Volume 5, Issue 8 n June 1, 2010

www.usuhs.mil

The Official USU Newsletter
2 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

On the cover

CPT Laurie Kwolek carries the GSN 

guidon during the annual Antietam 

Road March. More than 60 graduate 

nursing students joined the first-year 

medical students for this year’s event. 

See article on page 5.

Photo by Ken Frager

Sharon Willis

Acting Vice President for External 

Affairs and Managing Editor

Ken Frager

Public Affairs Specialist

Staff Sgt. Matthew Rosine

Production Editor

MC1 Chad Hallford

Writer

Christine Creenan

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 usunewsletter@usuhs.mil 

or by calling 301-295-0895.

Compassion, commitment are 

essential for medical professionals 

by Ken Frager

Marine Gen. James Amos, the 31st 

assistant commandant of the United 

States Marine Corps, addressed the 

more than 200 physicians, advanced 

practice nurses and scientists who 

became alumni during commencement of the USU on Saturday, May 

15. In a ceremony steeped in military 

and academic traditions, friends and 

family also gathered to celebrate with 

the USU graduating class of 2010 at the 

Daughters of the American Revolution 

Constitution Hall.

An active supporter of military 

medicine, General Amos has praised 

the efforts of uniformed medical 

professionals serving at duty stations 

around the world. He has witnessed 

their valuable work during multiple 

deployments and his visits to injured 

service members. 

“Your role as caregivers in our 

military health system demonstrates 

your commitment to serve, no matter 

the degree you are receiving,” said 

General Amos before he imparted 

his personal thoughts on the USU 

graduates. “That commitment 

includes a willingness and ability 

to take on what I consider to be an 

almost biblical responsibility.”

Reflecting on when his mother 

passed away following complications from colon cancer surgery, 

General Amos said that there was “an 

absence of a sense of responsibility 

or accountability on behalf of her 

caregivers when they missed signs 

that something was wrong.” 

“Providing exceptional clinical 

medicine is only part of your responsibility,” said General Amos. “You are a 

sense of hope for our service members 

and their families. You will be there 

to hold the hand of a Marine who 

lost an arm and a leg in combat... or 

to spend time with his family as an 

injured gunny lays in a hospital bed 

in Germany before being returned to 

Walter Reed for recovery and rehabilitation. You will commit to the Sailor and 

to his family that you will do everything you can to return him in better 

condition than he is that day, so he can 

speak on behalf of all injured service 

members about the recovery process, 

the quality of military health care and 

the critical role you, as caregivers, serve 

in our military. And as a leader, you 

will ensure that mistakes like the one 

that took my mother don’t occur in our 

military health system.” 

Shortly after the last student 

crossed the stage to accept their 

diploma and the 162 graduates of the 

School of Medicine recited the Hippocratic Oath and their Oath of Office, 

the new physicians completed their 

transition and joined their graduate nursing colleagues as uniformed 

officers in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air 

Force and Public Health Service.

Photo by Thomas Balfour

Marine Gen. James Amos 

addressed the students 

and guests for USU’s 

commencement on 

Saturday, May 15. The 31st 

Assistant Commandant of 

the United States Marine 

Corps spoke about the role 

the graduates will play in 

the coming years taking 

caring of service members 

and their families.
June 1, 2010 3

New accounting system to benefit USU

by Staff Sgt. Matthew Rosine

The University is implementing the Defense Agencies Initiative 

(DAI) this fall. 

The DAI will replace the currently 

used College and University Financial 

System, or CUFS, which was originally 

put in place in 1986. 

“DAI will modernize the way 

we do business. We are getting 

a compliant system that will be 

streamlined with the DoD’s accounting arm, the Defense Finance and 

Accounting Service (DFAS), and its 

interaction with 28 different defense 

agencies,” said Bob Parker, director 

of the Resource Management Information Office and USU program 

manager for the DAI implementation. “We currently work with an 

obsolete accounting system developed in the early 1980s for private 

higher education.”

