# Shield and Ship: Lt Col Charisma Evangelista, MD, on Combat Ocular Trauma, Refractive Readiness, and Her Journey Becoming a Hero of Military Medicine

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/wardocs-the-military-medicine-podcast-4055206/shield-and-ship-lt-col-charisma-evangelista-md-on-combat-ocular-trauma-refractive-readiness-and-her-journey-becoming-a-hero-of-military-medicine
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/wardocs-the-military-medicine-podcast-4055206/shield-and-ship-lt-col-charisma-evangelista-md-on-combat-ocular-trauma-refractive-readiness-and-her-journey-becoming-a-hero-of-military-medicine.md
Podcast: [WarDocs - The Military Medicine Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/wardocs-the-military-medicine-podcast-4055206)
Published: 2026-04-08T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://wardocspodcast.podbean.com/e/shield-and-ship-lt-col-charisma-evangelista-md-on-combat-ocular-trauma-refractive-readiness-and-her-journey-becoming-a-hero-of-military-medicine/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/fnizeh9suavi6wvy/wdr_0100_evangelista_full_audio94nfo.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/wardocs-the-military-medicine-podcast-4055206/episodes/shield-and-ship-lt-col-charisma-evangelista-md-on-combat-ocular-trauma-refractive-readiness-and-her-journey-becoming-a-hero-of-military-medicine
Duration seconds: 2413

## Resource

This episode of WarDocs features Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, Dr. Charisma Evangelista, the Air Force’s leading voice on refractive surgery and an expert in ocular trauma. The conversation begins with her upbringing in the Philippines and her unique path to military medicine, driven by a desire for service and the supportive, collaborative culture she found at the Uniformed Services University. Dr. Evangelista explains her transition from a prospective general surgeon to an ophthalmologist, highlighting the precision of microscopic surgery and the profound impact of sight restoration. She provides a detailed look at the "shield and ship" protocol for managing ruptured globes in combat environments, emphasizing the critical importance of preventing further injury at the point of care. Dr. Evangelista also shares her experiences as the sole ophthalmologist deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan, where she managed severe, multi-system trauma cases while navigating limited resources. A pivotal moment in the interview occurs when she describes her own experience as a patient; she suffered a retinal detachment while performing surgery, an event that deepened her empathy for those facing vision loss and shaped her leadership style. Currently serving as the Refractive Surgery Consultant to the Air Force Surgeon General, she discusses the technological advancements in corneal collagen cross-linking and refractive standards that maintain pilot and warfighter readiness. The episode concludes with her leadership philosophy of trust, empathy, and perseverance, alongside her advice for the next generation of military physicians. This comprehensive discussion highlights the technical expertise, emotional resilience, and deep compassion required to protect the vision of the American warfigh…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/wardocs-the-military-medicine-podcast-4055206/episodes/shield-and-ship-lt-col-charisma-evangelista-md-on-combat-ocular-trauma-refractive-readiness-and-her-journey-becoming-a-hero-of-military-medicine/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/wardocs-the-military-medicine-podcast-4055206/shield-and-ship-lt-col-charisma-evangelista-md-on-combat-ocular-trauma-refractive-readiness-and-her-journey-becoming-a-hero-of-military-medicine.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.