When Col. Kris Peterson was set to deploy at the kickoff of Operation Iraqi Freedom, it took six weeks for him to say goodbye to his family.

"Every week, they told us we were leaving. Then it would be postponed to the next week. I was an emotional wreck," Peterson said.

Displaying pictures of his three children on his iPod, Peterson, the chief of psychiatry at Madigan Army Medical Center and the child and adolescent psychiatry consultant to the Army surgeon general, is obviously affected by what he knows exists in children whose parents have been deployed time after time.

"With multiple years away, there is increased anxiety and depression (in children)," Peterson said. "You see the impact."

As one of the co-founders of the Military Child and Adolescent Center of Excellence at Madigan, Peterson has worked diligently with a team of providers to develop preventive materials and best-practice models to deliver to behavioral health clinics and schools, both military and civilian.

"Strategically, what needs to be built is a system of care to provide for the family, to take care of the kids," Peterson said.

Peterson was recently named the recipient of the U.S. Army Medical Department "A" Proficiency Designator, which recognizes medical officers who have obtained national prominence in their fields and are leaders in their specialties and who have made significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge in their particular fields. In Peterson's case, it is child psychology and advancing the cause of the military child.

He was instrumental in developing an innovative concept currently utilized in 11 states, the District of Columbia and Europe known as School-Based Military Family Life Consultants. The idea is for teachers and school principals to meet weekly with child and adolescent behavioral health providers to support service members and their families. Peterson stated that because of the school-based program, there has been a reduction in hospitalizations and doctors' visits to treat children and adolescents for stress and anxiety.

"What a great opportunity to be able to make that happen," Peterson said.

The MCA CoE is also partnering with the Army's Telehealth and Technology program, housed at Madigan Annex, to provide behavioral health treatment for children and adolescents through video conferencing. Peterson is able to provide services to a child at Basset Army Community Hospital in Fort Richardson, Alaska, from his desk at Madigan.

And Peterson knows that he wouldn't want to be anywhere other than Madigan. He asserts that his providers are dedicated and passionate, and that most of them have been deployed at least once.

"They've been over there ... They get it," Peterson said. "There is a shared vision. It's a challenge, but it's well worth it."