UNIFORMED SERVICES UNIVERSITY

 of the Health Sciences

2007 REPORT

President’s Letter

This has been an extraordinary and challenging year as the nation struggles to 

come to terms with the costs of war, and we strive to care for the wounded and their 

families. USU faculty, staff and students are deeply engaged in developing the skills, 

technologies and knowledge necessary to provide the best possible care for those 

in harm’s way. It is our job to educate those who protect the health of our soldiers, 

sailors, airmen and Marines; to further military medical research; and to ensure that 

health care practitioners are equipped to deal with the unique challenges of military 

medicine and public health. 

USU continues to distinguish itself as a center of excellence in both education and research. Our faculty perform not only as 

leaders in the military health system, but also in academic medicine. In 2007, the Certified Nurse Anesthetist program in our 

Graduate School of Nursing was ranked sixth in the nation out of 106 programs by U.S. News and World Report. Dr. Gerry 

Quinnan and Dr. Christopher Broder published an important piece on HIV/AIDS in the Proceedings of the National Academy 

of Sciences. Dr. D. Scott Merrell presented groundbreaking work on Helicobacter pylori. The Center for Traumatic Stress, led by 

Dr. Robert Ursano, had several projects that set the standard of care for those affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). 

We are particularly proud of Alison O’Brien, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Microbiology, who was elected by her peers to 

be President of the American Society for Microbiology, the world’s largest scientific society. Additionally, research undertaken 

by our faculty continues to produce important breakthroughs in areas including emerging infectious diseases, epilepsy research 

and neuroscience. 

Our world-class education and training programs have continued to grow in response to the needs of our deployed troops 

and their families. The university launched an ambitious new program designed to address mental health care needs. In its first 

year of operation, the Center for Deployment Psychology trained more than 500 psychologists and social workers to provide 

superior mental health care to military personnel and their families.

USU continues to play a significant role in shaping our nation’s health care. Our alumni hold key positions in the military 

and public health systems, from commands at major military medical centers to leadership positions at the Food and Drug 

Administration. Many are directing medical teams and providing critical care and rehabilitation services for our nation’s soldiers, 

sailors, airmen and Marines deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Walter Reed Army 

Medical Center, the National Naval Medical Center and other locations central to medical care in the current conflict. 

In this report, we have focused on some of the many USU students, faculty and staff who share a distinctive commitment to 

service. Whether they come from a military career, from the service academies or from other parts of government, academic or 

private sectors, USU personnel embody the ideals of service to others and to the nation. 

Charles L. Rice, M.D.
2

“While approximately one quarter of all new physicians 

entering the military today are USU alumni, they have a 

disproportionate impact on military leadership by dint 

of their specialized training and preparation as leaders.”

S. Ward Casscells, III, M.D., 

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (pictured center)

The American military medical community has produced significant research and clinical advances 

through the years. The First World War saw the massive application of modern medicine including 

immunization, advanced surgery, use of motor ambulances, management of shock and treatment 

of psychiatric disorders. World War II brought widespread use of penicillin, mobile hospitals and 

extensive use of military medics on the front lines.

Today, military medicine continues to lead the way in research and clinical care. The Uniformed 

Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) plays a pivotal role in conducting military medical 

research, and providing consultation and education programs that help the country face the many 

challenges of a nation at war. 

The university is engaged in a wide array of research and training in areas such as traumatic brain injury 

(TBI), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), emerging infectious diseases and supporting the continuum 

of care from battlefield through rehabilitation to return to the workforce. 

“WEST POINT” OF MILITARY MEDICINE

At the end of World War II, the United States 

military discharged more than 10 million men 

and women. Among those who left service were 

thousands of physicians who returned to civilian 

practice. Years later, recognizing the urgent need 

for career military physicians, Congressman F. 

Edward Hébert (D-LA) introduced legislation to 

establish a “West Point for doctors”— a university 

operated by the Department of Defense (DoD) to 

foster a strong military medical system.

USU was established by Congress in 1972. 

The university’s curriculum is similar to that of its 

civilian counterparts, but it also provides additional 

specialized educational elements geared towards 

producing career uniformed officers. 