Part of the National Defense 

Authorization Act from 2008, the 

DAI is the DoD’s initiative to transform and modernize the defense 

agencies’ financial management 

processes by streamlining financial 

management capabilities, eliminating material weaknesses and achieving financial statement auditability 

for the Agencies and field activities 

across the DoD. 

The new DAI system has many 

benefits that it brings to USU. 

Some of these benefits include a 

single Office of Federal Financial 

Management compliant solution, 

common business processes and 

data standards, access to real-time 

financial data transactions, a significant reduction in data reconciliation 

requirements, enhanced analysis 

and decision support capabilities, 

standardized line of accounting 

with the use of Standard Financial 

Information Structure or SFIS and 

the use of USSGL Chart of Accounts 

to resolve DoD material weaknesses 

and deficiencies. 

“Once DAI is implemented and 

certified, we will have a state-of-theart, compliant system,” Parker said.

“Hopefully, our users will be much 

more comfortable with this new 

system,” Parker said. “Our current 

system is strictly character-based, so 

you have to know exactly what key 

to hit on the keyboard in order to 

operate it correctly. The new system 

has graphic user interface capabilities, 

employing icons, pull-down menus, 

etc., which should be more intuitive 

for people to navigate the DAI system.” 

But not all faculty and staff will 

experience this new system immediately. 

“Initially USU will deploy the 

‘Time and Attendance/Labor’ portion 

of the DAI in July for only timekeepers and approvers,” Parker said. “We 

are using a phased approach. Our 

aim is to eventually have all Government employees do their time and 

attendance entry online. The DAI 

financials portion, which primarily 

affects USU’s financial, logistics and 

contracting departments, will follow 

in the fall.” 

USU has an outstanding DAI 

implementation team that has 

already begun the transformation 

effort. The business process team 

leaders include: Gary Osier, director 

of Logistics; Tony Revenis, director of Contracting, Mike Creenan, 

director of Financial and Manpower 

Management Office; Jim Wolff, USU 

Financial Services Officer; and Chris 

Barnett, Civilian Human Resource 

Directorate’s chief of Information 

Management and Policy. 

But despite the many benefits, 

Parker and the DAI implementation 

team members still recognize that this 

transformation is a change. 

“Well, DAI is a new system and 

many people just don’t like change,” 

Parker said. “But, we have an 

advantage here at USU – we are 

far ahead of many other Defense 

agencies because of having used 

CUFS. Like DAI, all of our financial, 

contracting and logistics functions 

operate under one system. Other 

DoD systems have many separate 

stove-pipe applications that work 

independent of each other, requiring 

numerous interfaces. This new system 

will move the financial business 

processes under one umbrella.” 

Currently, the DAI implementation team is working to create a 

DAI website to better inform the 

University community. They are also 

creating web-based training and faceto-face training with plenty of quick 

reference materials. 

The University’s target date for 

completion of the new system is 

October 2010.
4 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

Military medicine achieves new heights

by Ken Frager

As if taking on the challenges of 

serving in the U.S. Army and completing medical school weren’t enough, 

two fourth-year medical students at 

the Uniformed Services University of 

the Health Sciences used their Spring 

Break to reach greater heights. 

James Winegarner and Michael 

Chamberlin, both recent USU graduates, 

successfully summited Uhuru Peak, Mt. 

Kilimanjaro the morning of March 7 via 

the Machame route. While not the first to 

achieve the feat, according to both climbers it probably isn’t a common accomplishment for most medical students.

“We share a passion for the outdoors 

and for challenging ourselves,” 

said Winegarner, who, along with 

Chamberlin, has been a leader in the 

Wilderness Medicine Interest Group at 

USU. “Between our first and second year, 

we spent two weeks in British Columbia, 

Canada, climbing in Squamish. We had 

been planning since that time for this 

break in our fourth year, where there 

was some flexibility in our schedule to 

accomplish another big challenge.” 

