Volume 9, Issue 9 n May 27, 2014 www.usuhs.edu

The Official USU Newsletter

 Learning to Care for Those in Harm’s Way
On the cover

The Honorable Jessica L. Wright, 

acting Under Secretary of Defense 

for Personnel and Readiness, was the 

keynote speaker at the Uniformed 

Services University’s commencement. 

Learn more about USU’s graduation 

on page 2 and 3.

Photo by MC3 Laura Bailey

Sharon Holland

Deputy Vice President for External 

Affairs and Managing Editor

Gwendolyn Smalls

Chief, Media Affairs

Master Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson

NCOIC of VPE and Deputy Chief, 

Media Affairs

Christine Creenan-Jones

Editor and Layout Design

MC2 Brittney Cannady

Writer and Photographer

MC3 Laura Bailey

Writer and Photographer

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 

christine.creenan-jones@usuhs.edu 

or by calling 301-295-3338.

2 the pulse May 27, 2014

USU’s 35th Commencement: Class of 2014

by MC3 Laura Bailey, writer and photographer

 More than 250 students at the 

Uniformed Services University 

received their diplomas during 

commencement at the Daughters of the American Revolution 

Constitution Hall in Washington, May 17. 

 The Honorable Jessica L. 

Wright, acting Under Secretary 

of Defense for Personnel and 

Readiness, was the guest speaker 

for the graduating class of 2014. 

 In her speech, Wright talked 

about “The Man in the Arena,” in 

reference to a famed speech delivered by former U.S. President 

Teddy Roosevelt called, “Citizens 

in a Republic.” 

 ‘The Man in the Arena,’ – who 

was described by Roosevelt as 

having a face marred with dust, 

sweat and blood – accurately 

describes the graduating class, 

according to Wright, because 

they arrived at this stage of their 

lives through hard work and 

discipline. 

 But it wasn’t their accomplishment alone, she said.

 “You clearly have made it. I believe people are the very essence 

of readiness, and that is where 

you come in. Our national security strategy cannot be achieved 

without healthy, fit and resilient 

men and women in uniform. A 

unique component of the education you’ve received is the opportunity you had to learn military 

skills and medical techniques 

from men and women in our 

enlisted ranks through medic 

training and battlefield exercises. 

Through these and other interactions with our enlisted force, 

we all learn to become better 

officers. I urge you to seek these 

opportunities throughout your 

careers.”

 Wright also commended USU’s 

faculty and staff for their important roles.

 “Thank you for your hard work 

professionalism and inspiration, 

which produced this fabulous 

group. You serve as educators, 

clinicians, scientists and mentors 

to our graduates,” she said. 

 Wright hopes USU’s newest 

alumni – who include 160 physicians, 70 biomedical sciences, 

public health and clinical psychology graduates, 43 advanced 

practice nurses and 53 advanced 

practice dentists – will remember their feelings of expectation, 

excitement, accomplishment and 

elation at commencement because their hard work paid off. 

 But the feelings Wright described do not apply to USU 

graduates exclusively. The 

university’s leadership were also 

proud to participate in commencement.

 “The ceremony at DAR Constitutional Hall was my ninth 

USU commencement, and even 

though I have been participating 

each year for nearly a decade, 

I still get goose bumps every 

time I hear the Marine Band 

play ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ 

and watch our graduates cross 

the stage and receive their 

diplomas,” said USU President 

Dr. Charles Rice. “Perhaps it is 

because I know that they are 

celebrating one of their most 

significant accomplishments to 

date and by extension, one of the 

most joyous occasions of their 

lives, or that I know they are well 

prepared for a new and exciting 

journey into a world filled with 

extraordinary opportunities and 

challenging situations. Whatever 

the reason, it is a direct reflection of the hard work, dedication 

and devotion to the mission and 

students that USU faculty and 

staff have.”
3 the pulse May 27, 2014

USU’s 35th commencement: Class of 2014 center stage

Photos by Thomas Balfour and MC3 Laura Bailey
4 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter The Official USU Newsletter 4

Operation Bushmaster 2014: Making the “cut” with new equipment

by MC3 Laura Bailey, writer and photographer

 Off in the distance, a crew chief is lying 

injured on the ground and unable to walk. 

