Volume 6, Issue 15 n October 3, 2011www.usuhs.mil
The Official USU Newsletter
On the cover USU’s Brigade Chaplain (then) Lt. Chris Martin addresses troops during a recent deployment. (See story page 3)
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Sharon Willis Deputy Vice President for External Affairs and Managing Editor
Ken FragerPublic Affairs Specialist
Staff Sgt. Matthew Rosine Production Editor
MC1 Chad Hallford Writer
Christine Creenan-Jones Contributing Writer
Lori Fields Layout and Design
Production Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the USU Office of External Affairs unless otherwise indicated. The Pulse staff may include or exclude articles based upon news value, impact on the university and space availability.
Submissions The Pulse will be published bi-weekly on Mondays. The deadline for submissions is at 4 p.m. Tuesday prior to the publication date. Submissions can be sent to [email protected] or by calling 301-295-0895.
2 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter
Department of Surgery hosts 26th annual trauma conferenceby Staff Sgt. Matthew Rosine
USUcelebratedits26thAnnualSurgeryforTraumaDayAugust25inSanfordAuditorium.
Theday-longeventfeaturedpromi-nentguestlecturers,includingMichaelRotondo,M.D,theWilliamR.Druckerdistinguishedsurgicallecturer.Dr.RotondoisprofessorandChairmanfortheDepartmentofSurgeryandChief,CenterofExcellenceforTraumaandSurgicalCriticalCareatPittCountyMemorialHospitalinNorthCarolina.TheMartinSilversteindistinguishedsurgicallecturerwasJohnArmstrong,M.D.,fromtheUniversityofSouthFloridaCollegeofMedicineinTampa,whereheisassociateprofessorofSurgeryandMedicalDirectoroftheCenterforAdvancedMedicalLearningandSimulation.
Severalotherdistinguishedspeakersparticipated,includingDr.JonathanWoodson,theAssistantSecretaryofDefenseforHealthAffairsandDr.RobertDodson(USU,SoM’86),surgeonandpresidentofthemedicalstaffattheSt.John’sRegionalMedicalCenterinJoplin,Missouri.
Dr.Dodson’sspeechtitled“Experi-encewiththeJoplinTornado,”highlightedhowhisUSUeducationandmilitarytraumatraininghelpedlaythegroundworkforthesuccessfulmedicalsupportofthecityfollowingthatMay22,2011tornadothatstruckhishospital.
“Youhavetobeprepared,”saidDodson,whoretiredfromtheAirForce.“Thisschool(USU)isallaboutgivingpeoplethetoolstomakegooddecisions.”
AfterthetornadorippedthroughJoplin,theSt.John’shospitalwastheonlymedicalfacilitystillstanding,butithadsustainedmajordamage.
“Theonlythingworsethanbeinghitbyatornadoisbeingtheonlysurvivinghospital,”Dodsonsaid.
Despitearuinedmedicalfacility,limitedsuppliesandpracticallynoelectroniccommunicationcapability,thesemedicalprofessionalsaddressedmorethan350casualtieswithinthefirsthourafterthetornado.
“Itwasdifficult,butwewentfromnothingtofullycapableinsevendays,”hesaid.
Thecasualtycountwouldcontinuetoriseuntilmorethan1,500casual-tieswereseen.Intotal,morethan150peoplelosttheirlivesinthestorm,includingsixpeoplewhowereinthehospitalwhenthetornadohit.
Butthroughthistragicevent,DodsonwantedtoprovideaspecificmessagetothestudentsatUSU–qualitytrainingwillempowerthemtosucceeddespitethesituationandausteresetting.
“Notonlywillyoulearndisasterplanninghere–youwilllearnitandyouwillliveit,”Dodsonsaid.“Onedayyouwillhavetodothis.Sotakeadvan-tageoftheexperienceyouhavehere.”
Dr. Robert Dodson, a surgeon and president of the medical staff at the St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Missouri, speaks during the 26th annual Surgery for Trauma Day at USU. Dodson (USU ‘1986) spoke about his experiences following the May 22 tornado that hit Joplin.
Photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Rosine
NavyLt.Cmdr.ChrisMartinassumedresponsibilitiesastheChaplainfortheUniformedServicesUniversityoftheHealthSciencesthissummer.
PreviouslyservingatMarineCorpsBaseKaneoheBay,Hawaii,herelieveNavyChaplain(Lt.Cmdr.)BruceMentzer,whoretiredinAugust.
“Iamexcitedtobehere.Ihavealwayshadacloserelationshipwithmyunitdoctorsondeployments,”ChaplainMartinsaid.“So,Iamreallyexcitedaboutbeinginontheinitialtraininglevelforourfuturedoctors.”
HavingpreviouslyservedonthreedeploymentsassignedtoMarinebattalionsinbothIraqandAfghani-stan,ChaplainMartinfeelshisexperi-encewillbevaluableincompletingtheCommandReligiousProgram–thefreeexerciseofreligion,aswellasallpersonnel,staff,studentsandtheirfamiliesbeingabletocallontheChaplain’sofficeforsupportthroughcounsel,worshipandtrainingactivi-tieswhichsupportcharacterdevelop-mentandspiritualformation.
“IamhopingtobringthreethingstoUSU:availability,approachabil-ityandfriendliness,”hesaid.“Iwanteveryonetofeelcomfortableenough
toapproachachaplain’sofficewithanyneed.Iwantthemtoknowweareavailabletomeetanyone’sneeds,whentheyneedus.And,weareheretohelpthemattaintheirgoals.”
Lt.Cmdr.MartinwasborninPortsmouth,VirginiaattheU.S.NavyHospital.HeearnedaBachelorofSciencedegreeinBusinessfromMiamiUniversityinOxford,Ohioin
October 3, 2011 3
A Profile in Leadership: Chaplain Chris Martin by Staff Sgt. Matthew Rosine
1992andreceivedadirectcommis-sionintheNavyasaChaplainCandidatein1997.Lt.Cmdr.MartinearnedaMastersofDivinitydegreefromGordon-ConwellTheologicalSeminaryinSouthHamilton,Massa-chusettsin1998andwasordainedaMinisterofWordandSacramentbythePresbyterianChurch(USA)inSeptember,2001.
Lt.Cmdr.MartinistheproudhusbandtohiswifeJulie,andfathertotheirthreechildren,Ben,Katie,andDavid.
Throughallofhispersonalexperi-ences,educationandperspective,theChaplainhopeshewillbeavaluedleader,coworkerandfriendtoevery-oneatUSU.
“Ultimately,Ihopepeopleleavethisofficewithapositiveimageofmilitarychaplains,”hesaid.“Thisisnotaboutme.Whenthesedoctorsandnursesgettotheirnextdutyassignment,sayfiveyearsdowntheroad,andtimesgettough,Ihopetheirexperienceheremakesthemfeelcomfortableenoughtoreachouttotheircurrentchaplainfortheassis-tancetheyneed.”
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Lt. Cmdr. Chris Martin addresses troops during a recent deployment with a Marine battalion in Afghanistan.
4 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter
USU’s Williams honored by national associationby Ken Frager
NavyCmdr.(Dr.)CarlosWilliams,DirectorofEducationandCivil-MilitaryMedicineattheCenterforDisasterandHumanitarianAssis-tanceMedicine(CDHAM),receivedthePresident’sawardfromtheNationalMedicalAssociation,thelargestandoldestnationalorganiza-tionrepresentingAfricanAmericanphysiciansandpatientsintheUnitedStatesandabroad.
Cmdr.WilliamswasrecognizedforhisoutstandingworkaschairoftheOfficeoftheAssistantSecretaryofDefenseforHealthAffairsMedicalStabilityOperationsWorkingGroup’sEducationandTrainingCommittee.Dr.Williamsledtheeffortthatestab-lishedtheDOD’sMinorityGlobalHealthEducationandTrainingConsortium.ThisinitiativebringstogethertheNMA,theAmerican
Heiscurrentlyworkingincoordina-tionwithnumerousUnitedNationsagenciesandotherU.S.governmentdepartmentsandinternationalandnationalnon-governmentalorgani-zationstoimprovepartnernationsdisasterresponsecapabilities.Cmdr.WilliamshasconductedsustainedengagementsinseveralAfricannations,focusingoncrisisresponseanddiseasesurveillance.
