Volume 7, Issue 5 • March 5, 2012

www.usuhs.mil

The Official USU Newsletter

27th Annual David Packard Lecture 

March 15, 2012
On the cover

Murray F. Brennan, M.D., F.A.C.S., one of the 

nation’s premier surgical oncologists, will 

deliver this year’s David Packard Lecture on 

Thursday, March 15, 2012.

(See page 6)

Courtesy Photo

Sharon Willis

Deputy Vice President for External 

Affairs and Managing Editor

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 

swillis@usuhs.mil or by calling 

301-295-3578.

2 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter March 5, 2012 3

Open Wide: A Look Inside USU’s Newest College

By Christine Creenan-Jones

Military dentistry has many 

rewards, but nothing beats a warrior’s 

smile, say all three deans of the USU’s 

Postgraduate Dental College. They’ve 

seen thousands over the years, fixed 

every type of flaw, healed many painful 

injuries – and still, they want more. 

“My job is wonderful, because I 

help Soldiers feel better,” said Army 

Colonel (Dr.) Robert Manga, dean 

of USU’s Army Postgraduate Dental 

School. “Restoring a person’s smile 

is a priceless feeling. I can’t imagine 

doing anything else.” 

Manga’s counterparts share his 

passion for military dentistry. Navy 

Captain (Dr.) Glenn Munro, dean 

of USU’s Naval Postgraduate Dental 

School, and Air Force Colonel (Dr.) 

Thomas Schneid, dean of USU’s Air 

Force Postgraduate Dental School, 

have already spent decades treating 

servicemembers around the world. 

At the helms of their schools now, 

the deans are teaching others to do 

the same.

For Munro and Manga, both 

comprehensive dentists, this means 

demonstrating the fine points of a 

military-unique specialty with many 

far-reaching benefits for the Department of Defense. 

“Comprehensive dentists have 

advanced training that expands their 

scope of general practice,” said Munro. 

“Our versatility is really important, 

especially in operational settings, 

because the military can’t afford to lose 

anyone on the frontlines.” 

Comprehensive dentistry is a 

program option at all three schools. 

Students can also earn master’s 

degrees while specializing in 

periodontics, endodontics, prosthodontics, orthodontics, orofacial pain 

and oral and maxillofacial pathology, 

depending on the school they attend.

“Our residencies are world class,” 

said Schneid. “They have strong didactic and clinical components as well as 

robust research programs.”

Like their deans, USU dental 

students are active duty, so military 

readiness is incorporated into each 

curriculum as well. These skills are 

taught by seasoned officers with unique 

military experience.

For Schneid, a maxillofacial 

prosthodontist, this includes taking 

important lessons from his patients 

– servicemembers with serious, often 

times, life-threatening injuries – and 

sharing them with his students.

“I was initially drawn to this 

work because I enjoyed the technical aspects of medicine. Making 

something functional and esthetic 

was very rewarding for me,” he said. 

“While those feelings remain, the 

longer I practice, the more I enjoy 

helping my patients. This feeling 

became even stronger once I entered 

the field of maxillofacial prosthetics. 

Treating wounded warriors, cancer 

patients, people with congenital 

defects and trauma victims is 

the most satisfying part of my 

military career.” 

Caring for American troops is the 

reason all three deans have stayed in 

the military for so long, a calling that 

continues to inspire them today.

“It’s hard to describe what serving 

in the Army has meant to me,” said 

Manga. “Soldiers make incredible 

sacrifices to serve the greater good. 

Taking care of them is truly an honor.” 

Although distance separates 

Manga, Munro and Schneid, who 

teach the art of military dentistry at 

satellite campuses in Hawaii, Texas, 

North Carolina and Maryland, they’re 

moving USU’s boundaries together.

“The deans bring our collective 

service wisdom together under one 

USU roof,” said Munro, “which is good 

for the university, because now USU 

truly cares for the ‘whole’ person, and 

the dental corps, because we have 

more opportunities to harness the 

strengths of sister services for better 

total force wellness.”

