Uniformed Services University 

of the Health Sciences 

USU Newsletter 

WWW.USUHS.MIL APRIL 3, 2006 VOLUME 1,ISSUE 13 

In This Issue 

Building E.............................1 

CFC........................................1 

New Chief of Staff.................2 

USU Alumna Promoted to 

Flag Officer............................2 

New GSN Dean......................3 

HJF Fellowship Award.........4 

Asian Pacific Student 

Association...........................4 

Look Who’s Talking..............5 

News Briefs ..........................5 

Calendar of Events.......Back

Uniformed Services University 

of the Health Sciences 

WWW.USUHS.MIL OCTOBER 16,2006 

“Be a Star in Someone's Life!” 

 The Uniformed Services 

University of the Health Sciences (USU) Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) for 2006 

is underway (October 1 to 

December 15.) This year's 

campaign theme is "Be a Star 

in Someone's Life! Support 

CFC." 

 As a member of the Combined Federal Campaign of 

the National Capital Area 

(CFCNCA), the USU CFC plays 

an important role in the largest and most successful employee workplace giving campaign in the world. Donations 

from last year helped people 

who live around the corner, 

across the nation, and 

throughout the world. 

 The formal USU CFC Kickoff 

Ceremony will be held October 19 at 1pm in the breezeway area between buildings A 

and B. There will be free food 

and prizes. 

 The CFC needs “key workers.” People who would like to 

submit names or volunteer 

should contact Lt. Col. Timothy 

J. Rapp (trapp@usuhs.mil), 

Anne Hufman 

(ahufman@usuhs.mil), or 

Capt. Kevin Doherty, AFRRI 

(kdoherty@usuhs.mil). 

 On Oct. 23, the Uniformed 

Services University of the 

Health Sciences (USU) will celebrate the groundbreaking of the first new 

building on campus since the school was built 

in 1978. 

 A contract for Building E, which has been in 

the works for more than eight years, was 

awarded Aug. 31, allowing construction on 

the new facility to begin shortly. Before that 

construction begins, however, the university 

will celebrate its latest addition with the ceremony at approximately 11 a.m., which is open 

to the entire university. 

 Mary Dix, Special Assistant to the USU President said, this is a project that has been a long 

time coming and several people have made 

this dream possible. 

 “Military construction projects are not easy 

to come by,” Mrs. Dix said. “But this project 

demonstrates the belief that so many people 

have in this university, from Congress to Health 

Affairs to the surgeons general to BUMED 

(Navy Bureau of Medicine) to several other 

departments within DOD. ”Sometimes you 

may go onto the campus of a university and 

you see lots of construction being done and 

huge moving equipment and people think the 

place is in an uproar,” Mrs. Dix explained. “But 

the reality is when you see all that construction, it shows that the university is expanding 

and that construction is a sign of growth.” 

 Since 1978 there has been no additional 

construction to support USU activities, despite 

a growth in the number of degree-granting 

programs, according to Mrs. Dix. However, 

USU’s newest facility will accommodate the 

growth in the number of degree-granting programs conducted by the university and other 

responsibilities assigned to the university by 

the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense 

for Health Affairs. Some of those responsibilities include the Graduate School of Nursing, 

Graduate Medical Education programs, and 

Continuing Health Education. 

 The new building will have three levels 

which will provide extra classrooms and office 

USU Prepares 

for Groundbreaking on 

Long Awaited 

Facility 

See Bldg. E, Page 5 

By Tech. Sgt. André Nicholson 

NCOIC, Office of External Affairs 

This is an Illustration of the upcoming Building E. The building is expected to be completed in 2009 
PAGE 2 

Office of the President

USU Newsletter 

Editorial Staff 

Carol R. Scheman 

Vice President for 

External Affairs and 

Managing Editor 

Tech. Sgt. 

