**VETERINARY PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE**

**(Vet PAC)**

###### MEETING MINUTES

# September 25, 2003

# 6116 Executive Boulevard, Room 210

## 

## Members Present

CAPT Bill Stokes (NIH, Chief Professional Officer, Non-voting Ex Officio
Member)

CAPT Randolph Daley (CDC), via conference call

CDR Dusty Rhodes (NIH, Vet PAC Chair)

CDR Terri Clark (NIH)

CDR Estella Jones (FDA)

CDR Stephanie Harris (EPA), via conference call

CDR Yvette Davis (NIH, Alternate for CDR Brent Morse)

LCDR Patrice Klein (FDA), via conference call

LCDR Kim Taylor (NIH, Executive Secretary)

## Members Absent

CAPT Bob Hoyt (NIH, USPHS, Retired, Civil Service Member)

CDR Brent Morse (NIH)

## 

## Guests Present

CAPT Sean Altekruse (NIH, Vet PAC past-Chair, ex officio member)

CAPT Nancy Pate (EPA), via conference call

CDR Hugh Mainzer

CDR Meta Timmons (DCP), via conference call

LCDR Sanyvette Williams (EPA), via conference call

CDR Don Gardner (RML), via conference call

LCDR Regina Tan (FSIS, USDA)

CDR Dusty Rhodes called the meeting to order at 1309 hours and
introduced members and guests. Minutes of the June 12, 2003 Vet PAC
meeting were previously approved and posted at the category's website at
<http://www.fda.gov/cvm/links/vcc/>.

####### Organizational Maintenance -- CDR Rhodes

-   Nominees for the Vet PAC were reviewed and the selection process is
    finished. The following officers were selected to serve a 2 year
    term on the Vet PAC from Jan 1, 2004 - December 31, 2005:

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-   CDR Shanna Nesby-O\'Dell CDC Representative

-   CDR Don Gardner NIH Representative

-   CDR David Ashford Geographic location

-   LCDR Ed Wozniak Geographic location

-   Dr. Mark Abdy Civil Service Representative

-   CDR Yvette Davis Member at large

-   LCDR Kim Taylor Member at large

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-   Members who will remain on the VPAC for one more year are:

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-   CDR Estella Jones FDA Representative

-   LCDR Patty Klein Junior Officer Representative

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-   Members who will leave the committee at the end of the year are:

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-   CAPT Randolph Daley

-   CDR Terri Clark

-   CDR Brent Morse

-   CDR Stephanie Harris

-   Dr. Bob Hoyt

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-   CDR Dusty Rhodes is retiring from the PHS Veterinary Corps after 23
    years of service. CDR Terri Clark will be serving as the Vet PAC
    Chair from October 8, 2003 to January 1, 2004. The Vet PAC elected
    CDR Clark, via e-mail balloting conducted in September, to serve as
    the Chair for the remainder of 2003.

######## Agenda Items

**[CPO Comments -- CAPT Bill Stokes]{.underline}**

# CDR Rhodes, CDR Clarke, and CAPT Stokes attended the September 25, 2003 CPO/PAC Chairs meeting. The following items discussed at the meeting are summarized below.

## CPO Scans

-   The Deputy Surgeon General will be sending the CPO scans to the
    Acting Secretary of Health. He has asked the CPOs to review the
    content of their bimonthly scans before sending and to submit them
    in a timely manner. If you have any news relevant to the Veterinary
    Category that you would like the senior PHS leadership to be aware
    of, please send your comments to CAPT Stokes for inclusion in the
    Veterinary Category CPO scan. This is a great way to highlight
    accomplishments of Veterinary Officers or agencies.

## Deployment Opportunities

-   The Chief Medical Officer for the PHS, RADM Vanderwagen is being
    deployed to Iraq to assess the current health infrastructure and to
    assist with the rebuilding process. He will be stationed in Baghdad
    for 90 to 120 days. This position will be a rolling deployment of
    senior PHS medical officers and there may be an opportunity in the
    future for other PHS categories to be involved.

