The Official USU Newsletter

Volume 8, Issue 5 • April 15, 2013

www.usuhs.edu
2 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

On the cover

Navy Capt. (Dr.) Eric Elster, chair of the 

Norman M. Rich Department of Surgery at 

the Uniformed Services University, teaches 

second-year medical students different 

surgical techniques in the Fundamental 

Surgical Skills Workshop, one of the many 

opportunities USU students have with the 

department. (See story, page 3.)

Sharon Willis

Deputy Vice President for External 

Affairs and Managing Editor

Gwendolyn Smalls

Chief, Media Affairs

Tech. Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson

Deputy Chief, Media Affairs

Christine Creenan-Jones

Editor

MC2 Brittney Cannady

Writer

Lori Fields

Layout and Design

The Pulse is printed by USU’s Duplicating Center.

Production

The Pulse is funded by the Department of Defense and 

published by the Uniformed Services University. It is 

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

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

not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, 

the DoD or USU. Appearance of anything resembling 

advertising in this publication does not constitute 

endorsement by the DoD, USU or Pulse staff members.

The contents of this publication shall be made 

available for use or patronage without regard to race, 

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

physical handicap, political affiliation or any other 

non-merit factor of the user or patron.

Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by 

the USU Office of External Affairs. The editor reserves 

the right to edit articles to conform to DoD policy 

and Associated Press style. All photos are DoD photos 

unless otherwise indicated. 

The Pulse will be published bi-weekly on Mondays. 

The deadline for submissions is at 4 p.m. Tuesday prior 

to the publication date. Submissions can be sent to 

christine.creenan-jones@usuhs.edu or 301-295-3338.

Photo by Thomas Balfour

The Uniformed Services University recognized Alison O’Brien, PhD, 

professor and chair of the university’s Department of Microbiology 

and Immunology, by co-sponsoring a 

symposium in her honor, March 29.

The event, held in Sanford Auditorium, included plenary talks and 

presentations that chronicled O’Brien’s 

groundbreaking work over the past 

30 years. Guest speakers described 

O’Brien’s most important scientific 

accomplishments and the discoveries 

they catalyzed.

O’Brien, who is best known for her 

pioneering Shiga toxin research, first 

made headlines in the early 1980s, 

when she published a landmark letter 

in a leading medical journal that linked 

the production of Shiga toxin with E. 

coli strains and foodborne illness. 

Since then, her lab has yielded 

many new discoveries, including 

producing the first set of monoclonal 

antibodies that neutralize different 

types of Shiga toxin. Furthermore, 

O’Brien collaborated with a pharmaceutical company to develop and test 

humanized antibodies for treatment 

of diseases caused by Shiga toxinproducing E. coli. 

In addition to her scientific 

achievements, O’Brien was also 

lauded for the contributions she’s 

made on campus. Larry Laughlin, 

MD, PhD, dean emeritus of USU’s 

School of Medicine, recounted several 

in his welcome address.

“I remember being part of the faculty 

that interviewed Alison to be chair of 

her department,” he said. “I recognized 

immediately she was a fierce person and 

the right choice for the job.”

Laughlin also commended O’Brien 

for being a “strong leader,” “incredible scholar,” “honorable person” and 

for running one of USU’s most effective departments.

Alison O’Brien, PhD (center), chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at 

the Uniformed Services University attended a symposium in her honor along with Samuel 

Formal, PhD (left), retired chief of the Department of Bacterial Diseases at the Walter Reed 

Army Institute of Research, and Larry Laughlin, MD, PhD (right), dean emeritus of USU’s 

School of Medicine. The event highlighted O’Brien’s groundbreaking Shiga toxin research 

over the past 30 years.

Courtesy Photo

O’Brien honored at scientific symposium 

By Christine Creenan-Jones, editor
Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense for Health 

Affairs, joined scholars, physicians, 

residents and future military medical 

officers for the Uniformed Services 

University’s annual Surgical Associates Day, March 28. 

Since 1981, USU Surgical Associates Day has brought USU students 

together with leaders for mentorship 

and exposure to best practices.

Woodson, a vascular surgeon who 

has worked in the civilian, academic 

and military m edical communities, highlighted the long and impressive partnership between civilian and 

military medicine. “Military medicine 

has much to be proud of,” Woodson said. 

