The Official USU Newsletter

Volume 8, Issue 11 • July 8, 2013

www.usuhs.edu

USU alumnus among 

NASA’s 2013 Astronaut 

Candidate Class
2 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

On the cover

Army Major (Dr.) Andrew “Drew” Morgan 

(bottom row, second photo) was among the 

eight individuals selected as NASA’s newest 

astronaut candidates. Morgan is USU’s first 

alumnus to be selected for the astronaut 

program. (See story on page 2)

Sharon Willis

Deputy Vice President for External 

Affairs and Managing Editor

Gwendolyn Smalls

Chief, Media Affairs

Tech. Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson

Deputy Chief, Media Affairs

Christine Creenan-Jones

Editor

MC2 Brittney Cannady

Writer

Lori Fields

Layout and Design

The Pulse is printed by USU’s Duplicating Center.

Production

The Pulse is funded by the Department of Defense and 

published by the Uniformed Services University. It is 

authorized for members of the U.S. military services, 

USU alumni, faculty and staff. Contents of the Pulse are 

not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, 

the DoD or USU. Appearance of anything resembling 

advertising in this publication does not constitute 

endorsement by the DoD, USU or Pulse staff members.

The contents of this publication shall be made 

available for use or patronage without regard to race, 

color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, 

physical handicap, political affiliation or any other 

non-merit factor of the user or patron.

Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by 

the USU Office of External Affairs. The editor reserves 

the right to edit articles to conform to DoD policy 

and Associated Press style. All photos are DoD photos 

unless otherwise indicated. 

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 301-295-3338.

Courtesy photo

Continued to page 6

The late Space Shuttle 

Columbia astronaut Navy 

Capt. (Dr.) David M. Brown 

once said, “I remember 

growing up thinking that 

astronauts and their job 

was the coolest thing you 

could possibly do... But I 

absolutely couldn’t identify 

with the people who were 

astronauts. I thought they 

were movie stars.”

A lot of people hold 

today’s astronauts in the 

same high regard. Within 

days of being named by 

NASA officials as one of 

America’s newest astronaut 

candidates, USU alumnus 

Army Maj. (Dr.) Andrew “Drew” 

Morgan was already getting requests 

for his autograph. 

Morgan, a USU class of 2002 graduate and Military and Emergency 

Medicine department assistant 

professor whose previous experience 

includes serving as an emergency 

physician and flight surgeon for the 

Army special operations community, 

was among the eight military and 

civilian astronaut trainees selected 

out of more than 6,100 applicants by 

NASA for their 2013 class. 

“We are thrilled, but not surprised, 

that one of our graduates has been 

chosen on the basis of his past achievements and future promise,” said USU 

President Charles L. Rice, M.D. “We 

are very proud of Drew’s selection as a 

NASA astronaut candidate.” 

“I am very proud to represent USU, 

military medicine, Army medicine 

and the Special Operations medical 

community,” said Morgan, who is 

the first USU alumnus and Army 

physician selected for the program. 

“Military service members make 

great astronaut candidates because 

we are taught discipline, perseverance, teamwork and coolness under 

pressure from the earliest points in 

our careers. In my class, six of the 

eight of us are either active duty or 

had extensive military backgrounds. 

That says a lot for the type of people 

in today’s military and the experiences 

that it provides.”

Morgan will report to Johnson 

Space Center in Houston in August 

with his fellow astronaut trainees and 

will receive a wide array of technical training at space centers around 

the globe to prepare for missions to 

low-Earth orbit, an asteroid and Mars.

“These new space explorers asked 

to join NASA because they know we’re 

doing big, bold things here -- developing missions to go farther into space 

than ever before,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “They’re 

excited about the science we’re doing 

on the International Space Station and 

our plan to launch from U.S. soil to 

there on spacecraft built by American 

companies. And they’re ready to help 

To Infinity and Beyond: 

USU alumnus selected for America’s 

newest astronaut class 

By Sharon Willis, managing editor and deputy vice president for External Affairs

Army Maj. (Dr.) Andrew Morgan, USU’s first graduate 

and the first Army physician selected for the astronaut 

program, provides medical assistance to Afghan 

civilians during his 2009 deployment.

