VETERINARY PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

MEETING MINUTES

ROCKLEDGE 1 CONFERENCE ROOM

SEPTEMBER 7, 2001

**Members Present:**

CAPT Randy Elkins NIH, PAC CHAIR

CAPT Judy Davis NIH

CDR Sean Altekruse NIH

LCDR Kathy Hollinger FDA

LCDR Kris Bisgard CDC

**Members Absent:**

LCDR Marianne Ross (Executive Secretary) FDA

CDR Lowrey Rhodes NIH

**Guests Present:**

CAPT Cynthia Pond NIH, CPO

CDR Hugh Mainzer CDC

CDR Nancy Pate EPA

LT Allison Williams CDC

CAPT Elkins called the meeting to order at 1:00 pm. CDR Altekruse
volunteered to take the minutes of the meeting.

**Comments from the CPO (CAPT Pond):**

# 

# Information from the Office of the Surgeon General

The Office of the Surgeon General is developing several reports. VADM
Satcher's present term as Surgeon General will end in February 2002.
CAPT Pond will forward minutes from the CPO/PAC Chair meetings to the
category.

# Information from the Division of Commissioned Personnel

A Department-wide review of administrative functions is being performed.
One change that will occur is an effort to recreate the Commissioned
Corps. The first steps of this initiative are beginning. OSG will
provide us more details as the plan develops.

The Program Support Center, where DCP is located, is reorganizing.
Information technology will be consolidated.

Thrift Savings Plan will be coming on line soon. Information is
available at: http://dcp.psc.gov/sglv.pdf

DCP is updating the appointment standards of all the categories. This is
a chance for all categories to make suggestions on changes. Information
is posted on the DCP Website, pages 37 and 38 of the Commissioned
Personnel Manual. CAPT Pond requested that interested Officers provide
her with any comments as soon as possible.

A presentation was made to the CPOs and PAC Chairs by the CCRF. They
provided an overview of CCRF, as well as a summary of their activities
over the past two years. Most recently, officers were sent to the
Presidential Inauguration, to Mescalero Indian Hospital
(physician/physician assistant support), to Houston (Tropical Storm
Allison), and to FMC Devens (pharmacy support). Upcoming events include
IMF/World Bank, Winter Olympics, and further work in Houston (EHOs and
engineers for mold amelioration).

The Junior Officer Ad Hoc Advisory Group has prepared a charter for
review by OSG, outlining their mission and procedures. The group was
formed to serve as the collective "voice" and conduit of information on
interests and concerns specific to junior officers in the USPHS
Commissioned Corps.

DCP is holding a basic training program for new officers in October
2001.

Calls to active duty are up 20%, however retirement rates are very high
and are tending to offset the calls to active duty. Application forms
for the Commissioned Corps are now available on-line.

The data from the uniform survey is being analyzed. 27% of the active
duty officers responded to the survey. More than 4,000 written comments
were received. A full report on the results will be presented at the
October CPO/PAC Chair meeting.

# New CPOs Selected 

Selections have been made for the Chief Pharmacist and Chief Dentist.
RADM Dushanka Kleinman is the new CPO of the Dental Category and RADM
Richard Walling is the new CPO of the Pharmacist Category.

## [Dr. Linda Tollefson promoted to Rear Admiral]{.underline}

CAPT Pond announced that Dr. Linda Tollefson was promoted to the rank of
0-7 (Rear Admiral) on August 1, 2001. Dr. Tollefson is the first female
veterinarian in the PHS Commissioned Corps to reach the rank of Rear
Admiral. A promotion ceremony, officiated by RADMs Moritsugu and
Haffner, was held on August 22. As the CVM Deputy Director, Rear Admiral
(RADM) Tollefson is responsible for all public health programs and
international activities. A primary focus of the Center's mission is
human food safety, through assessing the safety and effectiveness of
drugs used in animals intended for human consumption. RADM Tollefson is
also responsible for the management and coordination of all Center
projects under the National Food Safety Initiative. The Food Safety
Initiative is designed to reduce the incidence of foodborne disease
through extensive collaboration among the U.S. Federal food safety
agencies, State governments and private organizations. Congratulations
were extended to our new Flag Officer.

# Commissioned Officers Association Meeting

The 2002 meeting will be in Atlanta. CAPT Randolph Daley has volunteered
to coordinate the category day for vets. CAPT Stephanie Ostrowski has
volunteered to represent the category on the Scientific Planning
Committee.

# Commissioned Corps Readiness Force

CCRF veterinarians have been invited to join the Veterinary Medical
Assistance Teams (VMATs) teams.  There are several benefits to such a
membership. Veterinarians who are VMAT members have a greater likelihood
of being deployed than CCRF veterinarians. Furthermore, there are funds
available to send VMAT members for training programs sponsored by AVMA
(no funding is available for CCRF members).

In coordination with the US Army at Ft. Bragg, the VMAT teams will hold
a field training exercise Oct 26-28, 2001 that will include Army support
personnel, NC State Veterinary College, 70 VMAT members, and
representatives from the State of North Carolina Dept of Public Health.
Courses will include Incident Command System, FMD, Preventive Medicine,
etc as well as living in a tent for 3 days. The VMAT Team Leader, Dr.
Jim Hamilton, has offered 20 spaces to CCRF vets if there is an
interest.