Wounded crew members are lying on the grass 

around him and a downed helicopter lays motionless in the background. 

 “Where’s Adkins?” mumbles the crew chief 

as a medic, who just arrived on the scene of a 

rocket propelled grenade assault, assesses his 

injuries. “You have to find Adkins. I think she 

fell out of the helicopter. Find ... Adkins.” The 

crew chief pushes the medic away. “I’m fine! 

Just find Adkins!” 

 A moment later a medic calls out to the other 

first responders on the scene. “I see a patient! 

We have a patient over there!” She runs more 

than ten yards across the field and crouches 

down on the ground beside a soldier who sits in 

bloodied grass. 

 The green sleeve of the soldier’s uniform 

turns red as blood gushes out of her left arm. 

The cloth is soaked through. The letters on her 

name tape read A, D, K, I, N, S. 

The medic’s face lights up with relief. “I found 

Adkins! I need a tourniquet,” she said as blood 

continues to gush from Adkins’ wounded arm. 

 Without hesitation, the medic begins immediate intervention to stop the bleeding by applying pressure to the wound. 

 While this gruesome scene seems very real, 

it’s all part of a simulation for Military Field 

Practicum 202 at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., 

nicknamed Operation Bushmaster. The exercise 

serves as the final examination for the Military 

Contingency Medicine course for all fourth-year 

medical students at the Uniformed Services 

University.

 Adkins is actually a volunteer role player and 

her “wounded arm” is just a latex sleeve – part 

of what’s called a cut suit, which slides over 

Adkins’ real arm. 

 Hospital Corpsman Julie Adkins volunteered 

as a role player for Bushmaster when she heard 

about the exercise during a meeting at Walter 

Reed National Medical Center, Bethesda, Md. 

 “This is the first time I’ve ever done anything 

like this,” said Adkins. “I had no idea I’d be 

wearing the cut suit, but it’s exciting. The suit 

is kind of heavy so it wasn’t hard to fake having 

difficulty breathing.” 

Photo by MC3 Laura Bailey

Photo by MC3 Laura Bailey
5 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

 During the simulation, Adkins creates an even 

more realistic scenario for the students by groaning, struggling for breath, and “acting injured.” 

She’s the human aspect of the suit that can 

interact with and respond to the students as they 

apply medical interventions. 

 The blood that gushes out of the sleeve is 

artificial. A pump that’s connected to rubber 

tubing, which acts like human arteries, feeds the 

artificial blood through the suit and out of the 

simulated wound. The cut suit, which is made 

of latex, is designed to look and feel like human 

skin. It even has an artificial rib cage and organs 

encased inside the latex. 

 This year is the first time cut suits were used 

at Bushmaster, said Point of Injury Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge Army Sgt. 1st Class 

Celecia K. Kalili. They were acquired from USU’s 

Val G. Hemming Simulation Center to present a 

realistic scenario for the students.

 “The benefit of the cut suits is that students 

are actually able to perform medical interventions on the suit and it will bleed,” said Kalili. 

“Hence the name, cut suit. It’s safe for the role 

player. We utilize a safe word at all times during 

the scenario, and before a student cuts or inserts 

any sharp object into a suit they announce “hot 

sharp.” 

 The safe word allows the role player to stop 

the scenario at any point during the simulation 

should they feel at risk of being cut or pricked 

during the exercise. 

 The cut suits are used to teach important medical skills to USU students. They also bring a 

significant amount of realism to university field 

training exercises. 

 “We’d like to get more suits so more role players can 

wear them during Bushmaster,” said Kalili. “Right now 

we have two. We’ll definitely use them again in the 

future. It worked very well.”

Photo by Thomas Balfour

Photo by Thomas Balfour
Research Days features renowned speakers

by Christine Creenan-Jones, editor

 Research took center stage at 

the Uniformed Services University 

with keynote lectures from leading health science experts during 

Research Days, May 14-15. They 

brought the 2014 theme, “Celebrating Excellence in Research,” to 

life by delivering compelling talks 

across diverse scientific planes.

 Dr. Robert Ursano, director of 

USU’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress and professor and 

chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the F. Edward Hébert School 

of Medicine, led an especially gripping presentation about military 

suicide. As the winner of the James 

Leonard Award for Excellence in 

Clinical Research, Ursano was invited to share his groundbreaking 

work on the Army Study to Assess 

Risk and Resilience.