Courtesy photo
July 8, 2013 3

USU takes part in Cancer Awareness Day

By MC2 Brittney Cannady, Writer

The John P. Murtha Cancer Center 

at Walter Reed National Military 

Medical Center sponsored a Cancer 

Awareness Day, June 24. The event 

highlighted cancer research, education and patient care.

It also featured lectures from 

leading cancer experts, including 

an emotional talk from Dr. John 

McManigle, acting dean of USU’s 

School of Medicine, who has a 

unique perspective on the disease.

“I’m a cancer survivor. I’ve lain in the 

hospital bed, sat in the chemo chair for 

six months, and now I’m in the recovery 

phase where the mantra is live life to the 

fullest,” he said before imploring people 

with cancer to seek help from places like 

the Murtha Cancer Center.

Army Col. (Dr.) Craig Shriver, director of the Murtha Cancer Center and a 

professor of surgery at USU, also spoke 

at the event. Shriver shared some of the 

center’s future goals, including receiving 

a comprehensive cancer center designation, which has only been granted to 41 

cancer centers worldwide.

“The key to our success will be 

education and continued collaboration 

with USU and NIH,” Shriver said.

The Murtha Cancer Center, which 

was named a Defense Center of 

Excellence in 2012, is moving toward 

this designation by offering patientfocused care, engaging in cuttingedge research, delivering an extensive 

array of patient education and 

collaborating with other agencies to 

offer cutting-edge resources to fight 

the battle against cancer. 

USU is an integral part of 

Murtha’s pioneering cancer work. 

The university is both the education and research arm of the center 

with several ongoing studies aimed 

at developing new cancer medication, improved diagnostics and other 

methods for improving survivorship.

This multipronged approach is 

designed to help servicemembers and 

military beneficiaries with cancer. Air 

Force Lt. Col. Corea Smith, a guest 

speaker at the event, is one of them. 

Smith was diagnosed with breast 

cancer in 2011 and began wearing 

wigs after she lost her hair during 

chemotherapy treatments. She wore a 

bright pink one to Cancer Awareness 

Day, and spoke about the importance 

of quality cancer treatment.

“We as patients appreciate the 

care because it helps us focus on 

the other things going on when 

you’re diagnosed with cancer. I look 

forward to the awesome things that 

the Murtha center is doing,” she said.

The John P. Murtha Cancer Center at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center hosted a 

Cancer Awareness Day, June 24. 

Dr. John McManigle, acting dean of the 

School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services 

University, discusses his battle with cancer 

during Cancer Awareness Day at Walter Reed 

National Military Medical Center.

Photo by MC2 Brittney Cannady

Photo by Bernard S. Little

Twitter

Follow us at

https://twitter.com/

usuhspao
4 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter Courtesy photo

More than 40 students graduate from USU’s 

Postgraduate Dental College

By Christine Creenan-Jones, editor

USU alumnus receives second star

By Christine Creenan-Jones, editor

June was an exciting month for 

students in the Postgraduate Dental 

College at the Uniformed Services 

University. More than 40 military 

dentists earned a Master of Science in 

Oral Biology after completing rigorous two- and three-year training 

programs in comprehensive dentistry, 

endodontics, oral and maxillofacial 

pathology, periodontics, orthodontics 

or prosthodontics. 

Since the PDC is comprised of three 

separate Army, Navy and Air Force 

schools at satellite campuses across the 

country, the graduation ceremonies 

were held on various military installations throughout the month of June.

Dr. Charles Rice, president of USU, 

conferred degrees at ceremonies 

held at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii 

and Fort Bragg in North Carolina. 

Dr. Patrick Sculley, executive 

dean of the PDC, officiated at the 

Naval Postgraduate Dental School 

in Maryland and Fort Hood and 

Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. 

