VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3 WWW.USUHS.MIL FEBRUARY 4, 2008 

USU Newsletter 

In This Issue 

Brigade Quarterly Awards...........3 

Building E Update...........................3 

African American History..............4 

Student Profile..................................5 

NSPS Questions................................6 

USU Briefs...........................................7 MHS Conference... page 2 
 

Carol R. Scheman 

Vice President for 

External Affairs and 

Managing Editor 

Tech. Sgt. 

André Nicholson 

Editor 

Mass Communications 

Specialist Third Class 

Jeffrey Hopkins 

Assistant Editor 

Mass Communications 

Specialist 

Seaman 

Raul Zamora 

Assistant Editor 

 

Marla Wright 

Webmaster 

Publishing 

USU Duplicating Office

Production: 

Editorial content is 

edited, prepared and 

provided by the USU 

Office of External Affairs unless otherwise 

indicated. The Newsletter staff may include 

or exclude articles 

based upon news 

value, impact on the 

university and space 

availability. 

Submissions: 

The USU Newsletter 

will be published biweekly on Mondays 

and deadline for submission is Friday at 4 

p.m. Submissions can 

be sent to usunewsletter@usuhs.mil or call 

301-295-3925. 

PAGE 2 

Cover Photo by 

MC3 Jeff Hopkins

USU Newsletter 

Editorial Staff 

 The 2008 annual Military Health System (MHS) 

conference was held at the Marriott Wardman Park 

Hotel in Washington, D.C., Jan. 28 – 31. 

 The MHS is a partnership of medical educators, to 

include the Uniformed Services University of the 

Health Sciences (USU), researchers, health care providers and their support personnel. It consists of the 

Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 

Health Affairs, the medical departments of the 

Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, 

Joint Chiefs of Staff, Combatant Command Surgeons and Tricare providers. 

 USU organized a Graduate Medical Education 

(GME) Research Poster Session in which military 

resident physicians and fellows from around the 

country met Jan. 29 to showcase award-winning 

research conducted as part of their GME programs 

within the MHS. 

 The forum highlighted the MHS role in global 

healthcare delivery. The session, which discusses 

the quality and breadth of GME research, was conceptualized by Dr. S. Ward Casscells, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs and organized by 

USU. 

 The conference boasted an excess of 90 presenters from military treatment facilities throughout the 

United States including representatives 

from: USU; the National Naval Medical 

Center; Walter Reed 

Army Medical Center; 

Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, 

Wash.; Tripler Army 

Medical Center, 

Honolulu, Hawaii; 

Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical 

Center, Augusta, Ga.; 

Naval Medical Center 

Portsmouth, Va.; Naval Medical Center, 

San Diego, Calif.; 

Blanchfield Army 

Community Hospital, 

Fort Campbell, Ky; 

Wilford Hall Air Force 

Medical Center, San 

Antonio, Texas; David 

Grant Air Force Medical Center, Fairfield, Calif.; and Brooke Army Medical 

Center, San Antonio, Texas. 

 Two USU Graduate School of Nursing (GSN) 

alumni received Excellence in Nursing Awards during the conference. 

 COL Richard Ricciardi, 

AN, USA, GSN 

Class of 2006, 

received the 

Excellence in 

Nursing Research Award 

for his USU 

dissertation 

study on the 

impact of body 

armor on the 

physical work 

performance 

of military 

personnel, 

and MAJ 

Stacy Weina, 

AN, USA, GSN 

Class of 2003, 

received the 

Excellence in 

Deployment 

Nursing 

Award. 

 Also during the conference, Dr. Charles L. Rice, 

university president, gave a presentation entitled 

“The Judah Folkman Research Lecture: From Bench 

to Battlefield to Bedside and Back,” in which he discussed the origins and importance of USU, as well 

as the evolving challenges to military health system. 

 “The end of the draft was one of the enabling 

concepts for the birth of USU,” Rice said. 

“Congressman Hébert, among others, foresaw the 

problem of too few military medical officers, and 

helped establish the university to ensure an adequate supply of specially educated, trained, and 

prepared medical officers. USU serves as the academic core of the Military Health System; we educate the next generation of medical officers, advanced practice nurses, and clinical and basic scientists in health care and biomedical research.” 