Today, one in four active-duty physicians are USU 

alumni. University graduates serve in key capacities, including significant leadership positions, 

critical to the successful operation of the military 

medical and public health systems. Among the 

roles in which alumni have distinguished themselves 

are as members of the White House Presidential 

medical detail, heading terrorism and disaster 

emergency preparedness and response teams 

and providing care and medical leadership during 

overseas military operations. USU’s relevance is 

considerable, more so today than at any point in 

its history. In a rapidly changing world, university 

graduates are shaping the future of military and 

public health.

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

The university educates and trains essential health 

care providers to face today’s challenges, and it is 

deeply committed to the future of military medicine. 

Congress’ approval of the 2005 recommendations 

of the Base Realignment and Closure committee 

paves the way for the university’s future as a 

state-of-the-art academic health center. Combining 

Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the 

National Naval Medical Center—with USU at its 

academic core—the Walter Reed National Military 

Medical Center will create a world-class academic 

health system that offers the highest quality care, 

distinguished health education and exemplary 

basic and applied research. 

A HISTORY OF SUCCESS
1947

Scrub typhus transmission problems are 

resolved and chloraphenicol treatment 

introduced.

Korean War (1950-1953)

The Mobile Army Surgical Hospital 

(MASH) is introduced. Hospital ships 

equipped with helicopter landing pads are 

introduced as a method for quick-response 

medical attention, changing the ships’ roles 

from medical transports to floating 

hospitals.

1960

An attenuated vaccine 

against Venezuelan 

Equine Encephalitis is 

developed.

1958

The cholera oral 

rehydration regimen is 

implemented, 

dramatically reducing 

mortality.

1957

The vaccine strain for 

influenza A virus is 

isolated.

1904-1914

Yellow fever is 

controlled in the 

Panama Canal Zone, 

making construction of 

the canal possible.

1909

An effective 

typhoid 

immunization is 

developed.

1910

An anhydrous 

chlorine method 

to purify drinking 

water is 

introduced and 

the technology is 

used worldwide.

World War I (1914-1918)

A variety of medical 

techniques to improve soldiers’ 

survival rates are developed, 

including wound treatment, 

blood transfusions, reconstructive surgery and physical 

therapy.

1962 

Rubella virus is isolated 

at the Walter Reed 

Army Institute of 

Research.

1961

The Tri-Service Armed 

Forces Radiobiology 

Research Laboratory is 

established.

1965

Antibacterial cream to 

treat patients with 

extensive burns is 

developed.

1777 

The Continental 

Army is immunized 

against smallpox 

per General George 

Washington’s 

orders.

War of 1812 (1812-1815)

Dr. James Tilton, Physician 

General, advocates small, 

dispersed hospitals with 

good ventilation, which 

improves the health of 

soldiers.

1833

William Beaumont 

publishes his classic work 

on the physiology of 

digestion, which eventually 

becomes the cornerstone of 

modern gastroenterology.

1944

Hepatitis A and B 

are differentiated 

and gamma 

globulin treatments 

are established.

World War II (1939-1945)

Major medical developments include the 

prevalent use of penicillin, widespread use 

of mobile hospitals to support troops close 

to the front lines, aero-medical evacuation 

to ensure speedier medical care and 

extensive use of military medics on the 

front lines. 

1900

The mosquito is 

identified as the yellow 

fever vector. 

Civil War (1861-1865)

Jonathan Letterman, Medical 

Director, Army of the Potomac, 

creates the echeloned system of 

patient evacuation and care, 

which remains the basis of civilian 

and military casualty care 

worldwide.

1899

The New World 

hookworm, a significant 

cause of anemia in Puerto 

Rico, is discovered, 

leading to a significant 

reduction in hookworm 

disease. 

1967

An oral adenovirus 

vaccine, which safely 

provides immunity in 

one dose, is developed.

1972

The Uniformed Services 

University of the Health 

Sciences (USU) is 

established in 

Bethesda, Maryland. 

1970

A polysaccharide 

vaccine against group 

C meningococci is 

developed.
4

Unique EDUCATION

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

USU’s F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine (SOM) is a traditional medical school with a curriculum 

enhanced by specialized education, training and research that prepares graduates to provide leadingedge medical care in even the most challenging environments. A primary mission of military medicine 

is keeping troops healthy, so a core educational focus is on health promotion and disease prevention. 

USU attracts a diverse array of students from all over the country, each of whom has something special in 

common—they are among the leaders of their generation, dedicated to serving the nation through careers 

in the DoD or Public Health Service. 