## Corps Transformation 

> **Expansion of the Reserve Officer Corps**

-   Secretary Thompson has placed an increased emphasis on expanding the
    PHS Inactive Reserve Corps. There are currently 1500 officers in the
    inactive reserve of which 33 are veterinarians. The PHS does not
    have a retirement program for its reservists such as that which
    exists for reservists in the Armed Forces. Right now PHS reservists
    get paid while they are on active duty but do not accrue any credit
    towards a retirement. The PHS law is slotted to be changed this year
    so that PHS reservists will have the same benefits as reservists in
    other branches of service. The Secretary has placed a high priority
    on getting the law changed and it is currently on the DHHS
    legislative agenda for this year.

-   A Basic Officer Training Course and CCRF Course were recently held
    for reserve officers. The 45 officers that attended were also
    designated as Associate Recruiters so that they can actively recruit
    other reserve officers.

-   The purpose of expanding the reserve corps is to provide surge
    capacity for the active duty PHS force in times of disasters and
    emergencies and also to backfill during rolling deployments.
    Additionally, special focus programs may be developed to address
    specific health issues, such as diabetes education and treatment on
    Indian reservations or dental care. Teams of PHS specialists would
    be sent into communities to address these special issues.

-   There may be an opportunity to develop veterinary public health
    deployments in the future, similar to the Artic Care deployments
    each spring in Alaska.

-   As a result of the Secretary of Health plan to expand the reserve
    corps, there will be increased opportunities for individuals to
    serve as reserve officers. Please direct interested persons to the
    Recruiting Branch.

> **CC Personnel Manual (CCPM) Issuances on Temporary Promotions,
> Permanent Promotions, and Deployment Readiness**

-   Recently, CC Officers were given the opportunity to make comments on
    draft CC Personnel Manuals. Many individuals did review these
    documents. CDR Rhodes compiled the responses for the Veterinary
    Category and CAPT Stokes forwarded them on to DCP.

-   The Revised CCPMs are due to be redistributed this afternoon after
    they have been cleared by the Office of General Counsel. CC Officers
    will be given another opportunity to comment before the CCPMs are
    finalized. There will again be a rather short suspense for comments,
    2 weeks or less. Please send your comments to CDR Clark or CAPT
    Stokes.

-   The purpose of revising the CCPMs is to develop promotion precepts
    that will help shape the PHS Corps so that we are better prepared to
    respond rapidly to national public health needs and disasters.

-   Some of the anticipated changes to the initial versions are listed
    below.

    -   The initial proposal stated that an officer would have three
        attempts at promotion. If they had been considered three or more
        times then they would have one more chance. However, this
        proposal has been discarded and all officers will start fresh
        and all will have three chances for promotion for the grade they
        are eligible for. This will start with the 2004 promotion cycle,
        after which, if an officer has been considered three times but
        has not been promoted then they will be frozen at their current
        grade. However, they may be given one more chance if their
        agency requests that they be reconsidered for promotion.

    -   The revised promotion manual also proposes that an officer may
        opt to be removed from consideration during the 2004 promotion
        cycle. This will allow officers to work on meeting the new
        promotion standards before they are considered for promotion. If
        you decide to take advantage of this opportunity, then it will
        not be counted as one of the three times for the next grade you
        are eligible for.

    -   The terminology for Exceptional Capability Promotions has
        changed to Exceptional Proficiency Promotions. A separate board
        will no longer be held but instead these will be considered at
        the same time as temporary promotions are considered. If you are
        recommended for an Exceptional Proficiency Promotion but are not
        promoted, this will not count as one of your three chances to be
        promoted to the grade that you are eligible for.

    -   A medical waiver for the CCRF physical fitness requirements and
        for the immunization requirements may be obtained. For the first
        year after implementation of the new promotion regulations,
        there will not be physical fitness standards that must be met
        for deployment readiness.