 Rice went on to say that service members in the 

National Guard and Reserve do not have the same 

support systems as active duty service members. 

 “The men and women of the National Guard 

and Reserves do not have the same health care as 

active duty, nor the social systems,” Rice said. “Some 

of these troops have reported returning home and 

feeling ‘unmoored.’ We are challenged to understand, through health services research, how to 

develop both systems and care givers who can 

serve this population. 

 Rice finished by saying that it is the MHS’ chance 

and challenge to ensure that the continuum of battlefield to bench to bedside sets the standard for 

care not only for the MHS, but for the nation and 

the world. 

USU Participates in 2008 Military Health System Conference 

By MC3 Jeff Hopkins 

Assistant Editor, Office of External Affairs 

Photo by MCSN Raul Zamora 

Dr. Charles L. Rice, university 

president, reviewed a poster 

at the 2008 Military Health 

Systems Conference. He also 

gave a speech entitled “The 

Judah Folkman Research 

Lecture: From Bench to Battlefield to Bedside and Back. 

Photo by MC3 Jeff Hopkins 

Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for Health Affairs, 

viewed research posters by presenters from military treatment facilitiesthroughout the United States during the 2008 annual Military Health 

System Conference Jan. 29. 
PAGE 3 

 The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences’ (USU) 

Brigade held its quarterly awards ceremony for the first quarter, 

Jan. 25. 

 During the ceremony, several awards were presented: SMSgt 

Susan Neil, SSG Julie Weitz, SSgt Fabio Batista, SSgt Randall Flynn, 

SSgt Melissa Witter, MC3 Jeff Hopkins, SPC Romeo Satsatin, SSgt 

Rachel Broussard, FC2 Adam Race, and SSgt Lakisha Davis received certificates of appreciation; Lt. Col. Michael Xydakis received the Meritorious Service Medal; Maj. Jeff Martin received the 

Air Force Commendation Medal; SSG Raheem Frasier received the 

Army Commendation Medal; Leandro Aguda, HM1 (ret.) received 

the Defense Meritorious Service Medal; and SSgt Stacey Fusco 

received the Joint Service Achievement Medal (JSAM). 

 During each ceremony, one service member is named the Service Member of the Quarter (SMOQ) and one color guard member is named the Color Guard Member of the Quarter (CGMQ). 

Also, during the first quarter the Service Member of the Year 

(SMOY) for the previous year is announced. 

 SSgt. Rachel Broussard, MTN, USAF was recognized as the Service Member of the Year for 2007. She received a JSAM, a 96 hour 

pass, the Brigade Commander’s coin, a $50 gift card, a plaque, 

and special parking privileges for 2008. 

 Broussard was the SMOQ for the third quarter right after the 

Bushmaster and Kerkesner exercises in 2007. 

 Part of the process of being named the SMOQ is to go before a 

USU Brigade Quarterly 

Awards Ceremony 

By MCSN Raul Zamora 

Assistant Editor, Office of External Affairs 

 As of Jan. 28, exterior metal studs on the ground, first and second floors (to form exterior walls) have been erected and exterior 

sheathing has been completed. Work is expected to continue through the beginning of February, including: water proofing and exterior 

back fill; electrical rough-in; HVAC duct work for the second floor (ground floor and first floor completed and tested); sprinkler contract 

work; sprayed-on fire protection; plumbing/waste/vent stands at 85% completion; curtain wall sections; windows are expected on site by 

mid-February; the roof stands at 70% complete; stairways and elevator work are to continue through February; interior studs/walls are 

90% complete on the ground floor; and the progress of mason and HVAC piping will continue through February. As of Jan. 28, there 

have been no reported injuries or accidents. USU leadership will ensure open communication as the work progresses. 

Bldg. E Construction Update 

Photo by HM2 Michael Oliver 

Photo by TSgt. James Steele 

(Left to right) COL John Wempe, MC, brigade commander, USA; 

SSgt Rachel Broussard, MTN, USAF; and Dr. Dale Smith, senior vice 

president. Broussard received the Service Member of the Year 

Award for 2007 during the Quarterly Brigade Awards ceremony. 