InhislettertoCmdr.Williams,Dr.LeonardWeaver,PresidentoftheNMA,stated,“Youhaveachievedthehigheststandardsofhumanitarianismthroughyourexemplarywork.”Hewentontosay,“ThroughyourworkwiththeFederalCenterforDisas-terandHumanitarianAssistanceMedicineyouhaveimprovedthelivesofmillionsaroundtheglobe.”
Cmdr.WilliamsbringsabreadthofexperiencetoCDHAMandUSU.Heisclinicallytrainedinbothpediatricsandinternalmedicine,andbesideshismedicaldegreefromMorehouseSchoolofMedicine,heholdsMastersdegreesinbothPublicHealthandBusinessAdministrationfromJohnsHopkinsUniversity.
MedicalAssociationandtheNationalHispanicMedicalAssocia-tion.ItseekstopairU.S.-basedinsti-tutionswithpublichealthprogramsinAfrica,AsiaandSouthAmerica.
USU welcomed the newest students to the campus, including the School of Medicine’s class of 2015 and the new graduate students with a special Presentation Ceremony to round out Orientation week. This ceremony is an official induction into life as a student, and the students recite their respective Oaths, swearing to uphold the standards of their profession of medicine and science. It also was the first opportunity for family to visit the campus and to celebrate along with faculty and staff.
The medical school class of 2015 includes 171 students across the services, while the graduate school welcomed more than 40 new future researchers.
Presenting our latest best and the brightest
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Photo by Ken Frager
Navy Commander (Dr.) Carlos Williams accepts the National Medical Association’s President’s Award from Vice Admiral Adam M. Robinson, Jr., Surgeon General of the Navy.
October 3, 2011 5
HPRC Health TipsThe Human Performance
Resource Center Health Tips is a new column intended to provide the USU community with information to help develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Check out the HPRC website at: http://humanperformanceresourcecenter.org.
Swimming for fitnessSwimmingisawonderfulway
toimproveoverallfitnesswhileminimizingriskofinjury.It’seasyonyourjointsandimprovescardiovascularfitness.Whiletrain-inginapoolmaynotsimulateyourspecificduties,cross-training
Maintaining connectionsby VPE Staff
foralumnitohaveoneofficetoworkthrough,andithelpsuscontinuetobuildtheuniversity’srelationshipwiththem,”saidMs.Willis.
Theteamistaskedwithkeepingtrackofmorethan6,500graduatesoftheSchoolofMedicine,Gradu-ateNursingandGraduateEducationprograms.“Internetsearchenginesandthemilitarylocatorsareourbestfriends,”Ms.Willissaid.Theofficealsohelpsgraduatesstayincontactthroughemail,Facebook,andevents,likethesuccessful“GuessWho’sComingtoDinner”programbeingrelaunchedshortly,whichpairsalumniwithcurrentstudentsfornetworkingoverdinner.
“Oneofthemostvaluablebenefitsforstudents,andevenprospectivestudents,isourabilitytoconnectthemtoalumniwhocanhelpguidethemduringtheirmilitarymedicalcareers,”Ms.Willissaid.“Gettingaclassroomeducationiscritical,butputtingthateducationtowork,orexperiencinglifeinaspecificmedicalspecialtyortreatmentfacility,isbetterlearnedfromsomeonewhohasbeen
reducestheriskofinjuryfromotherrepetitiveexerciselikerunning.Effec-tivepooltrainingsessionsshouldvaryinintensityandemphasis.Toavoidshoulderjointandupperbackissues,warmupbyswimmingforfivetotenminutesatapaceslowerthanyourusualtrainingpace,andincludekickingandpullingdrills.Toimprovestrengthandenduranceinthewater,tryintervaltraining.Shorterrestinter-valswillimproveendurance,whilelongeroneswillstressyouranaerobicsystemandimproveyourstrengthandpower.Alternatingbetweenaerobic(longerandslower)andanaerobic(shorterandmoreintense)workoutswilloptimizeyouroverallperfor-manceforbothcombatswimmingoperationsandcardiovascularfitnessingeneral.