Sunny Ramchandani, M.D., is an internist 

and an Assistant Professor in the Department 

of Internal Medicine. Academically first in 

his class at the U.S. Naval Academy and 

a graduate of both the Harvard University 

School of Public Health and Yale University 

School of Medicine, Ramchandani is quickly 

distinguishing himself as a researcher, clinician and teacher. 

Dr. Ramchandani recently published a 

paper with colleagues at Johns Hopkins 

University that was subsequently used by the 

government of India to enhance anti-retroviral 

therapy delivery. In 2007, he also traveled 

to Afghanistan with USU’s Center for Disaster and Humanitarian 

Assistance Medicine as part of their initiative to help strengthen its 

health care infrastructure.

The SOM’s curriculum is designed to educate 

students to provide outstanding care in even the most 

extreme settings—to practice good medicine in challenging environments. The unique four-year program 

is year-round and is roughly 700 hours longer 

than that of other medical schools. This additional 

education largely focuses on epidemiology, health 

promotion, leadership and field exercises, disease 

prevention and tropical medicine. 

The uniformed services offer the same specialty 

options enjoyed by students at civilian schools, 

as well as unique opportunities in areas including 

preventive and public health medicine. Additionally, 

concentrations are available in service-unique 

practice areas, such as aerospace medicine, 

undersea medicine, global infectious diseases and 

disaster medicine.

A military-trained cadre of physicians is crucial to our 

country’s security and well being. SOM graduates 

support national health and preparedness in many 

ways, from providing expert medical attention 

on the front lines to caring for service members 

and their families at medical centers at home and 

abroad. Others are called upon to act as “medical 

ambassadors,” sharing knowledge to help other 

countries enhance their health care infrastructures 

and services. The U.S. Public Health Service also 

values this training because it enables graduates 

to manage medical operations in both military and 

civilian settings.

“USU is the central resource 

for academic military medicine. 

If we’re out in the field 

conducting research, if we 

want to pursue new areas of 

investigation, if we want to 

enhance training or change 

curricula based on real-world 

experience...no matter what 

we need, the university is 

the first place we connect 

with... The synergy that USU 

shares with the U.S. military 

allows the university to offer 

opportunities that aren’t 

available at any other academic 

medical center in the country.”
5

“When I decided to go 

to medical school I knew 

USU would be my top 

choice. My dad graduated 

in 1992 and has served 

15 years as a military 

doc. Coming back into 

the USU community has 

been great...the warmth 

and support are the same. 

I feel confident that I 

will receive a top-notch 

medical education, and, as a 

mother, that my family will 

take away good memories 

as well.” 

Second Lieutenant Meghan 

Ozcan, class of 2011

DISTINGUISHED FACULTY

UNIQUE CLINICAL TRAINING

M.D./PH.D. PROGRAM

“I was impressed with 

the different programs 

the university has to offer. 

How many other schools 

have courses in tropical 

medicine?” 

Lieutenant Obinna Ugochukwu, 

class of 2007

Second-year School of Medicine 

student Second Lieutenant 

Christian Labra, a West Point 

graduate, was an artillery officer 

deployed to Iraq when he broke 

both of his legs and his pelvis 

in a combat-related incident. 

While recuperating at Landstuhl 

Regional Medical Center in 

Germany, Labra became increasingly interested in the medical 

care he and his fellow service 

members received. His doctor 

was a USU graduate.

The School of Medicine faculty is comprised of 

uniformed personnel and civilians with a wealth of 

experience. Among the faculty are internationally 

renowned leaders in their fields, all with a singular 

commitment to protecting our nation’s health. 

Additionally, USU faculty offer unique perspectives 

as many of them have experienced the kinds of 

deployment situations they are preparing their 

students to face. Recently deployed faculty provide 

their students with immediate access to the latest 

developments in military and emergency medicine.

USU’s M.D./Ph.D. program is designed to 

prepare students for careers as physicianscientists in academic medicine, biomedical 

and clinical research and clinical practice. 

The program combines a rigorous basic 

science graduate curriculum, including 

original research, with superior clinical 

training and integrated activities. 

In the third year of their SOM educations, 

students take part in six-week clerkships at toplevel military treatment facilities or civilian hospitals 

in the Washington, D.C., area or other locations 

throughout the United States. In 2011, the Walter 

Reed National Military Medical Center, a 

new state-of-the-art academic health center, will 

become the university’s primary teaching hospital.