 During his keynote lecture, Ursano described some of the ways 

Army STARRS has shed new light 

on suicide through its unprecedented data collection taken over a 

five-year span to include 1.1 billion 

records from 1.6 million troops, 

interviews with more than 100,000 

soldiers, thousands of blood and 

saliva samples, and the largest 

psychological autopsy study ever 

conducted. 

 At Research Days, 

Ursano also discussed how the Army 

STARRS team is 

analyzing this data to 

provide “actionable 

findings” to curb military suicide rates.

 “The goal here is 

to establish a cohort 

that can be followed 

for decades to come. 

Furthermore, the 

information we collected spans not only 

mental health but all 

areas of illness,” he 

said. 

 As a result, the 

breadth of Army 

STARRS research has 

both long lasting and 

far reaching potential 

across multiple disciplines of military medicine.

 Other Research Days’ presentations illustrated the penetrable value of USU science as well. Among 

them, Dr. Ada Sue Hinshaw, dean 

of the Daniel K. Inouye Graduate 

School of Nursing, delivered the 

Presidential Lecture called, “Shaping Health Policy 

Through Research: 

One Discipline’s 

Journey.”

 In her talk, Hinshaw 

avowed the importance of developing 

and using credible 

research to influence 

public health policy. 

To be successful, this 

work should address 

major public health 

problems or issues, 

use a patient or 

community-centered 

approach and utilize 

the expertise of multidisciplinary experts, she said.

 This model was the basis for Hinshaw’s own success in the field of 

nursing, where she’s distinguished 

herself as a pioneer across education, research and policy realms.

 “Dean Hinshaw delivered an eloquent, thought-provoking talk that 

captured what it takes to thrive as 

a 21st century nurse. Her message 

– to let quality research drive policy 

development – is something we 

teach in every school and program 

at USU, so it was an especially fitting topic for our Research Days, 

from one of our most accomplished 

leaders,” said USU President 

Charles Rice. 

 Research Days also included 

keynote talks from experts at the 

National Institutes of Health, Boston College and the Kleber Dental 

Clinic in Kaiserslautern, Germany 

as well as poster and oral presentations from USU faculty and students.

Photo by Thomas Balfour

The university’s extensive research 

portfolio was highlighted during Research 

Days, May 14-15, with talks and poster 

presentations from USU students, faculty 

and invited speakers.

Photo by Thomas Balfour
7 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

Photo by Thomas Balfour

 Dr. Deborah Girasek, an associate professor 

and the director of the Division of Social and 

Behavioral Sciences in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, is the recipient 

of the 2014 Outstanding Biomedical Educator 

Award at the Uniformed Services University. Girasek was lauded for outstanding contributions 

to biomedical education at the F. Edward Hébert 

School of Medicine.

 The product of good teaching herself, Girasek 

attributes much of her success in USU’s classrooms to the academicians who’ve shaped her 

teaching philosophy, one that’s earning Girasek 

high praise. 

 “In my graduate training, I was blessed with 

extremely generous advisers at both Johns Hopkins and the University of Michigan School of 

Public Health. I try to emulate their patient and 

encouraging style of guiding student growth,” 

she said.

 Girasek, who arrived on campus in 1997, has 

already influenced hundreds of USU alumni, 

who rely on her teaching to improve military 

medicine and public health. Their work and focus fuels Girasek’s ambition to continue teaching 

to a high standard.

 “Most of the graduate students in my department are mid-career physicians. They bring a 

maturity and professionalism to the classroom. 

Their prior experience enriches our discussions 

and often helps them “get” the importance of 

what the teacher is trying to convey. Finally, 

when you see the responsibilities that our students take on after graduation, you realize that if 

we prepare them well, we can have a very farreaching impact,” she said.

