VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 WWW.USUHS.MIL MARCH 10, 2008 

USU Newsletter 

In This Issue 

Town Hall Meeting..........................2 

African American History..............3 

Jr./Sr. Employees of Quarter........4 

AOA Honor Society........................5 

Air Force Alumni Promotions......5 

Calendar of Events..........................6 

USU Briefs...........................................7 
 

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 

HM2 Michael Oliver

USU Newsletter 

Editorial Staff 

 The Uniformed Services University of the Health 

Sciences’ (USU) president, Dr. Charles L. Rice held a 

Town Hall Meeting in Lecture Room E, Feb. 19 

 During the meeting, Rice covered topics including financial issues, upcoming events, and how the 

recently passed National Defense Authorization Act 

(NDAA) will affect the university. 

 The NDAA is a U.S. federal law enacted each 

year to authorize and establish the programs of the 

Department of Defense (DoD). Due to increased 

congressional interest in USU, several sections of the 

2008 NDAA will affect the ways in which the university operates. 

 One such provision will effect commissioned 

officers with prior service who matriculate into the 

university. Under a law enacted in 1972, all prior 

service officers who come to USU must resign their 

commissions and be commissioned as second lieutenants or ensigns in their respective services. After 

considering several different avenues including allowing prior service officers to retain both their rank 

and pay, and the possibility of them matriculating as 

O-2’s, Congress decided to allow some prior service 

officers to retain the pay and certain allowances of 

their previous rank, while holding the rank of O-1. 

 “For some students who were O-3 or O-4 before 

matriculating into the School of Medicine who now 

have families, the reduction in rank to O-1 has presented significant financial hardships,” Rice said. 

“Exactly how this system is implemented will be 

interesting to watch.” 

 Another provision of the NDAA gives authority 

to the Secretary of Defense to appoint USU Board of 

Regents (BOR) members. Until now, the selection of 

USU BOR members fell to the president of the 

United States, with confirmation by the Senate. In 

many cases, this has led to long delays. 

 “There was one point at which there were three 

vacancies on the board with no evidence of any 

activity by the White House to replace BOR members,” Rice said. “I’m confident the Secretary of Defense will be able to get quality experts to serve on 

our board in a timely manner.” 

 During the meeting, Rice also addressed a study 

the university has been mandated to perform on 

the feasibility of developing a school of nursing 

which could provide a baccalaureate education. He 

said there was considerable concern from Congress 

and the tri-services over the low number of nurses 

available to come to USU, as well as the fact that 

Army and Air Force National Guard and reservists 

with only an AA in nursing cannot be promoted 

past O-3. 

 “The question is, ‘is it possible for the university to 

provide the course material to take a person from 

an AA to a BSN?’” Rice said. “This would be a substantial departure for us, as we have always existed 

as a graduate and professional school. We drew the 

conclusion that it’s 

not possible to do it 

on this campus; 

with the integration of the Walter 

Reed Army Medical 

Center with the 

National Naval 

Medical Center, 

there’s about to be 

a lot of activity and 

almost no space 

available.” 

 Rice went on to 

address the lifting 

of the university’s 

salary restrictions, 

adjusting the salary cap from executive level one, the salary earned by the U.S. vice 

president to the level of the president. 

 “From the beginning, salaries have been constrained here by executive level one, which is that 

of the vice president of the United States, with pay 

scales below that moved downward to provide the 

lower rates expected,” Rice said. “We argued successfully that the salary cap was limiting our ability 

to recruit and retain faculty, and Congress was sympathetic. That level has been rescinded, and 

changed to the level of the president, which is 

$400,000 a year. Before you go out and buy your 

new Winnebago however, we have to get through 

what methodology we will use to define what comparable salaries are, and then we will have to get 

the money necessary to support that.” 

 Another concern addressed was the university 

spending money on renovation projects which 

could be spent on faculty salaries. Rice explained 

that the money being used to fix the bricks in the 

university is from a one-time allowance for special 

maintenance, and could not be expected in the 

following year’s budget. 

 “It’s a little bit like winning $1,000 in a church 

bingo game, and expecting to be able to use your 

next months winnings from the church bingo game 

to finance an addition to your house,” Rice said. 