See AWARDS, page 6 
PAGE 4 

 1) David M. Satcher was the 16th Surgeon General of the United States from 1998 to 2002 and the Assistant Secretary for 

Health from 1998 to 2001. He was the first African American male to serve as Surgeon General. 2) Minnie Joycelyn Elders was 

the United States Surgeon General from Sept. 8, 1993 to Dec. 31, 1994. She was the first African American and the second 

woman to hold the position. 3) Benjamin O. Davis Sr. was the first African American general in the United States Air Force. 4) 

Retired GEN Colin Powell was the first African American and the youngest person to chair (1989–93) the Joint Chiefs of Staff 

and the first African American to serve (2001–5) as secretary of state. 5) Retired Maj. Gen. Clifford Stanley was the third African 

American general in the U.S. Marine Corps and is President of Scholarship America. 6) Dr. Octavia Dickens was the first African 

American woman admitted to the American College of Surgeons. 7) Benjamin Solomon Carson is a noted American neurosurgeon. He became the director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital when he was 33 years old. 

February is African American History Month: A 

Look at African American Military and Medical Figures 

1 2 3 

4 5 6 7 
PAGE 5 

 Professional military doctors don’t just fall from the sky... but 

sometimes they land, as did ENS Stephen Bronaugh, USN, School 

of Medicine, Class of 2011. 

 Prior to his acceptance at the Uniformed Services University of 

the Health Sciences, Bronaugh spent nine years in the Navy as an 

SH60B Seahawk helicopter pilot, including time as an instructor 

with Navy and Marine Corps Search and Rescue helicopter pilots. 

He wanted to become a naval aviator since he was 12, when he 

saw the movie “Top Gun.” 

 “It’s the greatest recruiting movie ever made,” Bronaugh said. “I 

also got a lot of motivation from watching the Blue Angels a few 

times. It was something I really wanted to do, so a lot of decisions 

for college were based on finding a place with Navy ROTC.” 

 In Navy flight school, all aviators go through a basic flight 

school, followed by advanced training in the specific type of aircraft they will pilot. Bronaugh said he originally wanted to fly jets, 

but due to a backup in the jet school pipeline, only one person 

per class was accepted into the jet pilot program, and Bronaugh 

ended up in the Seahawk helicopter program. 

 As part of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 45, the 

“Wolfpack,” Bronaugh deployed on the cruiser USS Lake Champlain and the frigate USS Ingraham. Aboard these ships, the Seahawks provide anti-surface and anti-submarine support, as well as 

reconnaissance. 

 Bronaugh said he enjoyed the simplicity of shipboard life, and 

that his deployment experiences varied, due to the events of Sept. 

11, 2001. 

 “I liked shipboard life. Being away from home is not always fun, 

but it’s nice when all you have to do is work and sleep, all the 

other distractions of life are gone for a little while,” Bronaugh said. 

“We visited more ports of call during my first cruise. We were in 

port for a few days at least 

every two weeks. During 

my second cruise, we visited Thailand, and as we 

were leaving, 9/11 happened. It was 35 more 

days before we saw port, 

which was Bahrain, and 

we were only there for a 

day before we got back 

underway for another 44 

days.” 

 Bronaugh also spent 

time as an instructor with 

the Marine Light Attack 

Training Squadron 303 

(HMLAT-303) at Camp Pendleton, Calif., where he 

taught Navy and Marine 

Corps officers to pilot the 

UH-1 “Huey” helicopter. 