“It was a real honor to be a part of 

the graduation ceremonies for the 

Postgraduate Dental College. All of 

USU’s dental programs are extremely 

challenging with strong didactic, 

clinical and research components 

woven into every curriculum. Meeting 

these benchmarks is difficult, but 

USU’s newest alumni achieved this 

feat through hard work and dedication. It’s a big accomplishment for 

them, but an even greater benefit for 

military medicine as a whole, since 

America’s warriors and their families 

benefit from USU’s graduate education 

programs, as well,” said Sculley.

Currently, 72 military dentists have 

graduated from the PDC, which fell 

under USU auspices in 2010.

Army Maj. 

Gen. (Dr.) Joseph 

Caravalho, Jr., 

commanding general of 

the U.S. Army 

Medical Research 

and Materiel 

Command at 

Fort Detrick, is 

the Uniformed 

Services University’s newest alumnus to wear two stars. 

He was promoted to major general 

on July 2.

Caravalho’s promotion comes on 

the heels of many successful leadership roles. After graduating from 

USU’s medical school in 1983, he 

eventually became the chief of cardiology at Tripler Army Medical Center 

in Hawaii. Caravalho went on to 

serve as the deputy commander for 

Clinical Services at Womack Army 

Medical Center in North Carolina, 

the commanding general for Great 

Plains Regional Medical Command in 

Texas and the commanding general 

for Northern Regional Medical Center 

in Virginia. 

Furthermore, Caravalho, a certified 

nuclear cardiologist, also completed 

several operational medical tours in 

the U.S. and abroad and deployed 

to Iraq on two separate occasions. 

During his second deployment to 

Iraq, Caravalho was the surgeon for 

both Multi-National Force-Iraq and 

Multi-National Corps-Iraq.

His accomplishments – which 

earned Caravalho the Distinguished 

Service Medal, Legion of Merit and 

Bronze Star Medal – are the result of a 

strong early foundation, including the 

formative training he received at USU.

“I cannot possibly repay USU 

fully for what she – an institution comprised of passionate and 

compassionate military medicine 

leaders – has done for me. I couldn’t 

have asked for a better launch for 

my Army Medicine career. I will be 

forever proud of my alma mater,” 

said Caravalho.

Army Maj. Gen. (Dr.) 

Joseph Caravalho, Jr.

Save the Date

August 15, 2013 at 11:30 a.m.

Festival of Cultures

The festival will include food and beverages, music, 

face painting, clowns and other family-friendly activities.
July 8, 2013 5

Courtesy photo

GSN seeks USU input for CCNE accreditation

Courtesy of the Graduate School of Nursing

USU alumni nearly sweep awards during 

Research and Innovation Week

By Christine Creenan-Jones, editor

The Graduate School of Nursing 

is pleased to invite members of the 

Uniformed Services University to 

submit written comments to the 

Commission on Collegiate Nursing 

Education (CCNE) as part of the 

GSN’s accreditation process. 

In 2012, the GSN admitted its first 

class of Doctor of Nursing Practice 

students and is making application for initial accreditation of this 

program. The GSN will host a visit of 

the CCNE accreditation team from 

September 25-27. 

The CCNE is officially recognized 

by the U.S. Secretary of Education 

as a national accreditation agency, 

and it is an autonomous agency that 

specifically accredits baccalaureate and graduate degree nursing 

programs. The CCNE accreditation evaluation consists of a review 

of the program’s mission, goals 

and expected outcomes. It assesses 

the performance of the program 

in achieving the mission and goals 

through the most effective utilization of available resources, programs 

and administration. CCNE’s evaluation process also includes a review 

of evidence concerning the application of these resources in assisting the students in attaining their 

educational goals, as well as a review 

of comments from the program’s 

community of interest, which 

includes students, faculty, advisory 

board members and staff members. 

Over the past year, GSN faculty 

have been conducting an internal 

self-study by evaluating and comparing the curriculum of the Doctor of 

Nursing Practice Program to CCNE 

advanced practice nurse accreditation standards, and national education standards for the Family Nurse 

Practitioner, Nurse Anesthetist, and 

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse 

Practitioner programs. The GSN 

will submit this self-study to 

CCNE in August as part of the 

accreditation process.