Courtesy Photo Courtesy Photo Courtesy Photo

Army Colonel Robert Manga Air Force Colonel Thomas Schneid Navy Captain Glenn Munro

The search for a new USU Vice President for Research (VPR) has begun.

School of Medicine Dean Larry W. 

Laughlin, M.D., Ph.D., who has been 

appointed as chair of the VPR search 

committee by President Charles L. Rice, 

M.D., convened the first meeting of the 

group on February 24.

Dr. Rice opened the meeting by 

giving the committee its official charge, 

and also emphasized the importance of 

filling this critical University position. 

He noted that, according to the National 

Science Foundation, in the five-year 

period from 2004-2009, USU attained 

the distinction of being the number one 

university in the entire United States 

for increasing its federally-financed 

research and development expenditures 

(breaking into the top 100 list). 

Dr. Rice described the perfect candidates as those with very credible scientific and scholarly backgrounds, who 

are effective teachers and mentors, and 

who possess seasoned administrative 

and leadership skills, with a thorough 

understanding of government and 

military research processes. In addition, 

he asked for significant diversity in the 

candidate pool. 

The distinguished members of the 

Search Committee include Dr. Laughlin, Robert Ursano, M.D., Chair, 

Department of Psychiatry; Jeffrey 

Harmon, Ph.D., Chair, Department of 

Pharmacology; D. Scott Merrell, Ph.D., 

Professor, Department of Microbiology 

and Immunology; Daniel Perl, M.D., 

Professor, Department of Pathology 

Search Committee Convenes for 

USU Research VP

By Sharon Willis

(Neuropathology); Marguerite Littleton-Kearney, Ph.D., Associate Dean for 

Research, GSN; Army Col. (Dr.) David 

Moss, Director, Tri-Service Center for 

Oral Health Studies, Department of 

Preventive Medicine and Biometrics; 

Toya Randolph, Ph.D., Director, Office 

of Sponsored Programs; Navy Capt. 

(Dr.) John Gilstad, Director, Department of Scientific Research, AFRRI; 

Army Col. (Dr.) Craig Shriver, Walter 

Reed National Military Medical Center 

(WRNMMC); Army Col. J. Frazier 

Glenn, Ph.D., Deputy for Research 

and Development, U.S. Army Medical 

Research and Materiel Command 

(MRMC); H. Clifford Lane, M.D., 

Deputy Director for Clinical Research 

and Special Projects, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 

NIH; and Ms. Elizabeth Folk, Vice 

President, Office of Sponsored 

Programs, Henry M. Jackson 

Foundation for the Advancement of 

Military Medicine.

“I am delighted that this distinguished group has agreed to devote 

the time needed to identify candidates 

for this very important position,” said 

Rice. “And I am grateful that very busy 

people from organizations outside 

the university – the NIH, MRMC, 

Walter Reed National Military Medical 

Center, and the Henry M. Jackson 

Foundation - are willing to commit 

their time and energy in assisting 

the university. I am confident that 

Dean Laughlin’s committee will find 

outstanding candidates.”

USU Research Days 2012

May 14-15

Save The Date

Visit www.hjf.org to 

submit abstracts by March 23 and register for events.
4 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter March 5, 2012 5

Former USU President Laid to Rest

By Sharon Willis

All photos by Thomas C. Balfour

Surrounded by family, friends, and former colleagues, 

retired Vice Adm. (Dr.) James A. Zimble, USU’s fourth 

President and former Navy Surgeon General, was laid to 

rest at Arlington National Cemetery on Feb. 16, 2012. Dr. 

Zimble was afforded full military honors, which included 

cannon and rifle salutes, the Navy band and Naval Ceremonial Guard Unit, Army caisson and honor guard, and an 

FA-18 flyover in the “missing man” formation. Following 

the funeral service, a USU memorial ceremony was held in 

Sanford Auditorium.
6 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter March 5, 2012 7

USU is switching its email and calendar systems from 

GroupWise to Google Apps. With Google Apps, USU 

employees will gain the benefits of 100% web-based 

messaging and collaboration tools, as well as lower infrastructure and support costs.

