C.O.U.G.H. was formed on December 21, 2007 by the Canadian federal government. Originally based in Montreal, Quebec, C.O.U.G.H. moved to Ames on September 11th, 2008 - two days after the city of Ames was founded. C.O.U.G.H. is responsible for the hospital in the city as well as the small medical centre at the airport for people coming in as newcomers are occasionally kept in quarantine for a week or so when they arrive in Ames. It's an important organization as they are also in charge of making sure that everyone in the city stays healthy and safe. Along with childhood vaccinations and regular annual check-ups, C.O.U.G.H. boasts a state-of-the-art facility for health care as well as a research facility full of scientists who are specialized in many different departments. The research department is known as The Centrifuge, nicknamed for the equipment that they have. Doctors, nurses and other assorted medical specialists come from all countries and speak multiple languages. Some of them were child prodigies, others went through life and finished medical school at a more normal speed.
Members of COUGH, especially those on the research side, suggested and rallied for a new organization soon after the city was mostly completed. Ames was meant to be a self-sufficient city and the first step towards that was the hiring of more non-medical specialists under the COUGH umbrella before the new organization was formed. Then, on September 29, 2011 that dream became a reality. The Ames Famring and Environment Appropriate Treatment of Habitats, Ecosystems and Rivers Organization, affectionately referred to as F.E.A.T.H.E.R. This new organization brought forth new people who were specialized in more appropriate fields.
Suggestions for specialities in surgery: anesthesiology, cardiac surgery, cardiothoraic surgery, general surgery, neurosurgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, pediatric surgery, plastic surgery, surgical oncology, thoracic surgery, transplant surgery, trauma surgery, urology, vascular surgery.
Suggestions for specialities in internal medicine: cardiology, endocrinology, grastroenterology, geriatrics, hematology, hepatology, infectious diseases, intensive care medicine, nephrology, oncology, proctology, pulmonology, rheumatology.
Suggestions for specialities in diagnostic medicine: cellular pathology, clinical chemistry, hematology, clinical microbiology, clinical immunology, transfusion medicine, interventional radiology, nuclear medicine (radiology), anatomical pathology, clinical pathology, clinical neurophysiology.
Suggestions for other specialities: allergy and immunology, andrology, dermatology, emergency medicine, family medicine, general practice, neurology, obstetrics and gynaecology, reproductive medicine, occupational medicine, opthalmology, palliative care, pedatrics/adolescent medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, preventive medicine (public health), psychiatry, sleep medicine, sports medicine (human kinetics).
Suggestions for other lines of medicine-related work: epidemiology, medical history, hospital medicine, medical education, genetics, pharmacy, alternative medicine (i.e. acupunture, homeopathy).
Suggestions for research work: astronomy, biology, chemistry, evoluntionary biology, genetics, marine biology, pathology, physics, zoology.