“We have a history of making advances 

that have been adopted into the public 

sector. The Joint Trauma System [for 

instance] has led to the highest survival 

rate in recorded warfare.” 

Woodson said these and other 

advances, which were forged in 

combat, will continue to transform 

peacetime civilian medicine.

Navy Capt. (Dr.) Eric Elster, professor and chairman of USU’s Norman M. 

Rich Department of Surgery, said USU 

Surgical Associates Day gives students 

and young physicians the opportunity to 

interact with the best in their profession.

“Both the students and the residents 

represent the future of military 

medicine and academic surgery. Exposing them to leadership in medicine is a 

smart investment,” Elster said.

Other medical leaders at the event 

included Dr. Michael F. Rotondo, chair 

of the committee on trauma, at the 

American College of Surgeons and Dr. 

David B. Hoyt, ACS executive director.

In addition to hearing from top 

medical leaders, surgical residents 

presented their own research 

conducted over the course of a year.

“Each of these residents presented 

that body of work on areas ranging 

from advanced imaging of limb 

ischemia, development of novel strategies to improve outcome after shock, 

wound closure methods in casualties 

and treatment of pediatric tumors with 

non-invasive therapy,” Elster said.

He added, “Our visiting professors, doctors Hoyt and Rotondo, were 

extremely impressed, not only with the 

quality of the science involved, but also 

the ability of the residents to understand 

and articulate the scope of the work.”

Woodson said student participants are, “part of a great legacy and 

master of the future of the military 

health system.” He added, “Nothing 

can compare to the military health 

system...The future is bright and they 

have dynamic careers and opportunities ahead of them. For us, 2013 is 

a transformative year and it is very 

important for our leaders to make 

them understand that as seniors we are 

invested in our junior officers. We have 

to spend time with them...in contact. 

That’s how they will stay motivated.”

April 15, 2013 3

Top military medical leaders, new doctors meet at 

USU Surgical Associates Day

By Daniel Henry, writer for Health.mil 

Dr. David Welling, associate professor in the 

Department of Surgery at the Uniformed 

Services University, presents the Jean 

Dominique Larrey Award to Navy Capt. (Dr.) 

Eric Elster, chair of the Department of Surgery 

at USU, for outstanding contributions to 

surgery. The award was presented during 

this year’s USU Surgical Associates Day. Photo by Erin Perez, SRMC Public Affairs, U.S. Army Southern Regional Medical Command

Photo by Daniel Henry, MHS Strategic Communications

Dr. Charles Rice, president of the Uniformed Services 

University, presents the university's Excellence in Teaching 

Award to Army Maj. Gen. M. Ted Wong, commanding 

general of the Southern Regional Medical Command, 

April 5. The prestigious award is accompanied by a 

grant from the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, and was 

presented to the San Antonio Military Health System 

(SAMHS), to benefit both San Antonio Military Medical 

Center and Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center. 

Pictured in the photo from left to right are Army Col. Kyle 

Campbell, commander, Brooke Army Medical Center; 

Wong; Rice; Air Force Col. Randall Zernzach, associate 

dean, San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education 

Consortium (Texas); retired Maj. Gen. Patrick Sculley, 

senior vice president, University Programs, USU; and Air 

Force Col. James McClain, SAMHS. 

USU Excellence in Teaching Award
Countdown to 

Commencement

Trivia Question

Commencement at the 

Uniformed Services University 

is full of many time-honored 

traditions that make it a truly 

spectacular event. Among them, 

the Marine Corps Band plays 

Pomp and Circumstance as USU 

students march down the processional wearing academic regalia 

over their service dress uniforms. 

They’re led by faculty and this 

mace-bearing person, who is given 

the honor for a job well done.

Do you know who carries the 

mace at USU’s commencement 

each year? If so, e-mail your 

response to Christine.CreenanJones@usuhs.edu for a chance to 

win a free large coffee and doughnut, courtesy of USU’s cafeteria.

4 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

As a young girl, Cindy Dullea, 

a distinguished professor in the 

Graduate School of Nursing at the 

Uniformed Services University, spent 

countless hours talking to nurses at 

Massachusetts General Hospital in 

Boston. For six months, they took 

care of her favorite grandmother, who 

was burned in a terrible accident.