The Google Apps “Go-Live” date is March 19, 2012. The 

email changeover will occur in three phases to coordinate a 

successful migration. 

PHASE I – Preparation and Training

On-site sessions and webinars will be offered for Google 

Apps. USU employees only need to sign up for one session to 

learn about the basic functionality of Google Apps. On-site 

training will occur March 12, 13, 19, 20 and 21. 

Register for Onsite Google Apps Training at 

http://www.lrc.usuhs.mil/content/DODNotice.

php?return=training_reg, or if you’d rather attend a 

webinar, visit one of the links below to register for a 

session of your choice.

Webinars are scheduled for March 13, 14 and 15. All 

sessions are 90 minutes long.

Tue, Mar 13, 2012 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM EDT 

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/533769830

Tue, Mar 13, 2012 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT 

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/411233182 

Wed, Mar 14, 2012 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM EDT 

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/952746486 

Wed, Mar 14, 2012 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT 

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/481170814 

Thu, Mar 15, 2012 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM EDT 

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/490207462 

Thu, Mar 15, 2012 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT 

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/894336798 

Once registered, you will receive an email confirmation 

with information needed to join the Webinar.

PHASE II – Migration Schedule

New email accounts for the USU community will 

be available March 19 with full access via the web to 

all Google Apps.Gov features such as email, calendar, 

documents, sites, video, and chat. When you first log into 

your new Google Apps.Gov account, the email and calendar items that were on the GroupWise server will already 

be in your account.

Instructions on how to configure Outlook Google Apps 

Sync for Microsoft Outlook (GASMO), which keeps contacts, 

email and calendar items synchronized between Outlook and 

Google, are available at http://goo.gl/vz8FJ. Each USU department will have a designated block of time starting on March 

19 to receive dedicated support configuring Outlook and 

GASMO by the Google Deployment team. The schedule will 

be published on the USU Google Apps Learning website no 

later than March 3. (NOTE: Please do not attempt to install 

GASMO or configure Outlook prior to March 19 unless you 

are a part of the Early Adopters Group.)

PHASE III – Migration of GroupWise 

Archives to Outlook .PSTs

GroupWise archives must be transitioned to Outlook .PST 

files. However, moving your archives from GroupWise does 

not have to be completed prior to the Google Apps migration. 

More information and a schedule for each department will be 

provided in the near future. GroupWise archives will still be 

accessible via GroupWise on March 19, if needed. 

Next Steps

Visit the USU Google Apps Online Learning Center 

which has a variety of documents, guides and Frequently 

Asked Questions (FAQs) to assist you with this transition. 

In addition, the Google Deployment team is offering four 

general Question and Answer sessions. No sign-up required. 

Lunch Q & A Sessions

The Google Apps deployment team will be available to 

answer questions during the dates/times listed below:

March 6 and 8, 11:30 am–12:30 p.m., Bldg. E, Room G-263

March 14, 11:30 am–12:30 p.m., Bldg. E, Room G-256

March 15, 11:30 am – 12:30 p.m., Bldg. E, Room G-252

27th Annual David Packard Lecture

Lessons Learned as a Surgical Oncologist

Speaker: Murray F. Brennan, M.D., F.A.C.S. 

March 15, 2012, 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Sanford Auditorium

Two USU alumni from Naval 

Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) 

who boarded a plane to San Antonio, 

Texas, Feb. 8, for a training course, 

were instrumental in saving the life of a 

fellow passenger.

Third-year NMCSD Otolaryngology residents Lt. (Dr.) Gregory Capra 

(SoM ’06) and Lt. (Dr.) Art Ambrosio (SoM ’09), were slated to attend 

a cadaver dissection course located 

at Ft. Sam Houston’s Brooke Army 

Medical Center. They had operated 

on cadavers before, but this time 

they would be training in a joint 

environment, alongside Air Force 

and Army personnel. A couple hours 

into their non-stop flight, however, 

things changed.