“You can’t count on it being there. It’s wonderful 

that we’ve had the opportunity to get this money, 

and it freed up some money we get during the year 

for maintenance to do other things, but these substantial chunks of money are things we can use 

only for limited activities, not for sustained operations.” 

 Rice explained some key similarities and differences between USU and civilian universities. Financially similar, both use up all of their resources each 

year, with the largest expense category being personnel. Every institution is facing a challenge in adequately funding its information technology. On 

average, universities across the country devote 

Charles L. Rice, MD 

President, USUHS 

University President Hosts Town Hall Meeting 

By MC3 Jeff Hopkins 

Assistant Editor, Office of External Affairs 

See TOWN, pg. 4 
PAGE 3 

 February is African American History month and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) celebrates 

each year with an observation ceremony, to include a guest 

speaker. This year, USU had the privilege of listening to Carl O. 

Snowden, director of Civil Rights for the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. 

 Snowden served three terms in the Annapolis City Council from 

1985 until 1997. While serving on the council, he filled the roles of 

Chairman of the Finance Committee and Chairman of the Economic Matters Committee. 

 “When we celebrate African American History Month, we have 

to understand that it’s an on-going struggle,” Snowden said. “I 

watch young people today and they don’t experience the same 

things I did growing up. They don’t mind the different races and 

colors.” 

 “When I was growing up I had the greatest experience, which 

was the woods,” He said. “My good friend Tommy Marshall and I 

would play there. We would pick up a stick and it would transform into a horse or even a space ship through the power of 

imagination. We didn’t have all of the technology available today, 

like videogames; all we had were, our imaginations. The whole 

world was before us, and we could see the whole universe.” 

 Tommy’s father worked as a sharecropper; the hard work made 

his father very strong, and Tommy would often boast about his 

father’s strength. 

 “I didn’t know what a sharecropper was,” Snowden said. “I did 

know it was someone that worked hard. I remember seeing 

Tommy’s father pull a plow, and he raised many crops. Tommy 

worshiped the ground his father walked on, and he would often 

tell me that his father was stronger than mine. He would even go 

as far as saying his father was stronger than Superman.” 

 The respect that Tommy had for his dad would change one 

fateful day. 

 “It was a sweltering hot August day,” Snowden said “It was 90 

degrees, but it seemed like 100. Tommy and I were playing in the 

field when we saw the man that Tommy’s dad worked for come 

to their house. I don’t know what it was about but I knew that 

something was wrong, so we hid in some nearby bushes.” 

 The man angrily approached the house and knocked on the 

door. Tommy’s mother answered. 

 “I will never forget how that man shoved Mrs. Marshall out of 

the way and walked in,” Snowden said. “After what seemed like 

an eternity, Mr. Marshall and his boss walked outside. His boss 

then said that if he didn’t work that day, he wanted him off of his 

property.” 

 As Mr. Marshal was going to say something to his boss, he 

grabbed him from his shirt and Mr. Marshall lost his balance and 

fell; his boss then spat in his face. 

 “My world came to a halt. I was concerned for a moment that I 

was going to see incredible violence.” Snowden 

said. 

 Instead Mr. Marshall 

used an alternative to 

violence. 

 “Tommy’s father said 

‘Boss, I’m sorry, don’t fire 

me, I’ll come to work.’ His 

boss told him to get back 

to work and he walked 

back to his house. Mr. 

Marshall slowly stood up, 

and he looked towards 

the bushes were Tommy 

and I were hiding.” 

 Both Tommy and 

Snowden were crying, 

and Tommy started running. 

 “To this day, I never 

found out where Tommy 

ran off to,” Snowden said. 

“But I remember crying 

and running to my mother, and she explained to me what I had 

just witnessed. She didn’t want me to be bitter; she wanted me to 

be better. That day I saw more than a man embarrassed in front of 

his wife; I saw a man’s pride being stripped.” 

 “Children today don’t see their parents like that,” Snowden said. 

“Mom is the person who picks you up and puts a band-aide on 

your knee when you fall. Dad is the person who can throw you 

up in the air, catch you and say ‘everything is going to be alright.’ 