The duo decided on Mt. Kilimanjaro 

because of the relatively short duration 

and non-technical nature of the climb 

and because of the location. Standing 

more than 19,334 feet high, Uhuru Peak 

is the highest summit on Kibo’s crater 

rim. Kilimanjaro itself is the tallest freestanding mountain in Africa and the 

fourth highest of the seven summits. 

The Machame route is considered to be 

the most scenic and most difficult route.

“We had hopes of conducting 

humanitarian health care while in 

Africa, in conjunction with this climb, 

but because of U.S. State Department limitations on official travel in 

that part of the world right now, the 

humanitarian portion fell through at 

the last minute,” said Chamberlin.

According to Air Force Maj. (Dr.) 

Glenn Burns, assistant professor in the 

department of Military and Emergency 

Medicine and former faculty advisor 

to the Wilderness Medicine Interest 

Group at USU, the achievement of these 

adventurous students is not surprising 

given their background and training. 

“We attempt to turn out not only 

exceptional physicians, but competent 

and well-rounded military officers who 

are prepared for the demands of challenging, austere and extreme environments,” 

said Burns. “I can’t imagine a better way 

to help them prepare.”

“This climb was, at least in my 

mind, a capstone event and symbolic 

of medical school itself,” said Winegarner. “It was seven very difficult days 

of non-stop physical exertion with 

the added effects of altitude and cold 

weather to deal with, but the feelings 

we had when we reached the summit 

were very similar to how we felt 

walking across the stage at graduation.” 

Courtesy Photo

Then-fourth year students James Winegarner and Michael Chamberlin successfully summited 

Uhuru Peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro March 7. The recent USU graduates accomplished the feat via 

the Machame route while on their 2010 Spring Break.

Photo by Ken Frager

AACN Honors TriService Nursing Research Exec

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) presented the 

Flame of Excellence Award to U.S. Air 

Force Col. Marla J. De Jong, executive 

director, TriService Nursing Research 

Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

De Jong accepted the award in May 

during the National Teaching Institute 

& Critical Care Exposition. The award 

honors sustained contributions to acute 

and critical care nursing at a high level 

and with broad reach.

De Jong recently served as the 

program manager for the Joint Theater 

Trauma System in Baghdad, Iraq, and 

Air Force program manager at the 

Department of Defense Blast Injury 

Research Program Coordinating 

Office, where research and practice 

protocols are developed for the treatment, mitigation and prevention of 

traumatic injuries.

A former editor of the quarterly 

journal AACN Advanced Critical Care, 

DeJong has published more than 35 

journal articles, several book chapters 

and a book, all of which have contributed to shaping military and civilian 

nursing practice and education, healthcare delivery, management and policy.
As their parting project prior to graduating from the 

USU Graduate School of Nursing, the Class of 2010 

donated their time, effort, and financial support to help 

numerous families seeking relief at a local shelter.

Students volunteered at the Stepping Stones Shelter 

periodically during their final year, providing general 

cleaning of the shelter and sorting of winter coats after the 

shelter’s big coat drive. They also hosted a holiday party 

for six families. “We needed a class project; we brainstormed, and this is what we decided on,” said Army Lt. 

Col. Jean Barido, class president and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) recent graduate.

“We didn’t want to present a plaque. (Our gift) needed 

to have meaning,” said Air Force Capt. Rebekah Peery, also 

a 2010 FNP graduate. “This is something residents will 

enjoy all summer.”

The class’s most recent May 4 efforts culminated their 

year-long project of assisting the shelter. This class hopes 

they have set the bar high for future classes of the GSN to 

develop a continuing relationship with the shelter.

Much of the new front-porch furniture was purchased 

with gift money provided by the volunteers, as was a range 

of household and yard improvement items.