Girasek earns 2014 Outstanding Biomedical Educator Award

by Christine Creenan-Jones, editor

Dr. Charles Rice, president of the Uniformed Services University (left), Dr. Eleanor Metcalf, 

associate dean for biomedical education at USU (second from right), and Dr. Arthur Kellermann, 

dean of the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine (right), presented the Outstanding Biomedical 

Educator Award to Dr. Deborah Girasek. Girasek, an associate professor in the SoM, was lauded 

for exceptional teaching and mentorship.
8 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

First-year medical student uses CPR to give man second chance at life

by Sharon Holland, managing editor

 Their school break was drawing to a close and 

Army 2nd Lt. Jason Ausman and his roommates, 

all first-year medical students at the F. Edward 

Hébert School of Medicine were looking forward 

to a carefree day of fun before classes resumed the 

next day. Ausman, along with Air Force 2nd Lts.

Taylor Roth and Doug Morte, headed to Jessup, 

Md., for some indoor electric go-kart racing at the 

Autobahn Indoor Speedway. 

 Dick Talley, 69, had also gone with friends to 

Jessup from his home more than two hours away 

in southern Maryland for a day of Grand Prixstyle go-kart racing at the Speedway. 

 Talley and his friends arrived before the medical 

students and took their turns behind the wheel. 

After a number of laps, Talley’s go-kart came to 

a stop and as he stood up to get out, he suddenly 

felt faint and then blacked out. 

 Meanwhile, Ausman, Roth and Morte got there, 

signed in, and then watched the mandatory safety 

video before heading to the go-kart area where 

the previous session’s drivers were just ending 

their last laps. The students watched the drivers 

exit their vehicles and noticed Talley collapse.

Ausman, who served for eight years as a paramedic, paramedic instructor and flight medic with 

the Lee County EMS in Fort Myers, Fla., before 

coming to USU, immediately rushed over to help.

In the few seconds it took Ausman to reach him, 

Talley was lying still and had no pulse.

 “They teach you that if a person is not conscious, and not breathing normally to go ahead 

and start CPR,” Ausman said, and he did just 

that, continuing compressions until paramedics 

arrived, refusing to let anyone take over. “I have 

seen lots of people do CPR,” Ausman said. “I have 

also seen lots do poor CPR, and if there’s a chance 

for the victim to make it, you’ve got to keep up 

good perfusion.”

 Once paramedics arrived, Ausman told them he 

believed Talley was in cardiac arrest. Although 

paramedics initially discounted his diagnosis, a 

cardiac monitor revealed that Talley displayed 

signs of ventricular fibrillation, a lethal rhythm, 

and showed that his heart was not beating at all.

 The paramedics, with help from Ausman, began 

administering life-saving support. A defibrillator 

was used to shock Talley’s heart, rescue breathing 

was performed and Ausman continued administering chest compressions. 

 After a while, Talley’s heart started to beat 

again. The paramedics loaded him into their 

ambulance and drove him to the closest hospital, 

10 miles away. Ausman had no idea who the man 

was, where they were taking him and believed he 

would never know the final outcome. 

 Talley spent the next six days in the hospital, 

where he learned the full details of what had happened – all except the identity of his rescuer. 

 Determined to thank the man who saved his 

life, Talley reached out to the Speedway. The 

manager contacted dozens of registered riders, 

including Ausman, asking if any of them had performed CPR at the racetrack. Ausman responded 

and gave them permission to share his email address with Talley. Within a few days, he received 

an emotional message from the grateful man.

Army 2nd Lt. Jason Ausman

Story continued on page 9

Courtesy photo
9 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

 “Hello, Jason. I am so glad they were able to 

locate you! Needless to say, you are a very special 

person in my life now. ... I have essentially made 

a 100 percent recovery due to the excellent CPR 

you so promptly performed on me from the time 

my heart stopped beating. Considering the type of 

heart attack I had, the normal survival rate is about 

two percent for an out-of-hospital attack. Thanks 

to you, I am very lucky to be here today. They did 

install a defibrillator while I was in the hospital and 

I am basically cleared to continue to live my life as 

I was before. ... I must give you credit for not only 

saving my life, but that I am fully recovered. I do 

look at each day a little different now since I am 

living in ‘overtime.’ The circumstances that allowed 

our paths to cross and your actions are as big as life 

itself. Just to say ‘thank you’ seems insignificant for 

what you did for me. ... Thank you for life itself!”