 Born in Charleston, S.C., 

to a Navy family, Bronaugh was no stranger to the constant moving military families must endure. During his childhood, he lived in 

Newport, R.I and South Korea, before attending high school in 

Brooklyn, N.Y. He later received his bachelor’s degree in Political 

Science from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 

 “I went to a private high school that was geared towards liberal 

arts, and most of my classmates ended up being lawyers,” Bronaugh said. “When I graduated high school and got into college I 

thought I wanted to be a lawyer, hence the political science major. When I decided I didn’t want to be a lawyer, I was at a point 

where I wouldn’t be able to graduate in four years if I changed my 

Student Profile: ENS Stephen Bronaugh, SOM 2011 

By MC3 Jeff Hopkins 

Assistant Editor, Office of External Affairs 

 The 2008 USU Dining Out is set for April 

5. It will be held at the Hyatt in downtown 

Bethesda. The event will run from 6 to 10 

p.m. The formal mess will open around 7 

p.m. This formal event will entail a threecourse meal, wine, guest speaker and entertainment through out the evening. This 

event is open to all USU students and staff, 

guests are welcome to attend. 

 Ticket sales for the Dining Out will begin 

March 1, in the cafeteria from 11:45 a.m.—

12:45 p.m. Tickets are limited, so it is suggested that people purchase tickets as soon 

as possible. Upon purchasing tickets, individuals will be given the opportunity to 

sign up for a specific table, thereby allowing the opportunity to chose seating arrangements. 

 Tickets will be on sale every day for two 

weeks and then every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday until the maximum is 

reached. 

Ticket prices:

-MS1’s with dues paid up to date: $55 (one 

ticket only) 

-All other students (student’s dates): $70 

-Faculty/staff: $75 

-Ticket/table reservations: $20/ticket (total 

price due by March 5.) 

Uniforms: Uniform requirements are as 

follows: 

Army, Navy, and Air Force: Dress blues 

Navy: The date for the uniform change 

from blues to whites has not yet been put 

out. Based on previous years, assume people will still be in blues. If there are any 

changes to this, announcements will be 

made as soon as possible. 

Female military: The request has been put 

in to allow female military personnel to 

wear civilian dresses if accompanied by a 

male in uniform. More information will 

come once a decision has been passed 

down. 

Female civilians: Formal dresses 

Male civilians: Suit and tie 

Skits: Throughout the evening, various skits 

will be shown for entertainment. These 

skits are open to everyone to produce. The 

committee asks they be five minutes or less 

and they must be submitted to CPT Horton’s office for review and approval by 

March 21. Take this opportunity to be creative and funny; students, this may be your 

one shot to parody professors and actually 

get away with it. Just be sure that it is appropriate and in good taste. Any questions 

can be directed to the POC for this matter: 

2LT Sarah Bounds at 

(sarah.bounds@usuhs.mil). 

Fundraising: The committee is actively pursuing fundraising activities in order to increase the budget for this event. Such 

fundraisers include: a comedy show in Bolston, Md., civilian clothes day, and penny 

wars. Keep an eye out for more information on these events; all proceeds will go 

toward making the Dining Out a better 

event for everyone. Questions can be directed either to 2LT Jacqueline Christensen 

jacqueline.christensen@usuhs.mil or CPT 

Horton nhorton@usuhs.mil. Lots of hard 

work is going into making this a memorable evening. Don’t hesitate to e-mail questions or comments. 

2008 Dining 

Out Guidelines 

ENS Stephen Bronaugh, USN 

SOM Class of 2011 

See BRONAUGH, page 6 
PAGE 6 

1) Can employees receive a pay increase 

when reassigned to a different position?

 Yes, under NSPS, employees have the 

opportunity to affect their pay based on 

performance and the opportunities they 

seek for promotions and reassignments. 

 Employee-initiated reassignment: May 

receive up to a cumulative 5% in base salary in a 12-month period, no matter how 

many times the employee is voluntarily 

reassigned that year. 

 Management-directed reassignment: 

May receive up to 5% in base salary for 

each reassignment. There is no limit to the 

number of times employee can receive a 

management-directed reassignment. 

 Voluntarily move to a lower pay band: 

Base salary must be set within the assigned 

pay band. Management may increase base 

salary up to 5% (not to exceed the maximum of the rate range.) 

2) How are special salary rates converted to 

NSPS?

 In most cases, special salary rates will be 

included within the broader pay ranges of 

the NSPS pay bands (including the addition 

of the standard LMS). 

