The Readiness Imperative: Leveraging Large Animal Resident Research to Enhance Expeditionary Surgical Skills.

This article evaluates the Defense Health Agency's (DHA) large animal Combat Casualty Care Research Program (CCCRP) at the David Grant Medical Center (DGMC) Clinical Investigation Program (CIP) as a dual-purpose model that advances military medical research and enhances surgical training for military residents. Over five years, residents performed thousands of emergency general surgery-equivalent procedures on large animals, gaining critical operative trauma and critical care experience that often exceeded Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) minimum requirements. The CCCRP provides a unique environment for maintaining and expanding expeditionary surgical skills amid declining clinical trauma exposure, while also supporting multidisciplinary training and research aligned with DHA and Department of Defense priorities. The study highlights the program's role in bridging research and hands-on training, emphasizing its value in preparing military surgeons for deployment without replacing human clinical experience.