 André Nicholson 

Editor 

Mass Communications 

Specialist 2nd Class 

Kory Kepner 

Assistant Editor 

Mass Communications 

Specialist 

Seaman 

Raul Zamora 

Staff Writer 

 

Mass Communications 

Specialist Seaman Apprentice 

Jeffrey Hopkins 

Staff Writer 

 

Sharon Willis 

Director 

Alumni Affairs and 

Contributing Writer 

Marla Wright 

Webmaster

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. 

News 

 The Uniformed Services University of the Health 

Sciences’ (USU) new Chief of Staff has led quite a 

career. With over 40 years of combined active and 

reserve uniformed services duty in the Air Force, 

the Public Health Service and the Navy, he has accomplished much and provided help to the nation 

and its government, and hopes to bring that positive experience to USU. 

 Mr. Steve Henske says his job as the new USU 

Chief of Staff is to aid Dr. Rice in working with the 

faculty, staff and students of the university. 

 “The job of the Chief of Staff is to facilitate the 

resolution of administrative matters and allow Dr. 

Rice more opportunity to work with the faculty and 

focus on pursuing future strategies for the University’s future,” Mr. Henske said. “My job is to assist Dr. 

Rice manage the demands of his job.” 

 Mr. Henske said he would like to see more positive national and international recognition of USU. 

 “When people ask me, ‘Where do you work,’ 

and I say, ‘Uniformed Services University,’ I don’t 

quite get the same reaction as my sister, who works 

at Princeton, gets. I’d love to see the day when I get 

the reaction, ‘USU, oh yes, that’s the premier Federal academic health education university in Washington, D.C.” 

 In the past, Mr. Henske has worked in numerous 

military medical command positions, as well as the 

Pentagon in Washington D.C. 

 Immediately prior to his arrival at USU, Mr. Henske worked at the Pentagon as the Health Policy 

Advisor in the office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability Operations, arranging 

for the provision of humanitarian assistance in disasters. He has also worked as the Deputy Chief of 

Staff for Navy Medicine, as Commanding Officer of 

an Air Force Medical Squadron of 310 personnel, 

and as the Officer-in-Charge of a 50-bed Air Force 

Air Transportable Hospital. 

 As a civilian, Mr. Henske has been the Director of 

Student Health Services at Georgetown University, 

a Joint Commission Accreditation Surveyor and 

faculty member, Senior Partner in a healthcare consulting firm and previously worked for USU as an 

Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of 

Preventive Medicine. 

 Mr. Henske was born and raised on Long Island, 

New York, and educated at St. Louis University. He 

is married to Dr. Melissa Stick, and has two children: 

a son, Stephen J., Jr., an Air Force Air National 

Guard Major; and a daughter, Amy Difilippo. 

 Mr. Henske’s past civilian awards include being 

selected as an Outstanding Young Man of America, 

chosen as an Outstanding Faculty Advisor at 

Georgetown University, and he received the Outstanding Citizen's Award from the City of New 

York, Staten Island Borough President. During his 

military career, he has been awarded the Legion of 

Merit, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and Commendation Medals 

from the Air Force, Navy and Public Health Service. 

 Mr. Henske said what he hopes to get out of his 

employment at USU is an opportunity to contribute 

his skills to working with others in making the University an even greater national treasure and secondly, to have fun. 

 “It’s one of those situations where you want to 

contribute to those who are going to follow you in 

the future, and the better we do our job here, the 

better they’ll be able to do their job out there,” he 

said. 

Hail to the Chief: New Chief of Staff 

MCSA Jeff Hopkins 

Staff Writer, Office of External Affairs 

 USU Class of 1984 alumna, Dr. Sandra Kweder, 

Deputy Director, FDA, Office of New Drugs, was 

promoted to Rear Admiral (lower half), U.S. Public 

Health Service, effective October 1, 2006. Rear 

Adm. Kweder is the first U.S. Public Health Service 

Doctor of Medicine graduate of USU to be promoted to flag rank. 

 Rear Adm. Kweder joins fellow USPHS alumni 

(MPH graduates) Phillip Smith and Kermit Smith in 

that achievement, and is the seventh M.D. graduate 

of USU to reach flag rank behind: RADM (ret.) E. 