Tommy never saw his father the same way again; he never looked 

at his father with the same kind of respect that a father should 

have. Tommy’s father never walked with the same dignity and self 

respect that he once did.” 

 “I recently became a grandfather and it often requires me to 

look to the future,” Snowden said. “You find that as you grow up, 

you encounter pitfalls. As the next generation grows up we don’t 

want them to face the same difficulties that we had.” 

 The goal of the civil rights movement remains the same as it did 

in the days of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. he said that every American has the opportunity to be what he or she wants to be. America allows people the opportunity to make it a great nation. There 

are so many Americans of color that are given the opportunity to 

make America better. 

 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain 

unalienable rights,” Snowden said. “When Thomas Jefferson 

penned that famous line, African Americans were considered 3/5 

of a man. When he raised the question of equality, women couldn’t vote.” 

USU Observes African American History Month 

By MCSN Raul Zamora 

Assistant Editor, Office of External Affairs 

Carl O. Snowden, 

Director of Civil Rights for the 

Maryland Attorney 

General’s Office 

USU 

A Traditional Academic University 

with a Unique Focus 
PAGE 4 

approximately six percent of their budgets 

to IT. 

 Dissimilarly, USU cannot carry any of its 

funds from one fiscal year to the next; it is 

incapable of accumulating capital. 

 “Northwestern University in Chicago’s 

medical school and hospital had accrued 

$1.5 billion,” Rice said. “Just the interest 

could fund a lot of programs for a long 

time. We can’t do that, we have only a limited ability to move funds between major 

expenditure categories without going to 

Tricare Management Activity, or even Congress to get the money reprogrammed. We 

have no independent ability to issue bonds. 

For us if we don’t spend all the money, 

that’s a shame; if we spend more, it’s a 

crime.” 

 Wrapping up the meeting, Rice spoke 

about the upcoming release of the documentary “Fighting for Life,” which features 

staff, faculty and students of USU, and the 

success of the poster session at this year’s 

Military Health System (MHS) conference at 

the Marriot Wardman Park hotel, Jan. 28-

31. 

 “‘Fighting for Life” will soon be opening 

in theaters in D.C. and around the country,” 

Rice said. “Friends of USU had a big hand in 

making this documentary, and it’s a terrific 

commentary on combat casualty support 

and on the role our graduates play 

throughout the MHS. Henry Jackson Foundation will sponsor an event at the Bethesda Row cinema, March 15.” 

 “USU sponsored a poster sessions at the 

MHS conference for Graduate Education,” 

Rice said. “It was a great opportunity for 

residents from around the MHS to come 

present some of their best work. We had 

about 100 posters displayed, and it was 

terrific to see the quality of work these people were doing. As I recall, about 40 percent of the posters displayed were from our 

alumni.” 

 At the conclusion of the meeting, CPT 

Nick Horton and LT Darren Brown, USU’s 

2008 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) 

mangers, spoke about the university’s success in meeting its contribution goals for 

the CFC drive. 

 “Darren and I were fortunate enough to 

be CFC campaign managers,” Horton said. 

“We had a great time, and based on per 

capita and contributions to the campaign 

this year, we received the second highest 

award in the DOD; we asked Dr. Rice to 

receive this award on behalf of the USU 

community.” 

 Rice thanked them for the hard work 

they put in, saying “going around asking 

people for money is always a thankless 

job,” but their efforts were admirable and 

greatly appreciated. 

From TOWN, pg. 2 

 Each quarter, civilian employees of the 

Uniformed Services University of the 

Health Sciences (USU) and the Armed 

Forces Radiobiology Research Institute 

(AFRRI) are nominated to compete for 

Junior and Senior Employee of the Quarter (JEQ/SEQ), an award which recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of 

university employees. 

 The winner of this quarter’s SEQ award 

is Daniel Nevius, an IT specialist for the 

university’s Information Services Management Center (UIS), responsible for providing all aspects of computer support at USU. 

 Edmund Jackson, director, UIS, expressed gratitude for Nevius’ service to UIS, and his commitment 

to his work. 

 “Mr. Nevius is to be commended for his time, effort and tenacity 

in providing support for the university,” Jackson said. “Without his 

hard work, the faculty members could not properly retrieve or 

obtain patient care records through the Armed Forces Health 

Longitudinal Technology Application and associated applications.” 

 Nevius said he appreciated his nomination and subsequent 

selection for the SEQ. 

 “I was very surprised and grateful for the award,” Nevius said. 

“It’s a pleasure serving such a broad spectrum of people from varying education 

levels, countries and backgrounds.” 

 This quarter’s JEQ winner is Tamika 

Davis, an Education Program Support Assistant for the Department of Family Medicine (FAM). Col Brian Reamy, MC, USAF, 

chairman of FAM, said Davis manages 

extra duties due to a vacancy in the department, but manages to stay positive. 

 “Throughout the personnel shortage, 

she has excelled in her job performance, 

maintained a pleasant demeanor, and 

assisted with other challenges,” Reamy 

said. “She truly deserves to be the junior 

employee of the quarter.” 

 Any civilian employee in a nonsupervisory position at the grade level GS-7/WG-7 or below may 

be nominated for the JEQ, and those in non-supervisory positions, 

level GS-8/WS-8 and above can be nominated for the SEQ. In addition, nominees must have been employed at USU or AFRRI for 

12 months or more, received an overall performance rating of 

Highly Successful or higher on their most recent annual performance rating, and must not have been selected for JEQ/SEQ in the 

two years previous to the current nomination period. 

 Some benefits of winning the SEQ and JEQ each receive a 

$250 on-the-spot award, and exclusive use of a designated USU 

parking spot for the quarter. 

Junior, Senior Employees of the Quarter 

Daniel Nevius 

IT Specialist , 

Tamika Davis 

Education Program 

Support Assistant, 

FAM 

March 10, 1944: US Army begins the Battle of the Million Dollar Tree on Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands. Japanese troops had 

established an observation hut high in a lone banyan tree on Bougainville, and US troops fired a storied “million dollars worth of ammunition” into the tree in an effort to dislodge the enemy from their advantageously strategic position. 

March 10, 1783: USS Alliance, commanded by CAPT John Barry, USN, defeats HMS Sybil in the final naval action of the American Revolution in West Indies waters. 

March 10, 1995: US Air Force’s 11th Space Warning Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colo., became the first unit with the ability to warn battlefield commanders of incoming theater ballistic missiles, such as the SCUD missiles fired by Iraq in Desert Storm. 

Today in Army, Navy, and Air Force History 

By MC3 Jeff Hopkins 

Assistant Editor, Office of External Affairs 
PAGE 5 

 Congratulations to the following USU 

alumni, students and faculty who were just 

selected for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, Medical Corps, U.S. Air Force. There 

were 132 total selections made. Of those, 

38 were USU alumni. There were six officers selected for promotion to Lt Col below 

the zone; three of them were USU alumni. 

Mark A. Antonacci - class of 1997 - emergency medicine 

Adrienne W. Askew - class of 1997 - obstetrics/gynecology 

Karyn J. Ayers - class of 1998 - family medicine (SELECTED BELOW ZONE) 

Kerri L. Baden - class of 1997 - specialty 

unknown 

Michael C. Barrows - class of 1997 - radiology 

Gregory H. Bean - class of 1997 - obstetrics/gynecology 

Jeffrey S. Bui - class of 1999 - specialty unknown 

Darren E. Campbell - class of 1997 - family 

medicine 

Matthew B. Carroll - class of 1996 - medicine 

Michael C. Casciello - class of 1997 - cardiology 

Naili A. Chen - current MPH student 

Patrick J. Danaher - class of 1997 - medicine 

Daniel H. Duffy - class of 1997 - radiology 

Ronald W. England - class of 1997 - medicine 

Kathy J. Green - class of 1998 SOM, 2007 

MPH - preventive medicine 

Mary L. Guye - class of 1997 - surgery 

Lakeisha R. Henry - class of 1998 - surgery 

David C. Ives - class of 1997 - specialty unknown 

Jon M. Johnson - class of 1997 - family 

medicine 

Joseph C. Johnsonwall - class of 1997 - 

pediatrics 

Jocelyn A. Kilgore - class of 1998 - psychiatry/and assigned USU Dept. of Psychiatry 

faculty (SELECTED BELOW ZONE) 

Brent P. Leedle - class of 1997 - orthopaedics 

Mikelle A. Maddox - class of 1997 - family 

medicine 

Charles D. Motsinger - class of 1997 - psychiatry 

Andrew J. Myrtue - class of 1997 - orthopaedics 

Mark A. Nassir - class of 1997 - family medicine 

Andrew O. Obamwonyi - class of 1997 - 

specialty unknown 

Tandy G. Olsen - class of 1997 - obstetrics/gynecology 

Anh T. Pham - class of 1997 - specialty unknown 

Rechell G. Rodriguez - class of 1997 - medicine - and assigned USU Dept. of Medicine 

faculty 

Karen A. Ryan (Philpott) - class of 1997 - 

pediatrics 

Mark W. Sankey - class of 1997 - radiology 

Mark A. Seldes - class of 1997 - family medicine 

Michael T. Shoemaker - class of 2001 - pediatrics 

Dai A. Tran - class of 1998 - family medicine 

Mark W. True - class of 2000 - medicine 

(SELECTED BELOW ZONE) 

Mark A. Yuspa - class of 1996 - family medicine 

Dustin Zierold - class of 1997 - surgery 

 Congratulations to the following USU 

alumni, who were just selected for promotion to Colonel, Medical Corps, U.S. Air 

Force. There were 60 officers selected 

overall; 24 of them were USU alumni. 

John R. Andrus - class of 1993 - aerospace 

medicine 

Timothy D. Ballard - class of 1992 - family 

medicine 

Michael L. Bledsoe - class of 1991 - family 

medicine 

Jonathan W. Briggs - class of 1996 - ophthalmology 

Edwin K. Burkett - class of 1991 - family 

medicine 

David R. Condie - class of 1991 - family 

medicine 

Roy J. DiLeo - class of 1991 - emergency 

medicine 

Gina R. Dorlac - class of 1989 - pulmonary/critical care medicine 

Bruce M. Edwards - class of 1991 - aerospace/occupational medicine 

Daniel J. Feeney - class of 1992 - psychiatry 

Robert J. Fischer - class of 1984 - obstetrics/gynecology 

David R. Foss - class of 1991 - emergency 

medicine 

Kevin J. Franklin - class of 1993 - gastroenterology 

James W. Haynes - class of 1991 - family 

medicine 

August S. Hein - class of 1993 - family medicine 

David L. Kutz - class of 1991 - psychiatry 

Viki T. Lin - class of 1991 - family medicine 

Matthew R. Ricks - class of 1988 - aerospace 

medicine 

Damian M. Rispoli - class of 1992 - orthopaedics 

Chung M. Siedlecki - class of 1991 - 

fp/aerospace medicine 

Richard E. Standaert, Jr. - class of 1992 - 

surgery 

Jeff P. Vista - class of 1991 - emergency 

medicine 

Gerald "Scott" Welker - class of 1994 - surgery 

Randall C. Zernzach - class of 1995 - pediatrics 

USU Air Force Alumni Promotions to Lt Col, Col 

 The Maryland Gamma Chapter of the Alpha Omega Alpha 

(AOA) Medical Honor Society recently welcomed and congratulated the following individuals on their recent selection to AOA. 

The only national medical honor society, AOA was founded in 

1902 with the intent to “recognize and enhance professionalism, 

academic excellence, service, and leadership within the profession.” As such, this honor is both an acknowledgement of past 

success and an anticipation of future accomplishments, and is a 

significant career achievement. 

Current USU SOM Students, Class of 2009: 

2d Lt Daniel Adams, USAF; ENS William Boller, USN; 2d Lt Robert 

Brady, USAF; ENS Michael Cunningham, USN; ENS Cicely Dye, 

USN; 2LT Delnora Erickson, USA; ENS Anthony Giberman, USN; 

2d Lt. Nicole Hsu, USAF; 2d Lt Andrew Kuschnerait, USAF; 2d Lt 

Katherine Kuster, USAF; 2LT Gary Legault, USA; 2d Lt Jeanmarie 

Rey, USAF; 2d Lt Kristina Rustad, USAF. 

USU Faculty: 

COL Richard Conran, USA and LTC(P) Patrick O'Malley, USA. 

USU-Associated Residents/Fellows:

MAJ Daniel Carlson, USA, MAJ Jess Edison, USA, and Maj Alyssa 

Perroy, USAF 

USU Alumni: LTC John Farley, USA and Maj Tandy Olsen, USAF. 

AOA Medical Honor Society selects USU Alumni, Faculty, Students 
PAGE 6 

March 19: Molecular Cell Biology Seminar: “Using High throughput Data to Understand transcriptional Regulation” Ernest Fraenkel, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 

March 23-26: AMEDD Radiology Course: Current Concepts in Imaging. 

March 24: 28th USU Surgical Associates Day: The Joseph H. 

Baugh Residents' Award, the 25th Michael E. DeBakey International Military Surgeon's Award, the 25th Baron Dominique Jean 

Larrey International Military Surgeon's Award, the Andrew C. 

Ruoff, III, Travel Award, the 22nd Barry Goldwater Service Award, 

and the Charles A. Hufnagel Residents Research Award will be 

presented. The Reserve Components Surgical Day will be included 

in the 28th USU Surgical Associates Day. 

April 11-16: 20th Annual International Bethesda Spine Workshop: 

USU, WRAMC, NNMC, HJF Joint Sponsors. 

April 19-20: 7th Annual Comprehensive Regional Anesthesia 

Workshop: USU, WRAMC, HJF Joint Sponsors. 

April 29: - Sanford Auditorium- Center for the Study of Traumatic 

Stress/Neuroscience Program: Amygdala, Stress and PTSD Conference, from 8a.m. to 6p.m. in the Sanford Auditorium. Speakers 

include Robert Adamec, Memorial University; Michael Davis, 

Emory University; Ron Duman, Yale University; Anthony Grace, 

University of Pittsburgh; Arieh Shalev, Hadassah University Medical Center; Regina Sullivan, University of Oklahoma. 

May 1: - Lecture Room E: Practical Dermatology for Primary Care 

Providers Eighth Annual Course. This educational activity is designated for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, 

medical students, independent duty medical corpsmen, and dermatology nurses. No special prerequisites are required to attend 

this educational activity. The topics will be structure and function 

of the skin; common bacterial, viral, and fungal infections of the 

skin; acne and rosacea; common rashes, eczemas, and dermatitis; 

benign growths and skin cancers; effects of sunlight; common 

cosmetic procedures; when to refer to a dermatologist. Preregistration is required. Attendance is limited to 140 applicants. 

Registration forms must be received by April 18. Cost: 

 $10 for medical students (military or civilian), nursing students, 

and enlisted attendees. 

 $35 for U.S, state, or local government employed (military or 

civilian) physicians, residents, nurses, NP's, and physician assistants. $100 for non-government civilian health care professionals. 

 Amenities: No charge for parking. Coffee provided at breaks. A 

box lunch is available at no extra cost, or lunch may be purchased 

at the USU Cafeteria in Building B. Questions may be directed to 

Katherine Hall, Dermatology Dept., USU, at (301) 295-9802 or by 

e-mail at katherine.hall@usuhs.mil 

May 15: - Board of Regents Room- Board of Regents Quarterly 

Meeting.

Committee of the Whole Meeting from 2p.m. to 4p.m. 

May 17: - DAR Constitution Hall- Class of 2008 Commencement 

Exercise: DAR Constitution Hall,18th & D. St. NW, Washington, 

DC. P.O.C. University Affairs 301-295-4796. 

June 30: 1st USU/HJF Symposium: Military and Civilian Medicine 

Joining Forces to Advance Research, from 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. at 

the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Bethesda, MD. For more information, call 301-294-1218. 

August 4-5: Board of Regents Quarterly Meeting.

Committee of the Whole Meeting from 2p.m. to 4p.m. (Aug. 4. 

Quarterly Meeting from 8:00 a.m. - noon. in the Board of Regents 

meeting room Aug. 5. 

Calendar of Events 

USU Hosts Annual Research Week 

 The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) hosts its 

annual research symposium May 12-14, this year’s theme is, “Celebrating Excellence in Research.” 

 The three-day event is designed to promote research by faculty, staff and 

students at USU and its affiliate institutions, provide opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, and to facilitate communication among USU graduate 

students. The annual event formally encompasses three events: the Graduate 

School of Nursing Research Colloquium, which brings together the GSN faculty and students to present and discuss nursing-specific research findings; 

the Graduate Student Colloquium, which highlights the research interests 

and accomplishments of graduate students in the school of medicine; and 

Faculty Senate Day, which draws the entire USU community to share research achievements, foster collaborations, and stimulate intellectual exchange. 

 The program includes symposia featuring USU faculty and affiliated faculty 

speakers, poster presentations by USU faculty and students, oral presentations by graduate students in both basic sciences and nursing research, and 

two nationally prominent invited speakers: John I. Gallin, M.D., the director of 

Clinical Research for the National Institutes of Health, and Anthony R. Means, 

Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer 

Biology for Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. 
PAGE 7 

400th COW: During the first week of March, MedPix will be presenting its 400th Case of the Week (COW). Please join the USU 

family in celebrating the longest continuously running peerreviewed Radiology COW. 

Good Tax Info: Tax season is once again upon us, and uniformed 

personnel can now access their military W-2s at www.dfas.mil. In 

addition to this resource, there is free H&R Block TaxCut Basic software available online at 

http://www.militaryonesource.com/skins/MOS/home.aspx. 

NNMC opened their VITA Tax Office Feb. 4 in the Press Room, 4th 

floor, above the Main Street Café. The Tax Office phone number is 

(301) 295-4990. Hours of operation are 9 a.m.—2p.m., Monday 

through Friday. Services will be provided on an appointment basis only. Sign up appointments began Jan. 31 at the Legal Office, 

6th floor of the tower. Customers who have a tax return that requires Form 1040 or Form 1040A will have to complete an intake 

sheet prior to their appointment. This will save significant time at 

the actual appointment. This form is available at the Legal Office 

or may also be returned electronically for your convenience. Customers who only require Form 1040EZ do not have to complete 

the intake sheet. For more info, contact LN2 

McDaniels, USN at (301) 295-2296. 

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. 

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. 

Antietam Road March: The annual Antietam Road March will take 

place May 1 beginning at 7 a.m. This march is an important lesson in medical history that allows students, faculty and staff the 

opportunity to witness the medical practices of the Civil War. Military faculty, staff and students, are to adhere to their service specific uniform regulations for backpacks and it is preferable that all 

who attend this function wear only black backpacks. Further 

guidance will be disseminated as the date draws near. 

2008 Field Exercises: Operations Bushmaster and Kerkesner will 

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

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. 

Fighting for Life Premier: The documentary “Fighting for Life,” 

which focuses on the role USU plays in educating leaders in military medicine and public health, as well as the care they provide 

to service members injured in combat, opens at the Bethesda Row 

Cinema on Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda, Md., and the E Street 

Theater in Washington, D.C. Friday, March 14. USU’s story is told 

through footage, photos and interviews of students, alumni, faculty and staff, and showcases some of the university’s unique educational programs, including the first-year Antietam Road March 

and field training exercises, Operations Bushmaster and Kerkesner. The film also highlights the research mission of the university 

and its relevance to military medicine and public health. 

Hometown News Release Program: USU military and civilian personnel are encouraged to take advantage of the Hometown 

News Release Program, which generates press releases for local 

and hometown news organizations about the accomplishments 

of university personnel. Contact MC3 Jeff Hopkins at 295-3338 or 

jhopkins@usuhs.mil for more information. 

USU Briefs 

St. Patrick’s Day 

By MCSN Raul Zamora and MC3 Jeff Hopkins
UNIFORMED SERVICES UNIVERSITY 

of the Health Sciences