Because primary care is the most versatile specialty available, particularly in the emergency departments of foreign nations, family physicians and internists are often considered for deployment no matter the country’s stated goals.

“This is a good chance for physicians to practice skills they don’t use in their daily environments,” said Dr. Goodrich. “The knowledge exchange during these opportunities is crucial.”

How do physicians experience this mission?

During LAMAT, Air Force physicians learn alternate care methods from local doctors, and they provide training to those same doctors as a kind of educational currency. The Air Force’s training sessions include a wide variety of topics such as traumatic brain injuries, CPR, and patient intake efficiency.

Lt. Col. Ian Solari, ABFM Diplomate since 2011 and member of the Air Force Reserves, was responsible for several of those health care trainings during St. Vincent’s LAMAT 2025 mission. This is his second LAMAT deployment, as he visited the South American country of Suriname in 2024.

In an interesting full circle moment, this year’s trip is a special one for Dr. Solari. Almost two decades ago, he trained as a medical student in the Caribbean, even visiting the St. Vincent hospital as an intern.

“I remember walking in these hallways years ago. It’s a good feeling…and it continues to make me want to do more,” said Dr. Solari, who met Dr. Neese while attending residency at the University of Virginia. The two became friends, and Dr. Neese encouraged the young Dr. Solari to join the Air Force. Years later, that dream became a reality.

Dr. Neese was pleased Dr. Solari joined this year’s LAMAT mission, saying “I prioritize a relationship like what I have with Ian, because there’s a lot of trust there. I know he’s going to represent the United States in the best possible way. He’s going to take care of the patients, and he’s going to take care of the mission.”

For Dr. Neese, the family medicine involvement in LAMAT is indicative of a larger pride in the specialty. Family physicians have their own community, and so do Air Force personnel. Put those two careers together, and you find a unique level of understanding among like-minded professionals capable of providing meaningful patient care in unusual situations.

“Two weeks in an environment where you successfully take care of patients and maybe even save lives will make you realize that we’re ready to do this anywhere,” Dr. Neese said. “That’s our goal. That’s our mission. And I think it gets well accomplished with LAMAT.”

ABFM is excited to share this 4-part series, highlighting the experiences of family physicians and other medical professionals. Read along as we look at the inspiring ways board-certified physicians provide incredible care to unique patient populations.