Faculty, staff and students are 

invited to submit comments directly 

to CCNE as a member of the GSN’s 

community of interest. CCNE will 

share these comments with the 

members of the accreditation team, 

who will consider the comments in 

each review of the DNP program. 

However, at no time during the 

review process will the comments 

be shared with the GSN. Written 

and signed comments regarding the 

quality of the GSN’s DNP program, 

mission, goals, curricula, outcomes 

and qualifications for accreditation will be accepted by CCNE until 

August 26, 2013 at:

Catherine Sneed

Accreditation Coordinator

Commission on Collegiate 

 Nursing Education

1 Dupont Circle NW, Suite 530

Washington, DC, 20036

Several graduates from the Uniformed 

Services University won prestigious 

awards during Research and Innovation 

Week at Walter Reed National Military 

Medical Center recently, nearly sweeping 

the competition.

University graduates competed 

against military and civilian researchers for Robert A. Phillips and Bailey 

K. Ashford Awards, which recognize 

research excellence in several different 

categories. USU’s winners include: 

Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Kevin O’Meara, 

a class of 1999 graduate, who earned 

the RAP Laboratory Fellow Research 

Award for his presentation, “Adaptive 

Cellular Response to Chronic Inflammation in the Gut Mucosa Stem Cell 

Compartment;” 

Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Candace 

Percival, a class of 2005 graduate, 

who earned the RAP Clinical Fellow 

Research Award for her presentation, “Obese Adolescents and Allergic Disease: Is there a Role for 

Adipokines?;”

Army Capt. (Dr.) Ashleigh Pavey, 

a class of 2011 graduate, who earned 

the RAP Clinical Resident Research 

Award for her presentation, “Birth and 

Early Infant Outcomes in Families with 

Intimate Partner Violence;” 

Army Capt. (Dr.) Elizabeth Polfer, 

a class of 2009 graduate, who earned 

the RAP Clinical Laboratory Resident 

Award for her presentation, “Development of a Rat Model for Post-Traumatic 

Heterotopic Ossification;”

Air Force Capt. (Dr.) Shana Miles, 

a class of 2012 graduate, who earned 

the RAP award for her poster, “Utility 

of Field Expedient PCR for Diagnosis of Travelers’ Diarrhea Caused by 

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli;”

Army Maj. (Dr.) Christopher 

Tracy, a class of 2008 graduate, who 

earned the BKA Award for his poster, 

Alumni from the Uniformed Services 

University walked away with eight of the 

11 awards given during Research and 

Innovation Week at Walter Reed National 

Military Medical Center.

Continued to page 7
6 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

Astronaut class...

Continued from page 2

lead the first human mission to an 

asteroid and then on to Mars.”

Morgan’s journey towards space 

began shortly after the final Space 

Shuttle launch in April 2011. After the 

launch, many Americans, including 

Morgan, felt there was some uncertainty about the future of the program, 

particularly when or if a new class of 

astronauts would be fielded. 

“I always had an interest in space 

and dreamed of becoming an astronaut . . . but I realized that it wasn’t 

a realistic goal that I could plan my 

career around, so I never thought it 

would really happen. I took my son to 

the last Shuttle launch in Florida, and 

I said to him ‘I don’t think I’ll get be 

an astronaut, so maybe you can make 

it instead.’ But within a couple of 

months, NASA sent out an announcement seeking applicants, so I applied,” 

Morgan said. Active duty members 

were directed to apply through their 

respective service, while an announcement was simultaneously placed on 

USAJOBS.gov. 

It took NASA more than nine 

months to cull through the thousands 

of applications they received. They 

eventually narrowed the field to 120 

and Morgan received a phone call 

letting him know he had made the cut. 

Morgan’s background in emergency 

medicine and Special Operations, 

along with his diving, airborne, 

military freefall, and flight surgery 

qualifications and experience were 

instrumental in helping his packet 

stand out above so many others. 