 Talley also said that he was sure he would not be 

here today if he’d had his heart attack anywhere 

else. “My friends tell me from the time I passed 

out until Jason was giving me CPR was about 30 

seconds,” he said. “That would have been just 

about impossible to be in a similar situation where 

that could happen. I am very lucky to be alive 

today.”“Given the circumstances of Mr. Talley’s cardiac arrest, including an eight-minute ‘down time’ 

in a non-urban setting, the odds of survival would 

have been less than two percent if he had not gotten 

bystander CPR,” said Art L. Kellermann, MD, MPH, 

F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine dean and an 

expert on the subject who has published numerous studies on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. “I’m 

convinced that the speed and precision with which 

2nd Lt. Ausman reacted literally saved Mr.Talley’s 

life. Although this incident occurred in public, most 

cardiac arrests occur in the victim’s home. In fact, 

if you learn CPR, the most likely life you will save is 

that of your spouse, parent or another member of 

your family. The wonderful thing is that you don’t 

have to be a medical student like 2nd Lt. Ausman, 

much less a doctor or nurse, to deliver lifesaving 

CPR. It’s easy to learn and easy to do. And as this 

situation proves, you may save someone’s life.”

 As a measure of his gratitude, Talley offered to 

contribute to Ausman’s medical education fund. 

Ausman, like all USU students, does not pay tuition 

and graciously declined the generous gesture. “I 

told him I don’t have any debt from school and I 

would never take anything from him for helping 

him out,” said Ausman. “When I was in high school, 

I saw a man at the beach wash up on shore unconscious but I didn’t know what to do at the time to 

help him. I began teaching CPR classes and working 

in healthcare so that I would never experience that 

hopeless feeling again if presented with a similar 

situation. Luckily, when Mr. Talley collapsed in 

front of me, this time I knew exactly what to do.”

 Talley is relishing his second chance at life thanks 

to Ausman. “I am currently in cardiac rehab three 

times a week for the next 12 weeks and I am working out in the gym two times a week. My perspective and priorities have changed somewhat since 

it happened. I am more focused on enjoying life 

rather than on my financial future and doing ‘business.’ I expect to start racing on Saturday nights 

again soon and plan on getting my boat ready to sail 

to the islands for the winter this fall.” 

Education Day 

Save the Date Education Day Trivia

Question #1

 Field exercises have always been a 

part of the curriculum at the Uniformed 

Services University. But they haven’t 

always taken place in the same location. 

In fact, Operation Bushmaster has been 

carried out in several states since the 

university’s founding. Can you name the 

last three? 

 The first person to correctly identify 

the last three states and send their 

response to Christine.Creenan-Jones@

usuhs.edu wins a large coffee and 

doughnut courtesy of the USU cafeteria.

Photo by Thomas Balfour
Air Force Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Moses 

Bachelor of Science in Management of Information Systems, December 2013

Air Force Staff Sgt. Leonard Tesoro 

Associates in Medical Laboratory Technology, February 2014

Army Staff Sgt. Jessica Dillard 

Associates in General Studies, May 2014 

Army Staff Sgt. Michael Bennett 

Associates in General Studies, May 2014

Army Spc. Kalyn Alloway 

Assistant Laboratory Animal Technologist Certification, April 2014

Army Sgt. Cassie Barnett 

Associates in General Studies, December 2013 

Navy MA1 Brian Necaise 

USA Weightlifting Level 1 Sports Performance Coach Certification, March 2014 

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certification, April 2014

Navy HM2 Opeyemi Fadiyimu 

American Society of Clinical Pathology Medical Laboratory Technician Certification, March 2013

Navy HM1 Eric McPherson 

Master’s in Health Care Administration, December 2013

Navy HM1 Richard Slaysman 

Bachelor’s in History, August 2013 

Navy HMC Daryl Mercado 

Master’s Degree, May 2014

Navy HM3 Lorenzo Walker 

American Society of Clinical Pathology Medical Laboratory Technician Re-certification, May 2014

Navy HM2 Karese Holmes 

Associates in Public Health, June 2014

Final Frame

The enlisted brigade at the Uniformed Services University is filled with hard-working, highachieving service members, who push themselves to new heights through training and education. 

In fact, many of them have accomplished tremendous academic feats recently by earning advanced 

degrees or completing rigorous certifications, including: