Uniformed Services University 

of the Health Sciences 

USU Newsletter 

WWW.USUHS.MIL APRIL 3, 2006 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 9 

In This Issue 

New Student Profiles.....1 

Alumni News................2 

Audio Visual..................3 

USU Café.....................3 

CERPS.........................4 

Nurse of the Year..........4 

Look Who’s Talking.......5 

Dr. Bulger Retires..........5 

Calendar of Events...Back

Uniformed Services University 

of the Health Sciences 

WWW.USUHS.MIL AUG.21, 2006 

Keep an eye out 

for children! 

Each year, the F. Edward Hébert School of 

Medicine of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) expands by 

more than one-hundred and sixty new medical students. 

 With the wealth of medical schools 

throughout the United States, USU appreciates its new students’ choice of enrollment. 

Staff Writer MCSA Jeff Hopkins, Navy, 

interviewed a few of the new students to get 

an idea of who they are, where they’re from 

and why they chose USU. The following 

questions and answers are excerpts from 

those interviews: 

Q: Where are you from? 

A: Camden, New York 

Q: What anxieties did you 

have about coming to 

USU? 

A: Coming to the city; I’m not a city person, I come from upstate New 

York, sort of in the middle of nowhere. 

Q: Why did you choose USU for your medical 

school? 

A: I chose USU for medical school because 

there is nothing like it. I love being a part of 

the Air Force, it is an honor to me to be able 

to serve my country in the best way that I 

can. 

Q: What do you expect to get from USU? 

A: I hope to be a flight doctor, and to get a better experience than most doctors get 

from medical school. 

Q: Previous education? 

A: Bachelor of Science in chemistry, and a minor in biology. 

Q: What are your hobbies? 

A: I’m an adrenaline junkie, I like running, sky-diving, 

swimming, and I like to 

cook. 

Q: Where are you from? 

A: Stubenville, Ohio 

USU Welcomes New Students 

Flagged for discussion 

Flag officers (left to right), Maj. Gen. Kenneth L. Farmer Jr., MC, Army, commanding general, North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center; 

Rear Adm. Adam M. Robinson, MC, Navy, commander, National Naval Medical Center; 

Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Travis, MC, Air Force, commander, 79th Medical Wing; and Charles 

L. Rice, M.D., president, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, were all in 

attendance Aug. 14 at the university to participate in a video taping session on BRAC/

Integration efforts in the National Capital Area. 

See PROFILES, Page 5 

Photo by Tom Balfour 

Second Lt. 

Meaghan Keville 

Air Force 

Ensign Jeremy Baran 

Navy 
PAGE 2 

Dr. Rice announces university 

reorganization

Alumni News 

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 Apprentice 

Raul Zamora 

Staff Writer 

 

Mass Communications 

Specialist Seaman Apprentice 

Jeff 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. 

Time at USU Counts Toward Retirement 

 As an increasing number of 

USU alums qualify for pensions, a 

common question has become: 

Do my years at USU count toward my retirement salary? According to a 2002 memo from 

the assistant secretary of defense 

for Military Personnel Policy, John 

A. Van Alstynne, any years of 

service as a USU medical student 

are valid in computing retired 

pay. Although only USU alums 

who attended the School of 

Medicine are eligible, it is vital 

that people become aware of this 

benefit as retirement pay is determined in large part by the number of years a person has served. 

 The current equation for retirement pay goes as follows: a person’s years of service multiplied 

by 0.025 and then that number 

multiplied by the person’s current 

salary. So, if a person attends 

USU as a medical student for 4.5 

years, serves an additional 20.5 

years, and is currently receiving a 

salary of $6, 948 then that person 

would receive 62.5% of their current salary or $4,424 per month 

during retirement. The reason 

they receive 62.5% is because 

that is the fraction that results 

from multiplying that person’s 

years of service, 20.5 (regular 

service) + 4.5 (time at USU), by 

0.025. 

USU Alumnus Receives ACLAM Award 

 Army Maj. (Dr.) Kenneth O. Jacobsen was presented the 2005 Foster Award by the American 

College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) 

during their annual forum in St. Petersburg, Fla., in 

June. 

 Dr. Jacobsen, who earned his Master of Public 

Health degree from USU in 2003, received the Foster Award for academic excellence, for scoring the 

highest on the written and practical portions of the 

ACLAM certifying examination the preceding year. 