“The flight crew started asking if 

there were any medical personnel on 

the plane, especially physicians,” said 

Ambrosio. “At first I thought it was just 

heartburn, someone who could walk 

and talk, maybe someone was choking, 

like you see in movies and television.”

He and Capra immediately identified themselves as physicians and made 

their way toward the front of the plane, 

where flight crew and passengers were 

carrying a male passenger to the aisle. 

Ambrosio and Capra started taking an 

inventory of the plane’s first-aid kits. 

USU Alumni Save Fellow Plane Passenger

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jessica Tounzen, Naval Medical Center San Diego Public Affairs

They found an Ambu bag (selfinflating bag valve mask resuscitator), 

advanced cardiac life support medication, and an automated external 

defibrillator (AED). Meanwhile, an 

anesthesiologist on the flight had 

found the man’s pulse and began 

performing bag-mask ventilation 

using the Ambu bag. Capra and 

Ambrosio continued to reassess the 

patient’s status, as they had been 

taught during their time at NMCSD. 

A check of the patient’s carotid artery 

yielded no pulse, and they proceeded 

onto the next step, cardiopulmonary 

resuscitation (CPR).

After completing approximately 

two cycles of CPR, the team placed 

the AED on the patient to check for 

a shockable heart rhythm, but that 

was unsuccessful: the AED read the 

patient’s heart rhythm as one that was 

non-shockable, so Capra and Ambrosio had to resume chest compressions.

The next step would normally 

be an injection of epinephrine, 

which is commonly used to treat 

cardiac arrest and other situations 

of reduced cardiac output. But the 

patient’s veins were proving inaccessible after a nurse on the plane 

attempted to place an intravenous 

(IV) line without any success.

A quick interview with the 

patient’s wife revealed he had a 

history of airway obstruction. To 

combat this, Capra performed a jaw 

thrust, elevating the jaw and opening 

up the patient’s airway. Ambrosio 

inserted an oropharyngeal airway, a 

plastic hook-shaped device that helps 

improve ventilation. 

At last, the patient began to respond. 

“He started squeezing my hand really 

hard and tried to move it when I was 

performing the jaw thrust,” said Capra. 

“He wasn’t very strong, but there was 

intent-it was a purposeful movement, 

and that was a good sign that he was 

becoming more responsive.”

Meanwhile, in the cockpit, the 

pilot began routing the plane for an 

emergency landing in El Paso, Texas.

“We were still unbelted, kind 

of sitting in the aisle, and we were 

preparing for a rough landing,” said 

Ambrosio, laughing. “When the flight 

crew announced that we’d landed, we 

were both like, ‘That’s it?’. It was very 

smooth. We never once felt like our 

safety was in jeopardy.”

Soon, paramedics came on board 

and took custody of the patient. 

Capra and Ambrosio received a quick 

debriefing from the airline. They 

were asked their names, where they 

were from, where they worked, what 

equipment they used and whether it 

was useful. Both doctors agreed the 

available first-aid supplies were more 

high-tech than they had expected to 

see on an airplane, miles and miles 

from a medical facility. 

The third-year residents returned 

to their seats amid clapping and 

cheering. Once they were able to sit 

down and take a breath, reality began 

to sink in. 

“We were in shock that it had 

actually happened, and that we were 

in the middle of it all,” said Capra. “We 

were like, ‘Did that just happen to us?’ It 

was very surreal.”

Lt. (Dr.) Gregory Capra Lt. (Dr.) Art Ambrosio

Continued to page 8
8 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter March 29, 2010 9

Briefs

Using Computer Resources

Security incidents continue to be a 

drain to limited USU Information Assur-

ance manpower. The following highlight 

current DoD policy and best practices:

Personnel must not install selfcoded or non-licensed software on 

network resources; add, remove, 

configure, or attempt to modify 

USU computer operating systems 

or programs; move audio/visual or 

network cables, computers or attempt 

to connect personal computers to the 

network including MDL and lecture 

hall spaces; connect personal devices 

except for those previously authorized 

by NOC; download pornographic 

material and store or display offen-

sive material, such as racist literature, 

sexually harassing or obscene language 

or material; store or process classified 

information on any USU system.

