Biomedical Science Corps appreciation week is Jan. 22 – 26 and although they fly under the radar, the BSC team has been working hard for the past 51 years to keep Airman healthy and performing the mission. 

The BSC consists of nearly 2,300 officers in 18 different career fields supported by 6,400 enlisted members, making it the most diverse corps in the Air Force Medical Service.  These career fields include physical therapy, optometry, podiatry, physician’s assistants, audiology, speech pathology, clinical psychology, clinical social work, occupational therapy, aerospace and operational physiology, dietics, bioenvironmental engineers, public health, medical entomology, pharmacy, biomedical laboratory, and healthcare facilities architects and engineers. 

The beginnings of the BSC date back to 1917 when the Sanitation Corps was developed in the Army.  Over the next several years, the Sanitary Corps became the Army Medical Administrative Corps and finally the AFMS in 1949.  As the AFMS continued to grow, the need for a corps of specialized services became evident and in 1965, the BSC was formed.  Since then, the BSC has continued to expand and strive to better meet Air Force needs and care for Airmen.