The applicants were divided into 

two groups for interviews. Morgan 

was among the second group and 

during the three-day process he 

underwent psychological testing, 

cursory medical testing, and interviews before a panel made up of astronauts and other NASA employees. 

Three more months went by 

without word. In the meantime, 

Morgan was finishing his civilian 

deferred sports medicine fellowship at 

Virginia Commonwealth University/

Fairfax Family Practice, led by USU 

alumnus (’84) Thomas Howard, MD, 

and had received orders for his new 

duty assignment in Germany. 

In February, 2013, Morgan got 

another phone call letting him know 

that the applicants had been further 

reduced to 50 and that he was among 

the finalists. He reported to Johnson 

Space Center in Houston again, this 

time for a full week of testing – more 

psychological and medical tests, along 

with language aptitude testing and an 

extensive physical examination.

Afterward, Morgan once again 

returned to Virginia and resumed 

his fellowship training, again hearing 

nothing for more than four months 

as NASA officials went through the 

daunting process of narrowing the 

field down to a mere eight astronaut 

candidates. He and his family focused 

on their upcoming move to Germany, 

but Morgan held out hope for a 

change in plans. 

“My family knew I was applying 

to the astronaut program,” he said. “I 

told them, ‘we’re moving to Germany, 

but there is a small chance we could 

be moving to Texas.’” 

In mid-June, he was standing in 

the hallway of a local area high school 

having just finished teaching a class 

on physical examination skills when 

he got a phone call. It was veteran 

astronaut and director of NASA Flight 

Crew Operations Dr. Janet Kavandi, 

who had served as the chair of the 

selection board. 

“She said, ‘I want to know if you 

want to come down to Houston to 

be a part of our team.’ I got a little 

choked up and said, ‘Absolutely!’” 

Morgan then turned off his phone 

so that he would not be tempted to 

call anyone and went home to break 

the news in person to his wife, Stacey, 

and their four children. 

“They were excited about going to 

Germany, so I said, ‘I have bad news 

and I have good news. The bad news 

is that there will be no three-year 

“vacation” in Germany. The good news 

is that I’m going to be an astronaut and 

we’ll be moving to Texas and not have 

to move again for a really long time!’” 

Morgan said his wife shed tears of joy 

and his son simply smiled and gave 

him a “that’s cool” look. 

Morgan’s relatives, colleagues, 

friends and acquaintances, as well 

as strangers, also thought it was cool. 

NASA made the public announcement on June 17 and Morgan started 

receiving calls and emails of congratulations and autograph requests from 

all over the country. His new celebrity status hasn’t gone to his head, 

though. Once he’s reported for duty 

at Johnson Space Center, Morgan 

said he’ll be surrounded by dozens 

of current, veteran or former astronauts serving in a number of different capacities. 

The new class of astronaut candidates reports to the space center 

in August to begin their two-year 

training program to become Mission 

Specialists. The program consists 

of language immersion (primarily 

Russian since all of the missions are 

now flown on Russian spacecraft), 

robotics, space walking, and flight 

training. Morgan said the non-pilots, 

like himself, will be sent to Pensacola to go through the Navy’s flight 

training curriculum and they will 

use the T-38 Talon twin-engine, 

high-altitude, supersonic jet to train. 

The astronaut class will do most of 

their work at Johnson Space Center, 

but will also spend time at Kennedy 

Space Center and Goddard Space 

Center in the U.S., and with their 

international partners in Russia, 

Europe, Canada and Japan. 

After the initial two-year training is 

completed, Morgan will be assigned to 

a NASA directorate as a “full-fledged 

astronaut” until it’s his turn to go 

into space. He estimates about 8-10 

years before he’ll make his first flight. 

NASA plans to send this newest crop 

of space stars beyond low Earth orbit, 

surpassing Skylab, the Space Shuttles, 

and the International Space Station to 

explore an asteroid or Mars...to infinity and beyond.
July 8, 2013 7

Students, faculty and staff stopped 

by Lecture Hall E to watch the people 

of the Uniformed Services University 

show off a different set of skills during 

an “Open Mic” event, June 25. 