Energy drinks and adolescentsEnergydrinksaremarketed
toimprovephysicalandmentalperformance,mainlyto“boostenergy.”Adolescentsarefindingenergydrinksmoreoften,inpartbecauseofheavymarket-ingofsportsdrinksbyathleticsuperstars,causingadolescentstoconfuseenergydrinksforsportsdrinks.Energydrinkscontainlargeamountsofcaffeineandotherstimulants,whilesportsdrinkscontaincarbohydratesandelectro-lytesandareintendedforusewhenathletes(includingadolescents)areengagedinprolonged,vigorousexercise.Adolescentshavealreadyhadproblemscombiningenergydrinksandalcohol,whichhasledtoriskybehavior.
WalkingintoroomA1025islikewalkingintoashrinetoUSU.ThewallsarecoveredwithphotosofalumnisittingonpalacethronesinIraq,ontopofMt.Kilimanjaro,onboardtheUSNSComfort,andtakingoverashospitalcommanders.Aposterfromthefilm,“FightingforLife,”whichfeaturedUSUanditsalumni,sitsinthecornernexttoabookshelffilledwithdecadesoftheuniversity’syearbookcontainingphotosofeverygraduate.
Andnowonder.A1025iswhereUSU’sAlumniAffairsOffice,directedbyMs.SharonWillissince1993,andherteam,whichincludesGloriaMaguireandBernieSchwartz,aretaskedwithformingthebondthatkeepsstudentsconnectedtotheUniver-sitylongaftertheygraduate.
“Foralumni,weareacentralpointofcontactforwhateverservicesorinfor-mationtheyneedfromtheUniversity,”saidMs.Willis.
TheAlumniAffairsstaffgetsrequestsforLRCaccounts,transcripts,facultyappointments,reunioninformation,orquestionsonhowUSUtimecountstowardretirement.“It’smucheasier
there.Ouralumnivaluetheopportu-nitytoserveinthisrole.”
Theofficealsoassistsotherdepart-mentswhoneedtoreachgraduatestoteachorforsomeotherpurpose.“TherehavebeentimeswhentheAdmissionsofficeneededagraduateinadeployedlocationtoserveasaninterviewerforanapplicantwhoisalsoinornearthatsamedeployedlocation,andourofficewasabletohelpthem,”saidMs.Willis.“ThesameholdstruewhenthePresident’sofficereceivesaninvitationtoaninstallationceremonyforanewuniversitypresidentaroundthecountry.WehelptoidentifyandcontactUSUalumniinthoseareaswhomightbeabletoserveasofficialrepre-sentativesatthoseceremonies.”
“Iprobablyhaveoneofthegreat-estjobshere,”saidMs.Willis.“Igettowatchourstudentsgrowwhilethey’rehere,butIalsogettofollowtheircareersandshareintheirsuccessesalongtheway.AndtheworkwedobenefitsnotjusttheUniversity,butalloftheSoldiers,SailorsandAirmenandevencivilians,whoourgraduatescareforwhileservinginharm’sway.”
6 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter
The brotherhood of military medicineby Christine Creenan-Jones
New faculty orientation dayCourtesy USU Faculty Senate Mentoring Committee
Twinbrothers,BenandZachClarkgrewupwatchingtheirfatherCol.(Dr.)GaryClark,(USU‘88),takecareofSoldiersonthemilitarypoststheycalledhome.Hewasaverygooddoctor,andaneasyrolemodelfortheboys.Soitwasn’tlongbeforeyoungBenandZachdecidedtheywantedtohealwarriorsasArmyphysicians,too.
Theirresolvecontinuedthroughhighschool.Thetwins,athleticandpopular,finishedatthetopoftheirclass.Forthem,collegeopportunitieswereboundless,butBenandZachhadonlyoneuniversityinmind.
AttendingWestPoint,theArmy’smilitaryacademyinNewYork,waspartofthefamilylegacycarvedbytheirfatherandolderbrother.Italsobroughtthetwinsonestepclosertotheirdream.