“This is about selfless service — it isn’t about us,” said 

Barido. “Whether we are taking care of children, fixing 

our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen or Marines, or repairing our 

neighbors’ backyards, we certainly don’t have to travel far 

to give back to the communities in which we live.”

Stepping Stones Shelter, located in Rockville, Md., offers 

homeless men, women and children food and shelter in an 

atmosphere of dignity and respect.

Photo by MC1 Chad Hallford

GSN Class of 2010 

leaves lasting gift

by MC1 Chad Hallford

First-year medical and graduate nursing students at the 

Uniformed Services University 

(USU) experienced breathtaking 

pieces of military heritage on 

the storied fields of Antietam. 

Leaving behind USU’s traditional brick-and-mortar classrooms, they marched across the 

famous Civil War battlefield, 

home to the bloodiest one-day 

fight in American history.

USU partnered with the National Museum of Civil 

War Medicine in Frederick, Md., to ensure an authentic 

focus on the medical lessons learned and innovations 

resulting from the Battle of Antietam. 

University faculty and Civil War experts provided 

historical accounts of battlefield medicine while 

students navigated the eight-mile course. Inside the 

little Dunker Church, for example, Navy Capt. (Dr.) 

Trueman Sharp, chair of the Department of Military 

and Emergency Medicine at USU, told the students 

that illness – not enemy fire – was the most prolific 

killer of the battles.

“The disease that seemed to break down the 

willpower more than any other was chronic diarrhea,” 

said Sharp, in the words of a Confederate Soldier. “The 

patients seemed not only to lose the desire to live, but 

all manliness and self-respect. They whined and died in 

spite of all we could do.” 

Students carried this vivid imagery with them as they 

continued the march across Antietam. 

“At school we attend many lectures, but this experience 

helped us to really imagine the challenges of battlefield 

care,” said Public Health Service Ensign Kim Tran.

The dynamic narration continued as the students 

made their way along an actual Civil War medical evacuation route. This newest piece of the annual road march 

was designed to illustrate famed surgeon, Jonathan 

Letterman’s echelons of care.

On campus, students learned how this “father of 

modern battlefield medicine” revolutionized methods 

for medical organization. At Antietam, they saw how 

the points of care were organized from the field stations 

located on the frontlines to the major hospitals located 

farther away from the battlefield. 

“There were a lot of casualties coming through these 

points,” said guest lecturer Robert Burton, director of 

education at the National Museum of Civil War. “We 

tried to put a face to the medicine.”

Knowing these Soldiers of old, their triumphs and their 

struggles, will guide the USU students on their journey in 

military medicine.

A step back in time

by Christine Creenan-Jones

Photo by Ken Frager

June 1, 2010 5
6 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

AFRRI NCO graduates Warrior Leader Course

Sgt. Christopher Marshall, acting NCOIC of 

AFRRI’s Administrative Support Department, 

successfully completed the U.S. Army’s Warrior 

Leader Course (WLC) in May. The 15-day course, 

held at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., is the first course 

of study in the Army’s Non-Commissioned Officer 

Education System (NCOES).

The WLC curriculum includes instruction 

in leadership, training and warfighting skills. 

Graduates successfully pass evaluations in land 

navigation, physical fitness training, individual 

training, as well as garrison and field leadership. 

They are awarded the NCO Professional Development Ribbon.

To wish Sgt. Marshall a “job well done,” AFRRI 

leaders were in attendance for his graduation at 

Fort Indiantown Gap. From left, Deputy Chief of 

Staff Lt. Matthew W. Deshazo, Chief of Staff Ltc. 

Col. Jennifer S. Lindsay-Dodoo, Sgt. Christopher 

N. Marshall, and former Deputy Director Col.

Donald E. Hall.