Dr. Jacobsen is the chief of the non-human primate 

section, Department of Veterinary Medicine, at the U.S. Army 

Research Institute of Infectious 

Diseases, Fort Detrick, Md. 

 The American College of 

Laboratory Animal Medicine is 

an organization of board certified veterinary medical specialists who are experts in the humane, proper and safe care and 

use of laboratory animals. 

Col. (Dr.) Donald Thompson, Air Force, 

MC, USU Class of 1986, poses for a photo 

with Dr. William Winkenwerder, Jr., Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. Dr. Winkenwerder recently visited 

Afghanistan where Dr. Thompson is currently serving as the Command Surgeon, 

Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan 

and Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan. 

Courtesy Photo 

Commanding Visit 

Dr. 

Kenneth Jacobsen 
PAGE 3 

When seeing really is believing 

Feature 

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences 

(USU) is a welcoming environment even before one enters the 

campus, thanks in part to the university’s Audio Visual department 

(A/V). 

“A/V is about supporting education in the university by helping to clarify and present information to the intended audience 

through graphic design, photography and video,” said NCO incharge of A/V HM1 Jason Wright, Navy. “Our secondary roles are 

documenting promotions, awards and retirements. These are important and enjoyable aspects of our duty.” 

The A/V department’s displays are seen everywhere from the 

entrance banners which read “Welcome Students” to the photo 

montage in Building A. Audio Visual creates videos to recruit prospective students and takes photos for documentation of different 

events, such as student portraits, award ceremonies and Operations Bushmaster and Kerkesner, just to name a few. 

The department is always busy with photo shoots, video 

voice-overs, documenting and designing. 

“All of the jobs are hard in their own way. The wall display in 

Building A wasn’t difficult at all, but it was time-consuming,” said 

Wayne Crawford, A/V director. 

“Every job is fun. It’s not everyday that you get to use this kind 

of equipment,” said Multi-Media Specialist Sgt. Frezzell Brewer, 

Army. “We have great NCOs and civilian employees, but the most 

difficult job would have to be graduation. We start from the 

ground up. Production has to have no flaws, it all has to be perfect.” 

The A/V department staff includes 11 civilians at USU, six at 

the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI), and a 

total of four military personnel. In order for the A/V department to 

serve the university in the most efficient manner possible, they ask 

that work orders be scheduled five working-days in advance; and 

walk-ins are welcome, but try to keep them limited to emergency 

situations. 

“A/V does a lot of the jobs seen on campus. We add color to 

the university that makes it look professional and the best possible,” Sergeant Brewer said. 

 The time is 11 a.m. and lunch is approaching. But while students, staff and 

faculty members of the Uniformed Services 

University of the Health Sciences (USU) 

think about lunch, the USU Café has it 

ready to be served. 

USU Café’s Executive Chef Rabi Ravindran, who has been at USU since 1988, 

opens the kitchen at 4:30 a.m. to prepare 

for that day’s meals. Breakfast and lunch 

are prepared by him and his staff throughout the day on stainless steel tables. “We 

always have to be prepared, we have students, doctors, staff members and other 

important people that eat with us everyday,” Chef Rabi said. 

 “The café is 16 years old and we have a 

high quality of customer service,” Food and 

Beverage Manager Selcuk “Sammy” Polat 

said. “We receive letters of compliments 

from admirals, surgeons general and our 

every day guests. We are all very happy to 

provide a service USU.” 

 The USU Café not only serves breakfast 

and lunch, but they also cater many of the 

university’s events. “We take care of birthdays, employee of the month celebrations, 

meetings, and anything that requires catering,” Sammy said. 

 Chef Rabi and Sammy agree that the 

USU graduation has to be the biggest and 

most difficult job that they face every year. 

“During graduation we feed two to three 

thousand people,” Chef Rabi said. 

 “The hardest part about working in the 

café is not having a set schedule,” Sammy 

said. “There is always something coming 

onto our calendar. To keep quality service, 

we have to stay flexible.” 

 Chef Rabi said that the most requested 

food in the café is international food such 

as gyros, burritos, stir-fry and chicken fajitas. 

 The USU Café staff makes sure the university receives good, healthy food and that 

everyone has a positive experience when 

dining there. 