“TherearenoeasydaysatWestPoint,”saidBen,theolder,slightlytallerbrother.“Theprogramislongandintense,butit’sincrediblyrewarding,
TheUSUFacultySenateMentoringCommitteewillhostanorientationdayonThursday,October13,2011,inLectureRoomE,BuildingC(0800-1545),forallnewfaculty.
Themainfunctionofthecommitteeistoidentifyandpromoteadministrativelysupportedpoliciesandpracticesthatfacilitatecareerandacademicsuccess,enhancedpersonalgrowth,andjobsatisfactionofallUSUfaculty.Inaccordancewiththischarge,presentationsfromseniorfacultyandUniversityleadershavebeenplannedthroughoutthedaytoprovidenewfacultywithimportantinformationandanopportunitytoaskquestionsaboutavailableresources.
WhiletheNewFacultyOrientationDayhasbeendesignedprimarilyfor
too.Yougainalotofknowledgeandself-confidenceatWestPoint.Aftergraduation,IfeltlikeIcouldtackleanyobstacleinmypath.”
Today,thoseobstaclesareprettysignificantontheBethesdacampus.LikeWestPoint,USUexpectsmorefromitsstudentsthanmosttraditionaluniversi-ties.Academicdevelopmentisjustonepieceofthecurriculum.BenandZach,secondlieutenantsnow,willhavetobestrongmilitaryleadersaswell.
But,theirupbringingandeduca-tionhaspreparedthemforUSU.Theyalreadyhavetheambitionanddisci-plinetosucceed.Andwhenthingsgettough,theyalsohaveanothersecretweapontofallbackon–eachother.
“MybrotherandIhavealwaysbeenveryclose,”saidZach,themoreartistictwin.“Wepusheachothertodowellandalwayskeepaneyeoutforoneanother.”
TheiruniquebondwillhelptheClarkbrothersnavigateanother
facultywhoarenewtotheUniversity,ALLFACULTYareencouragedtoattendasmanyoftheplannedsessionsaspossible,includingtheall-facultyreceptionwhichwillfollowinthelobbyoutsideofLectureRoomE.
Allattendeesmustregisterinadvanceat:
http://www.lrc.usuhs.mil/content/training_reg.php?Grp=Public&ClassID=716
Event highlights include: • IntroductionandOverview
byUSULeadership• FacultySupportResources• Appointment,Promotionand
TenureprocessatUSU(SOMandGSN)
• ResearchandTechnologyTransfer
difficultfour-yearprogram.USUisthefinallegoftheiracademicjourneyintomilitarymedicinebeforethetwinsareabletocallthemselvesArmydoctorsatlast.
Photo by Thomas C. Balfour
• Teaching&Education(CurriculumReform)
• Reception(ALLFACULTYAREINVITED)
PleasemarkthedateandwatchTVmonitorsaroundtheUSUcampusforspecificinformationabouttheday’sevents.
Contacts:FacultySenatePresident:TomokoHooper,MD,MPH([email protected])
Mentoring Committee Co-chairs:JohnanKaleeba,Ph.D.([email protected])andColNicholasLezama,USAF,MC,SFS.([email protected])
October 3, 2011 7
Briefs
Working side by side on land…and at sea.
Lt.Col.(Dr.)KevinBanks(SoM,2001),amemberofacombatsupporthospitalTaskForceinAfghanistanhadbeenintheatreforaboutamonthwhenherealizedthattherewasalargeUSUcontingentworkingwithhim.USUalumnifromtheschoolofmedicineandGSNwereworking.AccordingtoDr.Banks,“ThisisjustonemoredemonstrationthatUSUgraduatesareactiveinoperationalsettings,withGSNandSOMalumniworkingsidebyside.”