Dullea suffered with her grandmother as she endured painful skin 

grafts and multiple surgeries, but the 

high school freshman found solace 

at the nurses’ station, where skill and 

compassion resided.

Inspired by their healing hands, 

Dullea decided to follow in their 

footsteps and pursue a career in 

nursing. She attended college at Salve 

Regina University in Newport, R.I., a 

city beaming with Navy pride. After 

earning her degree, Dullea began 

working as a staff nurse at The Medical 

University of South Carolina on the 

critical care ward. Even though she’d 

fulfilled one dream, Dullea was restless.

“Back then, I was a brazen 23-year 

old, ready for some excitement,” she 

said. “My boyfriend, who is now my 

husband, encouraged me to consider 

the military, so I called a Navy 

recruiter. The rest is history.”

Once she commissioned, Dullea 

left South Carolina to embark on a 

whirlwind military career that brought 

her to several major coastal cities in 

the United States and duty stations 

overseas. She spent nearly 30 years in 

the Navy Nurse Corps, between activeduty and reserve service.

Dullea excelled at each post and 

quickly rose through the ranks, 

commanding five different units. 

By the time she retired, Dullea was 

one of only nine medical reserve 

admirals, and served as both deputy 

commander of Navy Medicine 

National Capital Area and deputy 

director of the Navy Nurse Corps. 

Throughout her impressive military 

career, Dullea had many opportunities 

to work with service members from 

every branch of service. They became 

her new inspiration.

“Since I spent a good part of my 

career in the reserves, I was able to 

experience military and civilian ways of 

life,” she said. “I can say with unequivocal certainty, there is nothing more 

rewarding than uniformed service. As a 

naval officer, I worked with people who 

had a unique moral fiber to them. They 

aren’t motivated by profit, just achieving the mission. They’re an incredible, 

selfless group, and it was a great honor 

to serve with them for so many years.”

At USU, Dullea’s passion continues to burn strong. She teaches two 

graduate-level nursing courses that 

cover leadership and health informatics, topics that drove both her military 

and civilian careers into high gear. 

“Besides serving in the reserves, I 

also helped start a health informatics 

company and worked in the field for 

more than 20 years. My two working 

worlds were very different in many 

respects, but they also brought value 

to each other. Realizing this, I tried to 

incorporate the strong points of military 

medicine into my private practice and 

vice versa,” Dullea said. “At USU, I want 

my students to think outside of the box, 

as well. A broad, creative vision is the 

best impetus for progress and change.”

Former deputy nursing chief joins 

USU faculty

By Christine Creenan-Jones, editor

Photo by Thomas Balfour

Photo by Thomas Balfour

Navy Rear Adm. (ret.) Cynthia Dullea

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Army 2nd Lt. Braden Hestermann, 

a fourth-year medical student at the 

Uniformed Services University, has 

seen a lot in his short military career. 

After graduating from West Point in 

2004, he spent 15 long months on Iraq’s 

brutal frontlines.

While there, Hestermann came 

face-to-face with war’s most dire 

consequences. In 2007, he was a 

medical platoon leader working 

in Diyala, a dangerous province 

controlled by Sunni insurgents. Fighting was fierce in Diyala, and many 

servicemembers were badly wounded 

or killed in battle.

Hestermann helped as much as 

he could by calling MEDEVACs and 

coordinating patient evacuations 

to major military hospitals, but he 

still felt powerless as colleagues and 

friends around him grappled with 

life-changing injuries.

“I wanted to help so badly, but all I 

could do was call an Evac, watch and 

wait,” he said. “It was a terrible feeling.”

By the end of his tour, Hestermann 

was ready for a new career path. He 

wanted to be a military doctor, so he 

could take care of wounded servicemembers like the ones he’d served 

with in Iraq.

“USU was a no-brainer for me,” 

Hestermann said. “I wanted to stay in 

the Army, and USU gives you a better 

exposure to military medicine than any 

other medical school around.”

On course to graduate in May, 

Hestermann will move to San 

Antonio by the end of the summer, 

where he’ll begin his residency in 

anesthesiology at Brooke Army 

Medical Center.

“Anesthesiology is a great fit for 

me,” he said. “It’s a hands-on discipline. Plus, I like to know that what 

I’m doing is helping, and in this field, 

you get immediate feedback.”