By MCSA Raul Zamora 

Staff Writer, Office of External Affairs 

‘Café de’ USU- Food for thought 

By MCSA Raul Zamora 

Staff Writer, Office of External Affairs 

Photo by MCSA Raul Zamora 

Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Wright, Audio Visual photographer, 

takes a portrait of an MS-1 student as part of her inprocessing. 
USU Calendar of Events 

 21 

USU Dept. of Pediatrics Presentation 

“Insertional 

Mutagenesis Identifies Genes That 

Promote The Immortalization of 

Bone Marrow Progenitor Cells” 

10:45 a.m. 

Rm A2052 

Beginning today, 

LRC will be opening 

at 6 a.m. Monday 

through Friday 

22 

 

 

23 

USU Toastmasters 

meeting at AFRRI 

Small conference 

room Noon - 1 p.m. 

24 25 

LRC Training Introduction to 

PowerPoint 

11 a.m. - Noon 

26 

27 28 29 30 

LRC Faculty Open 

House 

9 a.m. - Noon 

Meet the LRC Staff 

Preview the new 

USU Electronic 

Resource interface 

Learn how to access full text articles 

in PubMed 

Light refreshments 

will be served 

31 1 

 

2 

 

3 4 

 

LABOR DAY 

5 6 7 

 

8 9 

10 11 

 

12 13 14 

LRC Training Introduction to PowerPoint 

1 – 2 p.m. 

15 16 

August

September
PAGE 4 

News 

Patient safety is an 

investment, not a cost 

The Uniformed Services University of the 

Health Sciences (USU) has a center designed to 

educate and train faculty and students in order to 

develop a military health care culture of safety, and 

assists USU in meeting the accreditation requirements related to safety. 

The Center for Education and Research in 

Patient Safety (CERPS) incorporates and disseminates the best practices available into the individual patient care environments within the DOD 

military health system. 

“It’s a collaborative effort. It (patient safety) has 

to be in the classroom to ensure that patient safety 

is woven into the curriculum,” Howard S. Steed, 

Ph.D, CERPS deputy director said. 

CERPS is located in Building 28 on the National Naval Medical Center campus and is administratively positioned within USU’s Continuing Education for Health Professionals Directorate. 

CERPS is one of the three major components 

of the DOD Patient Safety Program and was established to provide the Military Health System (MHS) 

community with the educational materials, tools, 

training and resources necessary to improve the 

safety and quality of health care delivery within 

the MHS. 

Dr. Steed said their line of direction comes 

directly from DOD and that they support USU in 

terms of patient safety. 

“We say to the director of training early on 

that you should be in a culture of patient safety.” 

Dr. Steed said. “From the doctors, nurses, corpsmen and on down 

the line, patient 

safety involves 

everyone.” 

Patient safety, 

as defined by the 

Institute of Medicine, as the 

“freedom from 

accidental injuries 

during the course 

of medical care. 

“Patient safety avoids, prevents, or corrects adverse 

outcomes which may occur during the delivery of 

healthcare.” 

“The focus of military healthcare is the patient 

and patient safety is their main goal,” Diana M. 

Laun, Ph.D, RN, MPA, MS, senior research and policy specialist said. 

 “We teach patient safety managers to look at 

the process, how it failed, why it failed, and how to 

improve it,” Dr. Laun said. 

 CERPS offers various educational opportunities to learn about patient safety and the tools that 

support patient safety efforts. The best program for 

the person to access is dependent upon the person’s role in the MHS and the level of commitment 

that MTF has for patient safety. 

The goal of CERPS is to increase the number of 

basic patient safety courses available on-line, to 

accommodate the needs of a larger audience. 

CERPS’s online program currently offers MEDMARX 

training. These programs will provide the information necessary for acquiring basic patient safety 

skills. 

By MC2 Kory Kepner 

Staff Writer, Office of External Affairs 

Howard S. Steed, 

Ph.D., CERPS 

deputy director. 

 Lieutenant Colonel 

Thomas E. Ceremuga, 

CRNA, Ph.D., Army, a 

2003 USU graduate of 

the Graduate Program in 

Neuroscience, was the 

recipient of the Dr. Anita 

Newcomb McGee, U.S. 