#### [Vet PAC membership]{.underline}

This year there were four vacancies on the PAC, and four nominees, so
there was no need for electronic voting. Nominees are LCDR Terri Clark,
CAPT Randolph Daley; Dr. Robert Hoyt; and LCDR Brent Morse. In
accordance with the VetPAC charter, a memo will be sent to each
nominee's agency requesting concurrence or nonconcurrence of the
individual's nomination to the PAC. If the agency concurs, a package
will go to the Surgeon General for formal selection of new members.

#### 

#### [Promotions for 2001]{.underline}

Congratulations to the following veterinarians for their promotions this
year:

To Captain (0-6)

Randolph Daley, CDC 7/1/01

Marissa Miller, NIH 7/1/01

Stephanie Ostrowski, ATSDR 7/1/01

Doug Powell, NIH 7/1/01

To Commander (0-5)

Marianne Ross, FDA 1/1/02

Charlotte Spires, FDA 7/1/01

To Lieutenant Commander (0-4)

Alicia Anderson, CDC 7/1/01

Princess Campbell, FDA 7/1/01

Katherine Feldman, CDC 7/1/01

Jennifer McQuiston, CDC 7/1/01

#### [PHS Video]{.underline}

PHS has created a seven-minute continuous loop video on the PHS
Commissioned Corps. CAPT Pond has a copy that is available for
recruiting activities.

## [AVMA Electronic News]{.underline}

CAPT Pond indicated that she routinely receives electronic news from the
AVMA.

She sought opinions on whether the Veterinary Category would be
interested in having these bulletins forwarded electronically.

# Request for volunteers

CAPT Pond mentioned a request for volunteers from the Poplar Spring
Animal Sanctuary, a non-profit refuge of 400 acres for farm animals and
wildlife in Poolesville, Maryland. Their mission includes care,
rehabilitation, and sanctuary for neglected, abandoned or unwanted farm
animals and wildlife. If any officers are interested they can visit the
web site: http://www.animalsanctuary.org/

CAPT Pond is seeking a volunteer to write an article for the
Commissioned Corps Bulletin. It is the Veterinary Category's turn.
Potential topics might include mentoring and PHS Veterinary Officer's
assignments (e.g., Foot and Mouth Disease Investigation).

**Comments from the PAC Chair (CAPT Elkins):**

## [Junior Officer Ad Hoc Advisory Group]{.underline}

LT Alison Williams has volunteered to serve as the Veterinary Category's
Liaison to the Junior Officer Ad Hoc Advisory Group while LCDR Kamela
Evans-Davis is on maternity leave.

## [Communication/Website]{.underline}

LCDR Hollinger provided an update on the PHS Commissioned Officer
Veterinary Category website. The web site is updated quarterly with
meeting minutes, Category notes and comments received from users of the
site. CAPT Judy Davis and LCDR Hollinger will finalize changes to the
Mentoring web site in this quarter's update. No comments or suggestions
about the proposed changes that were disseminated in May's Vet PAC
meeting minutes have been received, therefore revisions will be
incorporated as proposed.

## [Mentorship]{.underline}

In addition to the information that CAPT Judy Davis and LCDR Hollinger
provided on the Mentoring web site, CAPT Elkins indicated that
individual honor awards are a method for recognizing an officer's
contribution as a mentor. Awards can be submitted to DCP either through
an OPDIV or via the CPO/PAC Chair, as appropriate.

## [Special Initiatives]{.underline}

CAPT Powell coordinated the Veterinary Category session at the Annual
meeting of the COA in Washington, DC in May.

CAPTs Pond and Garbe set up the Veterinary Category booth in the exhibit
hall at the AVMA Annual Meeting in Boston in July, and many officers
contributed their time at the booth. The AVMA now requires that the
booth to be manned during all working hours. CAPT Pond suggested that a
schedule of the times that officers can serve at the booth be finalized
before the 2002 AVMA meeting begins.

## [Uniformed Services Veterinary Holiday Prom/Dinner]{.underline}

## The Public Health Service is the lead service for organizing this year's Uniformed Services Veterinary Holiday Prom/Dinner. The event will take place on the evening of December 15 at Fort Myer. CAPT Pond indicated that several officers had proposed that an auction be organized as part of the festivities. 

[Henry M. Jackson Foundation]{.underline}

## CAPT Elkins reported that there is a balance of \$ 514.94 in this fund. It was recommended that these funds be kept in reserve in since there may be some upfront expenses associated with the Uniformed Services Veterinary Holiday Prom/Dinner. 

## [Commissioned Corps Re-creation Initiative]{.underline}

CAPT Elkins noted that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases has spent considerable effort to develop a list of Global
Health Research Priorities for HIV/AIDS. He suggested that the work
agencies have done on this and other public health issues can serve as
models for re-creation activities.

## [All-hands meeting]{.underline}

The spring 2001 Veterinary Category All-Hands Meeting at the Uniformed
Services University of Health sciences was a success with many officers
in attendance. Potential dates and locations for the next meeting were
discussed. It was proposed that the next meeting be held in the spring
of 2002.

# Election of PAC Chair-Elect

CDR Altekruse was unanimously selected VetPAC Chair-Elect.

##### Date of next meeting

The next meeting will be held on Friday, November 30, 2001 from
1300-1500. The location will be announced (either Rockledge 1 or 6116
Executive Boulevard).

CAPT Elkins adjourned the meeting at 2:00 pm.

CAPT Randy Elkins

Chair, VetPAC

CAPT Cynthia Pond

Chief Professional Officer, Veterinary Category