Shown l-r: Capt. Allen Mitchell ‘92 (NMC Portsmouth - ENT), Lt. Cmdr. Tim Mickel ‘99 (NMC San Diego - Orthopedics), Lt. Cmdr. James Solomon ‘03 (NNMC Bethesda - Anesthesiology), Lt. Cmdr. Kerry Hollenbeck ‘03 (NMC San Diego - Anesthesiology), Lt. Cmdr. Katherine Covington Austin ‘00 (NMC Portsmouth - OB/ Gyn), Capt. Michael Mazzilli ‘90 (NMC Portsmouth - Anesthesiology), Col. Edwin Burkett ‘91 (Langley AFB - Chief, Global Health, Office of the Command Surgeon), Lt. Cmdr. Philip Letada ‘03 (NMC Portsmouth - Dermatology)Cmdr. (s) Andrew J Sellers ‘99 (NMC Portsmouth - Radiology), Maj. Melissa McGuinn King ‘03 (Eglin AFB - Hematology/ Oncology), Capt. (s) Stephen Sears ‘93 (OSD(HA) TMA)
AirForceMaj.(Dr.)MelissaKing(SoM,2003)recentlyreturnedfromadeploymenton-boardtheUSNSCOMFORT.Shewrote“DespitemyAirForceroots,IhavebeenassignedtotheUSNSComfort,”whichrecentlyreturnedfromtheirmorethanfivemonthdeploymentinsupportofOperationContinu-ingPromise2011,ahumanitarianmissiontoninecountriesintheCaribbeanandCentralandSouthAmerica.“USUwaswellrepresentedandIhadtheopportunitytoworkalongside10otherUSUalumniwhowereaboardforthemission.”
Kneeling (l-r): Capt. Greg Phillips (CRNA, ‘09), Col. Clorinda Zawacki (DCCS, ‘93), Maj. Christopher Finch (Anesthesiologist, ‘05), Maj. Denise Moultrie (RN, OIC, ‘08), Col. Clifford Porter (General Surgeon, ‘86), Maj. Kevin Guthmiller (Anesthesiologist, ‘05), Capt. (P) Greg Kraus (Anesthesiologist, ‘06), Maj. Laura Gallaway (CRNA, ‘09).
Standing (l-r): Lt. Col. Kevin Banks (Radiologist, ‘01), Maj. Jason Bothwell (Chief, Emergency Medicine, ‘01), Maj. Nici Bothwell (ENT, ‘02), Lt. Col. Heather Currier (Chief, Surgery, ‘99), Maj. Tristan Knutson (Emergency Medicine, ‘05), Lt. Col. Donald Helman (Chief, Critical Care, ‘97), Capt. Corey Jones (CRNA, ‘09).
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Using Computer ResourcesSecurityincidentscontinuetobea
draintolimitedUSUInformationAssur-ancemanpower.ThefollowinghighlightcurrentDoDpolicyandbestpractices:
Personnelmustnotinstallself-codedornon-licensedsoftwareonnetworkresources;add,remove,configure,orattempttomodifyUSUcomputeroperatingsystemsorprograms;moveaudio/visualornetworkcables,computersorattempttoconnectpersonalcomputerstothenetworkincludingMDLandlecturehallspaces;connectpersonaldevicesexceptforthosepreviouslyauthorizedbyNOC;
downloadpornographicmaterialandstoreordisplayoffensivematerial,suchasracistliterature,sexuallyharassingorobscenelanguageormaterial;storeorprocessclassifiedinformationonanyUSUsystem.
Personnelmustnotpermitunauthor-izedindividualsaccesstoagovern-ment-ownedorgovernment-operatedsystemorprogram;accessonlinegambling,gamesandsocialengineeringsites,datesortimes.
Help Desk ClosureTheCustomerServiceDivision
(CSD)HelpDeskisclosedforstaff
meetingsandtrainingonThursdaysfrom2:00PMuntil3:00PM.Onlineservicesarestillavailableduringthistime.UtilizetheUSUServiceDesk(https://usuca/CAisd/pdmweb.exe)toenteryourrequestanditwillbeservicedaccordingly.
Exercise/Fitness AreasPhysicalFitnesstrainingshouldbe
conductedindesignatedareas.TheonlyauthorizedspaceforPT
withintheuniversityisroomG060.Thecampus’StudentCommunity
Loungeareaisalsoauthorized,butonlyduringspecifiedPFTdatesortimes.