    -   Promotion precepts:

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-   There will no longer be a precept for Agency Priority ranking.

-   There will be an officership precept and also a separate precept for
    deployment readiness, which is a very important one.

-   Many of the points previously assigned to Agency Priority ranking
    will be shifted to these two precepts.

> **"Shape of the Corps"**

-   Some believe the CC is top heavy with regard to grades. However, one
    officer stated that in reality the CC is not really top heavy but
    instead bottom light.

-   The senior leadership realizes that more job opportunities need to
    be created for junior officers. There needs to be consideration for
    the billets filled; the shape of the Corps should reflect the billet
    grades.

-   With regard to the Veterinary Category approximately half of the
    officers are O6s. We have quite a few senior positions
    disproportionate to the other categories, such as nurses,
    therapists, and dieticians, which do have quite a few entry level
    positions available for junior officers.

-   With the emphasis on expanding the CC and availability of entry
    level positions in FSIS, this is a good time to recruit junior
    veterinary officers.

## Commissioned Corps Readiness Force

-   The Veterinary Category as of today has 32/97 on the CCRF roster.
    Thank you to the CCRF Subcommittee and to the officers who enrolled
    in the CCRF. The Veterinary Category has reached the 30% goal set by
    the SG for the September 30^th^ deadline. The enrollment CC-wide is
    at 41%.

-   ADM Babb emphasized that if you deployed with the CCRF but did not
    wear your uniform then you will not be nominated for any special
    awards for CCRF deployment. The SG and the CCRF Office continue to
    stress the need for visibility of the PHS and that means wearing our
    uniforms daily.

-   If you have been deployed, please provide a written summary of your
    experience and any photos you would like to share to CAPT Stokes. He
    will ensure that this information gets included in the Veterinary
    CPO Scan so that the senior leadership is kept abreast of the
    veterinary involvement during deployments.

-   165 CC Officers were deployed to assist during Hurricane Isabel; two
    of these officers were veterinarians. CAPT Randolph Daley was
    deployed through a direct CDC mechanism to the NC State Health
    Department. CAPT Nancy Pate was also deployed through CCRF to the
    DHHS Secretary's Emergency Response Team housed in the Public Health
    Department. She was there Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. She
    reported to the FEMA District Field Office on the Monday following
    Hurricane Isabel. She is still on active status but is back at her
    duty site.

## CPO Board 

-   DCP is requesting assistance from the CPO Board in standardizing the
    benchmarks for the category-specific precepts. Each category (11
    total) has described the benchmarks differently; so at this point,
    there could be 11 different published standards.

-   Some controversy exists regarding the terminology, "Best-Qualified"
    officer. The Promotion Task Force chose to use this term and it
    basically means the same as "Highly Qualified".

-   The benchmarks are meant to define a highly qualified officer. There
    is continued confusion as to what this means. Some interpret the
    benchmarks as defining the ideal officer whereas others interpret
    them as defining an officer that meets the 50% mark. This issue will
    need to be clarified in the near future.

## Surgeon General Certificate of Recognition

-   The Nursing Category has been giving out these certificates to
    category members who receive special certifications. DCP has asked
    all CPOs to provide them with criteria for when they feel it is
    appropriate to request this certificate.

-   CAPT Stokes suggested that for the Veterinary Category, any member
    who has obtained a specialty board certification recognized by the
    AVMA might be eligible to receive this award. CDR Estella Jones
    suggested that those who have undergone First Responder Training and
    have obtained licensure might also be eligible to receive this
    recognition. This training is conducted by paramedics and involves
    40 hours of classroom training and passing a state test. CDR Jones
    offered to find out more about scheduling this training for
    individuals. First Responder Training is another step beyond Basic
    Life Support training required by CCRF.

-   If you have any other ideas for other activities that might warrant
    the Surgeon General Certificate of Recognition, please forward them
    to CAPT Stokes.