Connie Mariano, USN ('81), BG (ret.) C. William Fox, 

MC, USA ('81), BGen William Germann, USAF, MC 

('82), BGen Tom Travis, USAF, MC ('86), BG Donald 

Bradshaw, MC, USA ('81), and BGen Byron Hepburn, USAF, MC ('87). 

USU Public Health Service 

Graduate Promoted to Flag Officer 
News 

 The Uniformed Services University of the 

Health Sciences (USU) recently welcomed 

its newest acting dean to the Graduate 

School of Nursing (GSN). 

 Retired Army Brig. Gen. William T. 

Bester, RN, MSN, CNAA, BC, has been at 

USU for a little more than two months and 

brings a wealth of civilian and military experience to the nursing school. 

 General Bester, as he has come to be 

known around the university, is a native of 

Duluth, Minn., married with two children, 

and comes to USU from the University of 

Texas, where he served as a professor of 

clinical nursing for the past two years. The 

retired general has held many illustrious 

positions throughout his career, such as 

being named the director of nursing for a 

health care team organized to assist the 

victims of the tsunami in Indonesia in 2005. 

 During his distinguished 32-year military 

career, General Bester was selected to be 

the 21st Chief of the Army Nurse Corps and 

also served as the Assistant Surgeon General Force Projection and Deputy Chief of 

Staff for Operations, Health Policy and Services. 

 When asked to look back on his wide 

ranging career, the general reflected on 

how the different positions afforded him 

the opportunity to work with some great 

people and how rewarding it has been 

both personally and professionally. 

 Coming to USU, General Bester brings 

that same attitude. 

 “I was attracted to the position because I 

felt the work being done here was extremely important to the federal nursing 

service,” the general said. “Being placed in 

this leadership position within the university and the Graduate School of Nursing 

also gives me the opportunity to participate 

in the development and matriculation of 

the many quality students we have graduate from the GSN.” 

 Upon his arrival to the university, General Bester said he made it a point to meet 

with all the key stakeholders to include 

members of the senior leadership team; the 

nursing service chiefs; all the student 

groups; and faculty and staff members, so 

he could get their perspective on how 

things are being done and how they 

would like to see them change, if at all. 

 From there the general said a team 

within the GSN worked on prioritizing 

those issues and deciding which ones were 

most important. It is those issues, among 

other things, the general is now focused 

on. 

 “Some of the things we looked at were 

the way we teach our students, how the 

staff and faculty can support one another 

better, and the ability of faculty members to 

conduct research to broaden their professional development,” General Bester said. 

 Looking ahead, the acting dean said he 

can see the GSN as a critical element to the 

senior leadership in the federal nursing 

service to include the Army, Navy, Air 

Force, Public Health Service, Veteran Affairs 

and the American Red Cross. 

 “We will continue to improve on our 

existing programs while continuing to support the vision of the university and the 

federal nursing service chiefs,” General 

Bester said. “I’m confident that the people 

here are focused on all the right things. I 

feel privileged to be a part of this team and 

I look forward to the months and years to 

come here at the university.” 

Once a leader always a leader 

By Tech. Sgt. André Nicholson 

NCOIC, Office of External Affairs 

USU class of 1996 alumnus, Lt. Col. 

Dan Shoor, takes time out from his 

duties as a member of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) to monkey around 

with a few of the local inhabitants. 

Shoor, an Air Force physician, is 

commanding an Army unit assigned to the task force. 

PAGE 3 

USU 

alumnus 

gets to 

know local 

inhabitants 
PAGE 4 

News 

2006 HJF Fellowship Award Winners

 The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military 

Medicine (HJF) is pleased to announce the selection of three outstanding Ph.D. graduate students to 

receive the 2006-2007 HJF Fellowships. 

 Established in 1998, the awards 

program is comprised of two Henry 

M. Jackson Fellowships and one Val 

G. Hemming Fellowship, which 

provide stipend and travel support 

for senior students. 