Army Nurse of the Year 

2006 Award. 

 Dr. Ceremuga received the award June 

30 at Constitution Hall, 

District of Columbia, during the 115th Continental Congress of the National Society of the 

Daughters of the American Revolution. 

 Dr. Ceremuga is program director of the U.S. 

Army Graduate Program 

in anesthesia nursing, 

Fort Sam Houston, Texas. 

USU Neuroscience Ph.D. Program 

Graduate Receives National Award 

Lt. Col. (Dr.) 

Thomas E. Ceremuga 

“It’s a 

collaborative effort. 

It (patient 

safety) has 

to be in 

the classroom to 

ensure 

that patient safety 

is woven 

into the 

curriculum.” 
PAGE 5 

Look Who’s Talking...What is your biggest fear 

about coming to medical school? 

A: I’m not anxious about school, but moving to the area, finding 

an apartment, all the normal anxiety with Permanent Change of 

Stations. 

Q: What do you expect to get from USU? 

A: To get a good education, one tailored to the military medical 

environment, and to make some good friends. 

Q: What are your hobbies? 

A: I like motorcycles, Harleys in particular. I like to work out some, 

and reading. Recently I’ve enjoyed seeing sights in DC. 

Q: Where are you from? 

A: Albany, New York 

Q: What anxieties did you have about coming to USU? 

A: This is my first real military experience, along 

with the general anxiety of going to med school. 

Q: Why did you choose USU for your medical 

school? 

A: I wanted to practice military medicine; I think 

the reason for joining the military and entering 

the medical field are the same, to protect people. 

PROFILES, Continued from page 1 

“This is my first PCS 

and just trying to 

get everything in 

order.” 

2nd Lt. 

Stewart Brigham 

Air Force 

MS-1 

“Taking care of 

all of the requirements for 

graduation.” 

2nd Lt. 

Victor Yu 

Army 

MS-1 

“Having time 

to ‘have a life’ 

outside of 

school.” 

2nd Lt. 

David Oliver 

Army 

MS-1 

 USU may accept reimbursement from a non-Federal source with 

respect to attendance of the employee at a meeting or similar function which the employee has been authorized to attend in an official

capacity on behalf of USU. 

 To do so, USU personnel must fill out an Ethics Travel Form and 

submit it to the USU Designated Agency Ethics Official in the General 

Counsel's office one week prior to the scheduled travel. Note: Orders 

funded by a non-Federal source will not be processed without the 

signed ethics form. 

 USU personnel may not personally accept reimbursement for 

travel expenses. The employee may accept a check made out to USU 

and turn it over to the USU Finance Office as soon as practicable. 

 USU personnel may accept payment in kind as long as advanced 

approval is given. 

 USU personnel shall not solicit payment from a Non-Federal source. 

However, after receipt of an invitation from a non-Federal source to 

attend a meeting or similar function, USU or the employee may inform 

the non-Federal source that the agency may accept payment. 

 See http://www.usuhs.mil/ogc/faq.html for additional Government 

Ethics Information. 

From the Office of General Counsel 

Second Lt. 

Rebecca Ortolano 

Army 

 After more than 10 

years at the Uniformed 

Services University of 

the Health Sciences 

(USU), Dr. Ruth Bulger, 

professor, Department 

of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, retired. Dr. Bulger was 

not only a professor at the university, but at one time served as 

the vice president for the Office of Research. 

 "I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the USU faculty and 

students for almost eleven years at USU and five plus years at the 

Henry Jackson Foundation. What has been so rewarding about 

the time is that whether I was working in REA with the faculty 

helping them obtain and maintain their grants or with the students in the classroom or at other times, I have had such a positive experience trying to be helpful to them as they worked for 

their goals.” 

 “The last 50 years have 

been the most exciting time 

to be involved with cell biology, since it has encompassed the explosion of 

knowledge about the cell 

and how it works, which in 

turn has led to exciting developments in the ability to understand disease and to help 

or heal those who have been 

suffering.” 

 “Of all the places I have 

had the privilege to work, 

USU has been the most enjoyable since the faculty and 

students have consistently been 

caring and helpful to each other. 

USU is a very special place.” 

APG professor 

retires after 10 

years at USU 

Dr. Harvey Pollard and 

Dr. Ruth Bulger