## Deputy Surgeon General Notes

-   The Deputy SG reminded the PAC Chairs to notify category members
    that the flu season is around the corner and that all individuals
    should receive their annual vaccination. Please also remember to
    update your CCRF immunization record; this is a required
    vaccination.

-   The CDC would like to have the maximum number of persons immunized
    against flu this year in the event that a SARS outbreak occurs. This
    may help to limit confusion since those with flu-like symptoms could
    be mistakenly diagnosed as having the flu versus SARS.

## [Meeting Updates]{.underline}

## 

## Commissioned Officers Association (COA) Meeting

-   This year's COA meeting was held recently in Scottsdale, AZ. A total
    of five veterinarians attended this meeting. Since there was not an
    official veterinary program the five veterinarians meet for lunch
    and were joined by the Administrator of FSIS, Dr. Gary McKee, who is
    also a Reserve CC Officer. The group was visited by the SG.

-   Next year's meeting will be held in Anchorage, Alaska. CDR Martin
    Kriete has been designated as the Veterinary Program Coordinator. He
    will be assisted by CDR Hugh Mainzer, CDR Estella Jones, and CDR
    Johnny Brady. If you have a topic you would like to present at next
    year's meeting please contact CDR Kriete.

## The Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) 

-   The AMSUS Meeting is rapidly approaching. It is being held in San
    Antonio, November 15^th^ through the 21^st^. The PHS is the lead
    agency for the program this year and CAPT Paul Garbe is the Chair
    for the Veterinary Medicine Section. He has arranged to have RADM
    Jim Steele speak at the luncheon. RADM Steele was the first Chief
    Veterinary Officer for our category. The AMSUS meeting information
    and a description of the McCallam Award are described in the March
    27, 2003 Vet PAC meeting minutes, which are posted at
    <http://www.fda.gov/cvm/links/vcc/>. Meeting information can be
    found at <http://www.amsus.org/>.

## Meeting Subcommittee -- CDR Rhodes

-   As a side note, CDR Rhodes suggested to the Vet PAC members that we
    add a Meeting Subcommittee to our subcommittees list. The meetings
    are important and we as a category need to play a more active role
    in coordinating these. This topic will be addressed at the next
    scheduled Vet PAC meeting, where a chair will be selected. The chair
    must be a voting member of the Vet PAC. If you are interested,
    please contact CDR Clark.

## National Multihazard Symposium: One Medicine Approach to Homeland Security

-   CAPT Stokes sent out a flyer recently for this meeting. It is being
    held in Durham, NC, December 10-12, 2003. The target audience is
    primarily directed toward veterinarians and physicians.

-   There will be a table top exercise, and an optional large animal
    disaster response wet lab conducted at the veterinary school.

-   The SG has been invited to speak at the opening ceremony.

**[Subcommittee Reports]{.underline}**

**Awards Subcommittee -- Chair CDR Terri Clark**

-   [Special Assignment Award]{.underline}

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-   This award is given to elected PAC members. One award can be given
    per term for each member that has performed an equivalent of 30 days
    of service.

-   The CPO will still certify that the PAC member performed the
    prerequisite time. Those rotating off the Vet PAC need to send CAPT
    Stokes documentation of their activities while serving on the board
    to include dates. He would like to have this information forwarded
    to him by the end of the year. Please also include a copy of your
    official appointment letter signed by the Surgeon General.

-   One day of service does not equal 8 hours. The following are
    examples of activities that would count as one day of service:
    attending a PAC meeting, involvement in a subcommittee
    teleconference, or volunteering to man the booth at a meeting.

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-   CPO Board reviews awards submitted for individuals nominated for
    recognition of their participation in PAC activities. CAPT Stokes
    stated that the Awards Subcommittee plays an important role in
    submitting nominations to recognize officers who have worked hard on
    the committee.