Personnel must not permit 

unauthorized individuals access to a 

government-owned or governmentoperated system or program; access 

online gambling, games and social 

engineering sites, dates or times.

Help Desk Closure

The Customer Service Division 

(CSD) Help Desk is closed for staff 

meetings and training on Thursdays 

from 2:00 PM until 3:00 PM. Online 

services are still available during this 

time. Utilize the USU Service Desk 

(https://usuca/CAisd/pdmweb.exe) 

to enter your request and it will be 

serviced accordingly.

Exercise/Fitness Areas

Physical Fitness training should be 

conducted in designated areas.

The only authorized space for PT 

within the university is room G060.

The campus Student Community

Lounge area is also authorized, but only 

during specified PFT dates or times.

NCDMPH Releases the Report on the 

Domestic Natural Disaster Health Workforce 

By David Berry, Communications Associate, NCDMPH

The National Center for Disas-

ter Medicine and Public Health 

(NCDMPH) at USU has released the 

“Report on the Domestic Natural 

Disaster Health Workforce,” a 

landscape analysis describing selected 

aspects of the health professions 

workforce who would respond to a 

catastrophic domestic natural disaster.

The report analyzes the core 

Federal departments supporting 

Emergency Support Function #8 

(ESF#8) - Public Health and Medical 

Services - of the National Response 

Framework by examining three key 

occupational sub-groups (emergency 

and critical care physicians, 

emergency and critical care nurses, 

and paramedics) at the national, state 

and local levels.

Additional examination of these 

three key sub-groups was accom-

plished by a case study focusing on a 

theoretical major earthquake scenario 

in the southern California region. 

The case study was used to describe 

how the anticipated local, State, and 

Federal ESF#8 workforce would 

respond to the disaster.

This analysis, combined with inter-

views of federal partners, a literature 

review, and a national stakeholder 

conference, allowed the NCDMPH 

to issue 14 recommendations in the 

report covering the following issues: 

double counting of responders, volun-

teer failure to respond, an aging medical 

workforce, human capital development, 

personnel asset visibility, readiness and 

the deployment of subunits.

Both doctors agreed the situation 

might have gone quite differently had 

they not received the proper training 

and experience during their residency 

at NMCSD’s Otolaryngology clinic.

“We deal with a lot of airway issues 

in the clinic,” said Ambrosio. “Identi-

fying the carotid artery, checking for 

a pulse and establishing airways are 

all things we do every day and things 

we’re pretty comfortable with. At the 

hospital, we’ve also gotten accustomed 

to different types of patients and 

various surgeries as well: kids’ tonsils, 

thyroid cancer, airway reconstruc-

tions, sinus surgeries, and so on. And 

there are different things they teach 

us here like poise under pressure, no 

wasted movements, knowing what 

you mean and meaning what you 

say...all of that helped us respond to 

this situation quickly and efficiently.”

Continued from page 7

USU Alumni Save 

Fellow Plane Passenger

Snakes Alive!

By Christine Creenan-Jones

USU students get an up close look 

at a unique aspect of health care each 

year during the Snakes Alive! program. 

Anacondas, rattlesnakes, cobras and 

many other dangerous serpents are 

invited to the university, along with 

their handler, snake expert, Bruce 

Shwedick, by the Department of 

Preventive Medicine and Biometrics. 

Shwedick’s dynamic presentation is 

important, because like the military, 

snakes can be 

found in almost 

every region of 

the world. There-

fore, identifying 

and knowing how 

to treat snake 

bites is a neces-

sary, sometimes 

life-saving skill for 

medical profes-

sionals to have.

Photo by Thomas C. Balfour