 For employees paid from a special salary 

table with a maximum that exceeds the pay 

band maximum (and the applicable standard LMS), a targeted LMS will be established. The targeted LMS will ensure that 

such employees convert to NSPS without a 

loss of pay. 

3) How are pay bands structured?

 Under the NSPS classification system, 

every GS position within the Department 

will be assigned to a career group, pay 

schedule and pay band. 

 Many of the factors used to classify positions under NSPS are the same as those 

contained in the old system, such as complexity and level of work. 

 There are four career groups: Standard 

Career Group; Scientific & Engineering Career Group; Investigative & Protective Services Career Group; and Medical Career 

Group. 

 There are typically four pay schedules: 

Professional/Analytical; Technician/

Support; Supervisor/Manager; and Student. 

 There are typically three pay bands for 

each pay schedule: Expert; Journey; and 

Entry/Development. 

4) Will we still get Within-Grade-Increases 

(WGIs)? 

 Under NSPS and the pay banding system, there are no "steps" similar to the GS 

system. Instead, pay increases and/or performance bonuses are based on your performance. 

 Upon conversion to NSPS, many employees will receive a salary increase equal to 

the amount they have earned towards 

their next within grade increase. 

 After an organization has converted to 

NSPS, money that would have been used 

for WGIs will become part of the money 

available for performance payouts. 

5) What are the criteria for being eligible to 

receive the WGI buy-in upon conversion to 

NSPS? 

 Employees are eligible for the WGI 

buy-in if they are below the top step (Step 

10) of their assigned grade; have an acceptable rating of record; and are not on pay 

retention. 

NSPS Questions 

major, and since I wanted to be an aviator, I just went ahead and 

finished it.” 

 Bronaugh said he began to consider going to medical school 

when he was nearing his end of obligated service as a pilot. 

 “In deciding what I wanted to do, I sort of analyzed what it was 

I liked about the service,” Bronaugh said, “and I decided what I 

liked was service itself. I don’t want to just make money; I like the 

idea of contributing to something greater than myself. It’s what I 

really loved about the Navy, but when you’re out there on deployment, you know you’re sacrificing, but you don’t really get the 

feedback. It’s not really personal enough for me. So I thought of 

some of the things in which I could make a more immediate impact, and medicine came up.” 

 Bronaugh said he had also looked into business schools, and 

took several college courses which would set him up for both 

options when he made his choice. Ultimately, he decided he’d be 

making more of an impact by being a doctor, and began to take 

night courses and volunteer at a local hospital while applying for 

medical school. 

 “I’d heard about USU from CAPT Howard Rumjahn, USN, the 

flight doc at HMLAT-303, who was a USU graduate. He said I’d be 

crazy to go anywhere else,” Bronaugh said. “It actually made a lot 

of sense to come to USU. For one, tuition is always a major concern when considering medical school, and even with the Health 

Professions Scholarship Program, I would incur some debt, because while tuition and books are paid for, you only get a small 

stipend to live on. I don’t have kids, but with the financial security 

of attending USU, my wife and I could consider it. Also, I grew up 

with the military; my father’s a retired Navy captain, and my 

brother is an Air Force staff sergeant in the intelligence community, so in essence, the patients I would be treating and the people 

I would be serving would be my family.” 

 Bronaugh says he has some clues about what he intends to 

specialize in, but that it changes from week to week. 

 “When I applied, I thought I wanted to specialize in cardiology,” 

he said. “Then I started thinking about internal medicine, and then 

anesthesiology. Then I was hospitalized for a week recently, and 

that got me interested in internal medicine again.” 

 Bronaugh said what he liked most about attending USU is the 

student community and the responsiveness of the faculty and 

staff. 

 “I don’t feel like people are withholding information to do better on tests,” he said. “Everyone helps each other, it’s not a cutthroat competition. The faculty really seems to listen to us, and 

appreciate our input.” 

BRONAUGH, from page 5 

board of senior enlisted members who ask the nominees a series 

of questions, ranging from general military knowledge to current 

events. 

 HM2 Ruben Valenzuela, MEM, USN, was recognized as the 

CGMQ for the last quarter of 2007. He received a certificate of 

appreciation, and a 72 hour pass. 