-   More members are needed to assist CDR Clark on the subcommittee.
    LCDR Regina Tan volunteered to be a member. If you are interested in
    helping, please contact CDR Clark. \[NOTE: You do not need to be a
    Vet PAC member in order to assist on the various subcommittees. Get
    involved today!\]

-   [Vet-of-the-Year Award]{.underline}

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-   This award has been traditionally presented at the Annual All Hands
    Meeting. However, other categories present similar awards at the
    Annual COA Meeting. This may be a great opportunity to recognize
    individuals in front of their peers.

-   CDR Hugh Mainzer is a member of the COA Board of Directors and has
    offered to assist with this endeavor. This may be a great way to
    promote not only Veterinary Category visibility within the Corps but
    also to encourage participation of veterinarians in the COA.
    However, the PAC members felt that funding would not be available
    for moving this award to the COA meeting and could also present a
    problem for having attendance by the Awardee for the presentation.

**Recruitment Subcommittee -- Chair CDR Stephanie Harris**

-   CDR Harris has compiled a list of contact for veterinary schools in
    the U.S to include email addresses to the Associate Deans of
    Academic Affairs. Apparently all veterinary students are required to
    have an internet address, so this is probably the best way to
    contact prospective recruitees.

-   CDR Harris needs volunteers to assist her with designing an
    eye-catching webpage that could be sent to first and second year vet
    students through the Associate Deans at each university. Some items
    that could be included on this webpage are access to the PHS
    websites, specific information about opportunities for recent
    graduates, the CO-Step program, etc. Developing an electronic
    informative message would really save on postage and paper waste.

-   CDR Harris contacted Dr. Andrew Maccabe of the AAVMC regarding
    suggestions for recruitment tools. Dr. Maccabe had many good ideas
    to include contacting students through the college electronically
    and publishing articles and website information in the SCAVMA
    Journal, the INTERVET, which is now available only electronically.
    He also suggested contacting public practice "clubs" within the
    veterinary schools, such as the Bovine Practitioners Club and
    targeting veterinarians that have been practicing for between 3 and
    5 years. This could be done through the AVMA or other organizations.

-   CDR Harris has also contacted Dr. Rosemary LoGuidice from the AVMA
    regarding access to the SCAVMA INTERVET, but is waiting to hear back
    from her yet.

-   CDR Hugh Mainzer suggested that all CC vets read the most recent
    Journal of Veterinary Medicine Education (Vol 30, #2, summer 2003).
    The issue is entitled "An Agenda for Action: Veterinary Medicine's
    Crucial Role in the Public Health and Biodefense and The Obligation
    of Academic Veterinary Medicine to Respond". CDR Mainzer stated that
    this is a walking advertisement for why veterinarians should join
    the Public Health Service.

-   CDR Kathy Perdue, NIH, has updated the recruitment PowerPoint
    presentation and will forward to CDR Harris on a zip disk to share
    with others.

-   The Recruitment and Assignment Branch (RAB) can fund more than was
    originally thought with regard to recruitment efforts at meetings
    and conferences. The Recruitment Committee will prepare a
    prioritized list of meetings and conferences that the Veterinary
    Category should be represented at, either via the booth or by
    providing a speaker. CAPT Sean Altekruse interjected that the RAB
    has agreed to pay for conference fees for an individual to attend
    the SCAVMA Symposium next spring (University of Tennessee, March
    11-13, 2004) and the AVMA next summer, and a meeting in NCVMA in
    November. CDR Harris will contact Penny Copola at DCP who is the POC
    for obtaining funding for conference fees. She will check to see if
    they will also fund sending the booth as well.

**Mentoring Subcommittee -- Chair CDR Brent Morse**

-   The information regarding the mentoring program has been updated at
    the category website.

-   Volunteers are needed to serve as mentors. If you are interested in
    becoming a mentor, please contact CDR Morse
    (<morseb@ors.od.nih.gov>).

**Commissioned Corps Readiness Force (CCRF) Subcommittee -- Chair CAPT
Randolph Daley**

-   The Veterinary Category met the 30% enrollment goal. CAPT Daley
    expects the numbers to climb over the next month or two based upon
    conversations he has had with officers. Apparently the largest
    obstacle faced by officers is the ability to attend BLS training.

    -   BLS courses are offered weekly in Building 31 on the NIH campus.
        The number is 301-496-4111. Officers can also attend BLS
        training at WRAIR. Contact CDR Estella Jones or CAPT Daley if
        you need assistance finding a course near you.

    -   The requirement for CCRF BLS certification has changed. Any
        future BLS course taken to meet this requirement should be the
        AHA BLS course, NOT the American Red Cross CPR or Standard First
        Aid courses.

-   If you are deployed by a mechanism other than CCRF you will not get
    credit for CCRF. However, include this information on your CV and
    hopefully you will get officership credit by the promotion board.

-   Clinical hours may be available via MOUs established with military
    Veterinary Treatment Facilities. CAPT Daley is checking into this as
    an option. CDR Jones also has a list of clinics where you may be
    able to obtain compensated clinical hours.

####### Announcements/Concerns Around the Room

-   CDR Rhodes announced that starting January 1, 2004 the CC Bulletin
    will no longer be mailed individually to CC Officers on active duty.
    The bulletin will be accessible at the DCP Website. This is an ideal
    opportunity for all officers to verify and update their personal
    information if needed. The bulletin will still be sent to retirees
    and other select individuals.

-   CDR Jones announced that the FDA had their Annual CO All Hands
    Meeting on September 15^th^ at the Parklawn Building. Both the SG
    and the FDA Commissioner, Mark McClellan, attended the meeting. The
    major point stressed was that starting October 6^th^ all FDA
    officers were expected to wear their uniforms full-time. CAPT Stokes
    stated that PAC members should set the example and wear uniforms
    daily as requested by the SG.

-   Liaisons/Memberships in Professional Organizations: A rather lengthy
    discussion took place regarding promoting membership in
    organizations such as COA and the NAFV. CDR Estella Jones and LCDR
    Regina Tan volunteered to gather information regarding the various
    professional organizations and their membership requirements. CAPT
    Stokes suggested that this information be posted at the category
    website. This topic will be an agenda item for further discussion at
    the next meeting. CDR Rhodes suggested that it is important to make
    this activity an official activity of one of the subcommittees so
    that it gets reported on the category scans.

-   CDR Terri Clark is working on a strategic planning meeting for
    current and incoming Vet PAC members. More information will be sent
    out as plans evolve. The purpose of this meeting is to gather old
    and new members to discuss goals and outstanding issues.

-   A hearty thank you and best wishes were extended by CAPT Stokes to
    CDR Dusty Rhodes for his hard work and dedicated service during his
    tenure as the Vet PAC Chair, during which he served under two
    different CPOs and also without a CPO. CAPT Stokes thanked CDR
    Rhodes for doing such a great job watching out for the best interest
    of the Veterinary Category. CDR Rhodes was presented with a plaque
    as a token of the PACs appreciation for his hard work. The plaque
    was engraved with the following statement: "Presented to CDR
    Lowry L. "Dusty" Rhodes in recognition of outstanding leadership as
    Chairman of the U.S. PHS Veterinary Professional Advisory Committee,
    January to October 2003. He will also be receiving two other awards,
    which are currently winding their way through administrative
    channels. CAPT Sean Altekruse procured a lovely and delicious cake
    (decorated with a motorcycle no less) to celebrate CDR Rhodes
    retirement. CDR Rhodes retires with honor after serving 23 years in
    the PHS CC and U.S. Army. He is leaving to work for a private
    company in Frederick, Maryland.

####### Next Meeting

The next meeting is scheduled for December 17, 2003 at 1300 hours. The
meeting place will be announced.

The meeting was adjourned at 1430 pm. Minutes were prepared by LCDR Kim
Taylor and approved electronically by Vet PAC members.