Lt. Col. Chad Hivnor, director of the associate dermatology program at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, has received a research grant of more than $1 million to study the use of lasers to help wounded troops recover better from severe burns. Hivnor has noticed that the use of fractionated lasers to treat burned skin results in better range of motion for the patient because the burn scars become softer. He will be cooperating on the three-year study with Robert Spence, a burn reconstructive surgeon, who founded the National Burn Reconstruction Center at Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore. Spence said he is particularly interested to discover whether burn victims can regain more complete movement of their mouths and elbows with this treatment. (Lackland report by SSgt. Robert Barnett)
Air Force Changes Rules for Pregnant Aircrew—Again
April 3, 2025
The Air Force is changing its policy for pregnant aircrew, generally reverting to rules set in 2019 that barred female aviators from flying during the first trimester—or from flying in aircraft with ejection seats at all—due to potential risks to the pilot and her unborn fetus.