Hestermann’s excitement for his 

future is tempered only by the memories 

he’s created at USU. He’s president of 

a tight-knit class that has bonded over 

their tough classes, military training, 

field exercises and rotations.

“I’ve had such a great experience here,” Hestermann said. “The 

camaraderie at USU is incredible, 

because we are all working toward 

the same goal. I’ll hold onto these 

experiences forever.”

April 15, 2013 5

Frontline experience inspires officer to choose 

military medicine

By Christine Creenan-Jones, editor

Courtesy Photo

Army 2nd Lt. Braden Hestermann (second from left) is a fourth-year medical student at the Uniformed Services University. Before he arrived on 

campus, Hestermann was a medical platoon leader in Iraq and served alongside many servicemembers, including Sgt. 1st Class Ben Sebban (far 

left), who was killed by a roadside bomb, Sgt. John Gilbert (third from left) and Sgt. Tony Trout (right).
6 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

Word on Campus

By Christine Creenan-Jones, editor

“I’m potty training my 

son during spring break. 

We’ll both be home, so 

I’ll be able to give him 

a lot more one-on-one 

attention. I hope it sticks.”

Army 2nd Lt. Tim Hunter, 1st-year medical student

“I’m a Floridian, so we have 

spring and summer weather 

year round. I’ve missed it 

living here, so when it finally 

warms up, I plan to get out 

and enjoy the sites as much 

as possible.”

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Juanita Lane, 

information technology specialist

“I love to garden, so 

springtime is a great time 

to be outside enjoying the 

warmer weather.”

Denise Anderson, 

admissions officer

“Spring has sprung, and 

I’m looking forward to the 

extended daylight, moonlight 

gardening, biking, hiking, 

attempting to get in shape.”

Andrew Lee, contract specialist

“I’m going to fly kites with 

my daughter.”

Navy Lt. Brian Andrews-Shigaki, 

assistant professor, Department of 

Military and Emergency Medicine

HPRC Health Tips

USU’s Human Performance 

Resource Center Health Tips are 

intended to provide the USU 

community with information to 

help develop and maintain a healthy 

lifestyle. Check out the HPRC 

website at: http://hprc-online.org.

Add some water to your workout

Swimming and other water workouts 

are great ways to give aching joints a 

break or recover from an injury and 

still get in a good workout. Exercising in the water provides the same 

aerobic fitness benefits as exercising on 

land. In fact, exercising in water may 

be less work for your heart, because it 

pumps out more blood per beat, and 

heart rates are slightly slower. What’s 

more, pressure from the water speeds 

blood flow back to your heart, where 

your blood gets the oxygen that your 

muscles need during exercise.

Aquatic exercise is great for most people, 

including older and younger folks. 

Effective pool training sessions 

should vary in intensity and 

emphasis. To avoid shoulder joint 

and upper back issues, warm 

up by swimming for five to ten 

minutes at a pace slower than your 

usual training pace, and include 

kicking and pulling drills. To 

improve both strength and endurance in the water, try interval 

training. Shorter rest intervals will 

improve endurance, while longer 

ones will stress your anaerobic 

system and improve your strength 

and power. Alternating between 

aerobic (longer and slower) and 

anaerobic (shorter and more 

intense) workouts will optimize 

your overall performance for both 

combat swimming operations and 

cardiovascular fitness in general.

Information provided by HPRC.

Photo by Thomas C. Balfour

Spring is finally in the air, so Pulse staff members wanted 

to know how personnel at the Uniformed Services University plan to enjoy the warmer weather. Here are some of 

their answers:
April 15, 2013 7

At the Uniformed Services University, people keep their finger on the 

pulse by reading the Pulse. It’s filled 

with important university news and 

candid feature articles.

The Pulse hasn’t been USU’s only 

publication. Earlier archetypes preceded 

it, like the Vector, FYI and USUHS 

Quarterly. These products captured 

important aspects of USU’s history, 

beginning in 1978 when the Vector, 

the oldest campus publication, was first 

created by the charter class.

In an effort to preserve a unique part 

of USU’s history, the University Archives 

department has created an online repository for campus publications.