Rear Adm. Christine M BruzekKohler, director of the U.S. Navy 

Nurse Corps, was presented 

the University’s Outstanding 

Service Award by Col. Bruce 

Schoneboom during a recent 

visit to San Diego. A dedicated 

ambassador for USU, BruzekKohler was instrumental in 

supporting numerous academic 

and research initiatives. She 

was directly responsible for 

facilitating and supporting 

a process for integrating the 

Navy Nurse Corps Anesthesia 

Program (NNCAP) into the USU 

Nurse Anesthesia Program. The 

NNCAP has a 47-year history 

and affiliations with several 

different universities as degree 

grantors, including USU. Said 

Schoneboom, Rear Adm. BruzekKohler “understands, and helped 

others see, that education is as 

much of a priority as operations. 

That support and commitment 

has been invaluable in helping 

this program and the USU 

Graduate School of Nursing 

achieve great success.”
June 1, 2010 7

Briefs

Funding Applications: 

The USU Merit Review Committee is now accepting applications for 

the fiscal year 2011 USU Intramural 

Research Funding.

Applications may be submitted for 

Pilot, Standard and Exploratory grant 

awards for funding. This will fund new 

or revised applications only. Competing continuations will not be considered at this time. These applications 

are for research in all areas basic, clinical and behavioral.

Projects reviewed under this call 

will be evaluated for demonstrated 

relevance to military concerns and/or 

are specific to the USU mission.

Eligibility for funding from the 

University’s intramural program is 

restricted to billeted civilian and 

uniformed faculty members at USU 

with Full, Associate or Assistant Professor titles.

Late applications will not be 

accepted and incomplete applications 

will not be reviewed.

Applications are due by June 18, 2010.

Notification of the awards should 

be complete on or about October 1. 

Individuals applying for intramural 

funding, we will need a hard copy of the 

application with the original signatures 

by June 18, 2010.

Additionally, applications must be 

submitted electronically, as a Microsoft Word document, via email to 

srasmussen@usuhs.mil and vshaw@ 

usuhs.mil. Submissions must also 

include any additional materials 

useful to the Merit Review Committee 

in assessing the proposal. 

For further information contact 

either a grants specialist (Ms. Shaw or 

Ms. Gibbons) or Susan Rasmussen by 

phone at 295-3303.

Professional activities: 

The Department of Defense 

and USU policy requires that all 

employees, both military and civilian, receive approval for engaging 

in any activity outside their work 

environment, which involves their 

professional expertise or government occupation (whether or not 

compensated), as well as any activity that involves compensation. This 

includes serving on the Board of a 

Non-Federal Organization.

This approval is required prior 

to engaging in the activity. In order 

to get approval, any employee can 

complete a USUHS Form 1004. This 

completed form must be approved 

and signed by each department chair 

or activity head.

These forms are available in 

the General Counsel’s office or 

online at the USU OGC Web site. 

Completed forms must be turned in 

to the General Counsel’s office. The 

form will be routed to the appropriate dean, brigade commander or 

USU president.

Once processing is completed, a 

copy of the approved form will be 

returned to the employee for the 

employee’s records.

Using Computer Resources: 

Security incidents continue to be 

a drain to limited USU Information 

Assurance 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 offensive 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.

Helpdesk Closure: 

The NOC helpdesk is closed for training on Thursdays from 10 to 11 a.m. 

During this time, you can leave a 

voicemail message at 295-9800, utilize 

the HEAT Self Service (http://www. 

usuhs.mil/uis/forms/trouble.html), or 

email help@usuhs.mil.

If an emergency should arise, please 

call 295-9870.

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 testing 

dates or times.

2010 Bushmaster/Kerkesner:

The USU field exercises, Operations 

Bushmaster and Kerkesner will be held 

July 6 through July 23 at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa.

Advance personnel will deploy July 6. 

The main body of personnel will deploy 

July 10.

Only emergency leave will be 

granted during this time frame as there 

are over 145 uniformed personnel, 

not including evaluators, needed to 

support this mission.

For further information contact 

Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Wilson by phone 

at 319-8207.