During the “Open Mic,” several 

members of the USU community 

performed original pieces, popular 

songs, short stories and other creative 

expressions. Navy Capt. (Dr.) Mark 

Stephens, chair of the Department 

of Family Medicine, recited poetry, 

including an inspiring work called, “An 

Ode to Uncertainty.” 

Air Force Lt. Col. Jackie Killian, 

a student in the Graduate School of 

Nursing, sang Martina McBride’s hit 

song, “Independence Day,” which has a 

nostalgic meaning to her.

“My mom and family in San Antonio 

like me to sing this song during karaoke, 

so I hope you guys like it,” she said. 

Other singing performances 

included renditions of Billy Joel’s “And 

So it Goes,” and Goyte’s “Somebody 

That I Used to Know,” performed by 

the Dermatones, an acapella singing 

group at USU. Love Triangle – an 

original band formed by three medical 

students – also sang “Untitled Breakup 

Song,” a number they wrote a week 

before the event.

The Open Mic event, which also 

included a hand-crafted jewelry display, 

was sponsored by the Apollo Society of 

USU’s Family Medicine Interest Group 

to highlight art and science. It was 

formed by Navy Ensigns Colin Smith 

and Brian Andrew.

 “We enjoyed talking to each other 

about literature, movies and our own 

writing, and we were curious whether 

other members of the USU community 

were also interested in the arts. Since 

there was not a humanities interest 

group yet founded at USU, we submitted a proposal to found the Apollo 

Society,” said Andrew.

The Apollo Society plans to continue 

hosting regular “Open Mic” sessions 

in the future and have already begun 

planning one for September. 

FMIG’s Apollo Society holds 

“Open Mic” session

By MC2 Brittney Cannady, writer

Medical students, Navy Ensign Jeffrey Spiro, Air Force 2nd Lt. Solomon Tong and Air Force 

2nd Lt. Hakeem Hindi, formed a group called Love Triangle. They performed a number 

called “Untitled Break Up Song” during an Open Mic event held at the Uniformed Services 

University, June 25.

Photo by Navy Ensign Brian Andrew

Trivia Answer #1

Graduate School 

of Nursing 

20th Anniversary

Congratulations to Kristen Brown, 

a paralegal in the Office of General 

Counsel, who correctly answered last 

issue’s trivia question:

Do you know which GSN program 

was the first to enroll students?

Brown’s response, the Family 

Nurse Practitioner Program, is 

correct. The first group of FNP 

students enrolled in the Uniformed 

Services University in 1993. 

“Exploration of a Novel Therapeutic 

Target in a Murine Model of Systemic 

Lupus Erythematosus: Targeting 

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) 

Receptors;”

Army Maj. (Dr.) Gary Levy, a class 

of 2006 graduate, who earned the 

BKA Award for his poster, “Liarozole 

inhibits transforming growth factor 

-beta 3 mediated extracelluar matrix 

formation in human 3-dimensional 

leiomyoma cultures,” and

Air Force Capt. (Dr.) Bryant 

Webber, a class of 2010 graduate, who 

earned the BKA award for his poster, 

“Prevalence of and Risk Factors for 

Autopsy-Determined Atherosclerosis among U.S. Service Members, 

2001-2011.”

USU alumni made a huge impression at WRNMMC’s research competition, walking away with eight of the 

11 awards given during Research and 

Innovation Week.

“The results of this research 

competition further demonstrate the 

talent and ingenuity of our graduates. They stand out among even the 

brightest minds, and USU is proud 

to have played a role in their education,” said Dr. Charles Rice, president of USU.

Research Awards...

Continued from page 3
Final Frame

Dive physiology labs are part of the Uniformed Services University’s Department of Military and Emergency 

Medicine curriculum. This unique training includes cold water immersion to help students understand how the 

human body functions in extreme environments.

Photo by MC2 Brittney Cannady