Mr. Thomas 

McFate is a 

sixth-year student in the 

Neuroscience 

graduate program, working 

in the laboratory of Dr. Ajay Verma. His thesis 

project explores whether altered 

pathways used by tumor cells to 

generate energy influence malignant progression. Mr. McFate is 

focusing on whether inactivation of 

an enzyme involved in glucose metabolism promotes oxygenindependent glucose metabolism 

(aerobic glycolysis), which is a hallmark of cancer cell growth and 

provides cancer cells a selective 

growth advantage. He also is exploring whether oncogenic signaling pathways promote this form of 

energy utilization through modification of this enzyme. Mr. McFate’s 

work could lead to the development of inhibitors that prevent or 

reduce aerobic gycolysis, with hope 

of minimizing tumor growth. Mr. 

McFate received the Val G. Hemming Fellowship. 

Ms. Ali BerlinWeinstein is a 

sixth-year student in the 

Medical Psychology graduate program, 

working in the 

laboratory of Dr. Willem Kop. Her 

thesis project focuses on the relationship between mood and physical activity. She has demonstrated a 

relationship between exercise deprivation and the development of 

depressive mood symptoms. This 

area of research is relevant to the 

clinical management of individuals 

with immobilizing injuries and individuals placed in situations with 

prolonged immobility. Ms. BerlinWeinstein’s future work will examine the effects of physical and mental challenges on patients with major depressive disorder, with the 

goal of ascertaining the biological 

and behavioral underpinnings of 

depressed mood in reaction to challenge. Ms. Berlin-Weinstein received 

one of the Henry M. Jackson Fellowships in the Medical Sciences. 

Ms. Shilpi Paul is a fourth-year student in the Molecular & Cell Biology 

graduate 

program, working in the laboratory of Dr. 

Teresa Dunn. 

Her thesis 

project involves 

characterizing 

the membrane-associated enzymes 

of the elongase complex involved in 

fatty acid elongation. Fatty acids are 

essential components of cell membranes and are critical for many 

cellular processes, and errors in fatty 

acid synthesis have been associated 

with many human diseases. Ms. 

Paul used genetic and biochemical 

approaches to show that several 

Arabidopsis 3-Keto Synthases can 

substitute for the structurally unrelated elongase proteins. The study 

was reported in the Journal of Biological Chemistry earlier this year. 

She also completed mapping the 

membrane-spanning domains of 

two proteins of the elongase complex. Ms. Paul will spend her fourth 

year further probing protein-protein 

interactions within the enzyme 

complex to better understand its 

function. She was selected for one 

of the Henry M. Jackson Fellowships in the Medical Sciences but 

was unable to accept the Award 

because she also received a Fellowship from the American Heart Association. 

Captain Antoinette A. Whitmeyer, Medical 

Service Corps, USN, received the Legion of 

Merit for outstanding performance as Deputy Director, Medical Resources, Plans and 

Policy Division, Office of the Chief of Naval 

Operations, Washington, DC, from October 2003 to August 2006. She demonstrated leadership, subject matter expertise 

and organizational skills. She directed and 

oversaw the mobilization of more than 

3,500 active and reserve medical personnel in support of the Global War on Terror 

and global humanitarian missions. As 

Navy’s representative to the Medical Readiness Review, she led efforts to determine 

Navy Medicine’s future operational readiness and manpower requirements. Her 

direction, judgment and devotion reflect 

upon her and uphold the highest traditions of the United States Navy. 

Navy Captain Receives Legion of Merit 

Left to right: Dr. Rice, Capt. Whitmeyer, her mother, Adm. Woofter 
“My dad. He’s retired Army, and he 

always did what he 

needed to do to 

take care of us 

without complaining.” 

Air Force 2nd Lt. 

Tua Palmer 

SOM 

PAGE 5 

space for students, faculty and staff. There will also be approximately 35 additional underground parking spaces. 

 The ground floor will be primarily dedicated to small and large 

classrooms for the entire university to use. There will be one larger 

100-person classroom and smaller rooms with moveable partitions 

for subdividing each pair of small classrooms. 