 To become the CGMQ, a service member must be squared 

away at all times during ceremonies, events and while training. 

Though it may seem simple, it takes pinpoint accuracy to make the 

flow of the color guard’s movements picture perfect. 

 Valenzuela also became the SMOQ for the last quarter of 2007. 

He received a certificate of appreciation, a 72 hour pass, the Brigade Commander’s coin, a $50 gift card, and special parking privileges for one quarter. 

AWARDS, from page 3 
PAGE 7 

Change to FY09 Active Duty Master Sergeant Board: MILPER MESSAGE 08-024 details changes in regards to the FY09 Active Duty 

Master Sergeant Promotion Board. The board has been rescheduled for Aug. 5-28 to allow for completion prior to the deployment of DIMHRS in October. The announcement message with 

eligibility criteria and other details should be released in April. All 

eligibility criteria will be established based on the original scheduled board convene date. To access this message, log into Army 

Knowledge Online. 

Soldier Readiness Processing: An important component of Army 

Force Health Protection is Soldier Readiness Processing (SRP). AR 

600-8-101 requires Soldiers to complete the SRP requirements 

each year. Walter Reed Army Medical Center will conduct the 

next SRP from March 3-7 from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. in Wagner Gym at 

WRAMC. This event is for all Soldiers at USU and AFRRI. Soldiers 

must bring their medical records, yellow shot record, blue/green 

medical card, CAC card, ID tags, and SRP checklist. For further 

info, contact SSG Ward, USA (MPO) at (301) 295-9653 or SFC Harris, USA (MPO) at (301) 295-3087. 

Military Manning Officers: LT Ferguson, USN (MPO) and SFC Harris, USA (MPO) are the new points of contact for all military manning issues at USU. If you have any questions or concerns regarding military manning issues, you may contact them at jferguson@usuhs.mil or kharris@usuhs.mil. 

PFT/PFA/APFT Notice: The Spring 2008 Physical Fitness Test dates 

for all services are: April 7, 9, 10, 14, 16, and 17, at 7 a.m. or noon. 

There will be one make up date, April 18 at 7 a.m. only. All military 

personnel are required to select the time and date that they will 

take their test immediately. There is more than ample time to prepare both mentally and physically for this mandatory testing. All 

Sailors must complete the Health Risk Assessment questionnaire 

and Physical Health Assessment annually, and Navy weigh-ins 

must be conducted between 10 days and 24 hours prior to the 

Physical Readiness Test. 

2008 Field Exercises: Operations BUSHMASTER and KERKESNER 

will be conducted from July 10-25 at Fort Indiantown Gap, PA. 

These exercises are unique to our university and require the support of all university uniformed personnel. Only emergency leave 

will be granted during this time frame as there are over 135 uniformed personnel (not including evaluators) needed to support 

this mission. 

USU Internal Evaluation Routing Process: 

1) The rater and ratee receive shell (evaluation information) from 

the Military Personnel Office (MPO) with required evaluation form. 

2) The Army and Air Force forms require Pure Edge Viewer 6.5 

and Approve-It digital signature software. If you do not have the 

required software, please contact UIS at 295-9800. 

3) The rater drafts the evaluation with required department leadership involvement. 

4) The unsigned final draft is forwarded from the rater to MPO via 

e-mail for administrative review. 

 BE ADVISED, THE FORM WILL LOCK IF SIGNED & WILL REQUIRE RE-WRITING. 

5) MPO returns the evaluation to rater and ratee to be corrected 

and digitally signed. 

6) the rater forwards evaluation to the next highest rating official 

who then forwards it to the Senior Service Advisors for final review and digital signature. 

7) The senior rater or reviewer authority e-mails the signed evaluation to MPO service representative. 

8) The MPO representative forwards to Higher Service Head Quarters. 

 NOTE: Draft evaluation must be saved to the drafter’s PC for 

revision before being attached and sent forward via email. 

USU Briefs 

Garbage Day

By MCSN Raul Zamora and MC3 Jeff Hopkins
UNIFORMED SERVICES UNIVERSITY 

of the Health Sciences