“We’ve collected publications piecemeal over the years, so we don’t have 

a complete run of any of them,” said 

Emelie Rubin, USU’s institutional archivist. “If anyone at the university would 

like to donate their back issues to the 

archives, we will gladly scan and add 

them to our collection.”

The repository may be a work in 

progress, but it already has hundreds of 

different artifacts to browse, which illustrate the life – and sometimes humor – 

behind USU.

“The Vector tended to be light in 

tone and usually had humorous articles 

and cartoons drawn by students,” said 

Rubin. “The Vector from April 1, 1988 is 

an excellent example of the tongue-incheek nature of the publication. For this 

April Fool’s Day issue, the publication 

was renamed The Infector and it poked 

fun at some of the faculty members. It 

showed how, even though the students 

were going through rigorous training, 

they were still able to have some fun.”

The different generations of publications also capture USU’s growth over 

the years. Early print publications were 

more basic than today’s Pulse with 

barebones design elements. 

“It is interesting to see that as 

technology improves and the university becomes more mature, how our 

publications improve in quality. Early 

students published The Vector using 

typewriters and then early word 

processing software,” said Rubin. “In 

later publications, like the USUHS 

Quarterly, the university printed them 

in full color and included photographs. The rudimentary nature of The 

Vector reflects the nascent roots of the 

University.”

University Archives has salvaged 

many of them – from early, more simple 

publications to USU’s modern, professionally created newsletters, and they 

are available to view online at http://

www.lrc.usuhs.edu/archives/.

Then and now: University Archives captures university history 

with online repository

By MC2 Brittney Cannady, writer, and Christine Creenan-Jones, editor Photo by Army Spc. Ernest Sivia

Larry Laughlin, PhD, MD, dean 

emeritus at the Uniformed Services 

University’s School of Medicine, 

recognized several outstanding faculty members who’ve made 

significant contributions to the new 

“Molecules to Military Medicine” 

curriculum. Laughlin personally 

thanked 44 educators, all of whom 

were nominated by the chairperson 

of their respective department, in a 

ceremony held in the Small Dining 

Room, March 22.

During the ceremony, the Curriculum Reform Team also thanked 

Laughlin for his leadership and 

support. Besides words of praise, 

they presented him with a custom 

piece of art that commemorated the 

launch of a new curriculum that 

completely transformed the way 

medical students learn at USU.

School of Medicine celebrates exceptional educators

By Air Force Col. (Dr.) Arnyce Pock, director, Office of Curriculum Reform

Dan Balog, MD

Suzanne Bausch, PhD

Anthony Beutler, MD

Diane Borst, PhD

Chris Broder, PhD

Meir Chernofsky, MD

Richard Conran, MD

Annesley Copeland, MD

Tom Cote, PhD

Gary Crouch, MD

Cathy Decker, MD

Saibal Dey, PhD

Steve Durning, MD

Matt Eberly, MD

Craig Goolsby, MD

David Grahame, PhD

Neil Grunberg, PhD

Derrick Hamaoka, MD

Kris Heitman, PhD

Bill Kelly, MD

Barbara Knollmann-Ritschel, MD

Jeff LaRochelle, MD

Grant Lattin, MD

Eric Marks, MD

David Mears, PhD

Scotty Merrell, PhD

Jon Meyerle, MD

Ed Mitre, MD

Brian Neubauer, MD

Cara Olsen, PhD

Pat O’Malley, MD

Tim O’Neil, PhD

James Palma, MD

Lee Poth, MD

Anthony Propst, MD

Mark Roseman, PhD

Steve Rothwell, PhD

Doug Rose, MD

Jessica Servey, MD

Al Seyfer, MD

Alice Smith, MD

Louise Teel, PhD

Terrill Tops, MD

Justin Woodson, MD
The Department of Preventive Medicine invited animal handler, Bruce 

Shwedick, to the Uniformed Services University for the annual Snakes Alive! 

program, April 3. Shwedick is a snake expert, who shared information about 

snake wounds. This unique aspect of health care is important because 

USU graduates may practice medicine in desert or tropical locations where 

reptiles like rattlesnakes, anacondas or cobras thrive, and must be able to 

recognize and treat bites and other injuries suffered by military members or 

their families as a result of an encounter with one. 

Final Frame

Photo by Thomas C. Balfour