 The first floor is designed mostly for the Graduate School of 

Nursing and the second floor will house offices for Continuing 

Health Education, USU Chaplain, Educational Affairs and a few 

others. Mrs. Dix said she understands that the construction will be 

disruptive at times, but asked for everyone to have patience in the 

interim as construction gets under way. The new facility could 

take up to two years to be completed, but it will benefit everyone 

in the long run. 

Bldg. E, Continued from page 1 

Dr. E. Connie Mariano, M.D., Rear Admiral, USN, (ret.), spoke 

about her experiences as a Navy doctor at the Asian Pacific 

American Medical Student Association dinner held in the dining 

hall at USU Oct. 7. Dr. Mariano is a 1981 graduate of USU, the 

first Filipino American to attain the rank of Rear Admiral, and 

the first military woman in American history to be appointed 

White House Physician. Dr. Mariano served nine years at the 

White House where she was physician for three sitting presidents. 

Photo by MCSA Jeff Hopkins 

USU Alumna, First Filipino 

American Rear Admiral 

speaks at Asian Pacific 

American Student Meeting 

 Col. Paul A. Hemmer, USAF, MC, MPH, 

USAF, Associate Professor of Medicine and 

director of the third-year internal medicine 

clerkship at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU,) recently 

headlined the Educational Innovations and 

Innovators conference at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He spoke on landmark 

studies in medical education and served as 

a discussion panelist. The Educational Innovations and Innovators conference is held 

to showcase the significant work conducted by college educators in medical 

education, as well as to give faculty members an opportunity to share successful 

ideas, methods and research. 

Admiral VK Singh, Director General of India’s Armed Forces Medical Service, recently visited USU to execute the signing of 

an agreement on medical training and 

academic cooperation in military medicine 

between the AFMS and USU. 

 Air Force Col. Les Folio, MC, SFS, spoke 

at the International Blast and Ballistic 

Trauma Congress in South Africa in September. The title of his talk was “Combat 

Radiology,” during which he displayed several computerized tomography scans he 

got in Iraq the previous year, images from 

other radiologists that have been deployed, 

and some of the efforts in technical capabilities of the university, including Medpix 

and the new Combat Imaging Database for 

deploying providers. He earned the South 

African National Defense Force Surgeon 

General’s Laudability Medallion for his outstanding presentation. 

 Mr. Glenn Blanchette, The Associate 

Director for International Programs for the 

Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine, accompanied members of 

the National Capital Consortium Pediatrics 

Residency to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to 

expand the US-Honduran military HIV prevention program. 

News Briefs 

News 

“My daughter, because 

she’s very open and 

giving. Since I’ve been in 

the military, she’s been 

able to adapt well, and 

has never given me a 

hard time; she’s always 

got a smile on her face.” 

Petty Officer 1st Class 

Sara Lee 

LAM 

Look Who’s Talking... Who do you admire and why? My wife, because 

she has accomplished so much in 

such a short time, 

her Ph.D., her Dr.’s 

degree, and she 

loves and stands 

up for America. 

Alex Mathews 

VAM 
PAGE 6 

USU Calendar of Events 

 16 17 

LRC Training 

PubMed Basics 

Noon-1pm 

 

 

18 

Toastmasters 

Meeting 

Noon-1pm 

A2011 

19 

LRC Training 

End Note 

Noon–1pm 

Brown Bag 

Teaching Seminar 

Noon-1pm 

Lecture Room A

 

20 

 

 

21 

22 23 

All services: 

Physical Fitness 

Testing 

7am & Noon 

USU Softball Field 

24 25 

All services: 

Physical Fitness 

Testing 

7am & Noon 

USU Softball Field 

26 

 

 

 

27 

All services: 

Physical Fitness 

Testing 

7am & Noon 

USU Softball Field 

28 

 

29 30 

 

31 

All services: 

Physical Fitness 

Testing 

7am & Noon 

USU Softball Field 

1 2 

All services: 

Physical Fitness 

Testing 

7am & Noon 

USU Softball Field 

3 

4 

 

5 6 

 

7 8 9 10 

Veterans Day 

 Holiday 

October

November