Dr. Zachary T. Weik, Assistant Director of Clinical Education in Arcadia’s Physician Assistant program and an officer in the Air National Guard, was selected to provide oversight and expertise for large scale operations and contingency planning at a multinational military exercise in Lithuania. The medical focus of the event, with intention and purpose to “Train the Trainer,” was a four-day exercise in the field that took place during a larger eight-day excursion to Eastern Europe earlier this summer. The coalition leading this event included the United States, the Baltic States, as well as medical personnel from Norway and the United Kingdom.

The training included patient triage after mass casualty events, initial trauma care, bedside field procedures, setting up a “walking blood bank,” and casualty evacuation. Though the goal was to train Lithuanian nationals in these practices, this event also worked to enhance current capabilities and international communication and cooperation as a whole.

Here in Pennsylvania, Weik has also provided trainings on patient safety, bloodborne pathogens, and infection control to Air Force medical personnel at the 111th Attack Wing in Horsham, Pa. On top of that, he oversees the STOP THE BLEED, First Aid/Buddy Care, and Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) programs that provide medical training to all members on the local base. Finally, Weik is the chief of a Decontamination Unit (“DECON”), which allows for rapid deployment of life-saving care and services in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or other high-yield explosive (CBRNE) strike.

Dr. Weik brings these skills to Arcadia’s College of Health Sciences, and utilizes his real-world experiences when teaching students both inside and outside of the classroom.