In their fourth years, SOM students take the 

unique military contingency medicine course, 

which culminates in the training exercise 

Operation Bushmaster. Students spend the 

remainder of the year undertaking clinical 

rotations among the specialty areas they are 

considering for residency training. 

“This school instills in its doctors 

an ideal of service, to the nation 

and to our fellow man.”
6

Graduate education is an important and integral 

component of the academic mission and scholarly environment at the university. Students who receive graduate 

degrees from USU have the opportunity to make 

significant contributions to the advancement of health 

and science in both public and private institutions.

The university offers graduate degrees in the biomedical sciences and public health. Doctor of 

Philosophy degrees are offered in nine areas ranging 

from emerging infectious diseases to clinical psychology. The university offers both a Masters and Doctor 

of Public Health degree and has a physician-scientist 

(M.D./Ph.D.) program. 

The Graduate Program in the Biomedical Sciences 

at USU currently has 169 full-time students. Most of 

the graduate programs are open to civilians, who are 

eligible for stipends and have no service obligations.

G R A D U A TE P R O G R A M S

“USU put me into a graduate 

student situation where I was 

encouraged to pursue my 

own research interests. I was 

not a ‘worker’ in my advisor’s 

laboratory, but an actual 

contributor to the research. This 

allowed me to step into a faculty 

position right after graduation.” 

Ali Weinstein, Ph.D., Deputy Director, 

Center for the Study of Chronic Illness 

and Disability, George Mason University, 

class of 2007

“I liked the idea of an interdisciplinary program where my professors 

and mentors came from diverse scientific backgrounds. I was also drawn 

to the smaller size of the graduate 

school where I would receive more 

individual 

attention and 

instruction...” 

Julie Wu, 

Molecular and Cell 

Biology program

Overseas research opportunities 

and experiences add depth and 

variety to the curriculum.

USU’s nationally recognized civilian and military 

faculty is comprised of leading educators and 

world-renowned scientists. The proximity of 

the campus to the metropolitan Washington, 

D.C., area attracts quality faculty members 

and students, many of whom collaborate with 

scientists at nearby research institutes such as the 

National Institutes of Health, Walter Reed Army 

Institute of Research and the Naval Medical 

Research Center. 

USU students benefit from the military’s overseas 

network of research laboratories. Many of the 

faculty members have conducted research at 

these field sites, and they bring these real-world 

experiences to the classroom. In addition, 

graduate students have opportunities to study 

at overseas laboratories, which are located in 

Africa, Asia and South America.
7

Knowledge

Central Location for Collaboration

The university’s close proximity to the National 

Naval Medical Center, the National Institutes 

of Health and the National Library of Medicine 

provides a rich and unparalleled environment 

for education and research. Additionally, USU is 

situated close to the I-270 Biotechnology Corridor, 

Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Walter Reed 

Army Institute of Research and the Naval Medical 

Research Center, which enables frequent interactions with some of the world’s premier researchers 

at seminars and conferences, as well as guest 

lectures at the university.

“The personal interaction with 

the faculty not only increased 

the depth of knowledge, but also 

enabled critical thinking applicable 

to complex problem solving. As 

graduate education at USU is closely 

affiliated with the military and the 

NIH, international experience and 

knowledge relating to infectious 

disease overseas was incorporated 

into the curriculum in a personal, 

hands-on way. For all of these 

reasons, I believe USU provided a 

unique education and environment, 

which helped me gain the skills and 

knowledge that I use every day.”

Katharine Bossart, Ph.D., USU class of 2003, conducted her dissertation research in the laboratory of 

internationally renowned microbiologist Christopher 

Broder, Ph.D., Director of USU’s Emerging Infectious 

Diseases graduate program. Her work focused on 

two novel emerging paramyxoviruses—the Hendra 

and Nipah viruses. After graduation, Dr. Bossart 

started a new post-doctoral position at the Australian 

Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong. Since moving 

to Australia, she has worked on many different 

viruses, from vector-borne pathogens such as West 

Nile virus to those that require the highest level 

of biological containment, including Hendra and 

Nipah. As part of this work, she has traveled and 

collaborated with scientists throughout Australia and 

internationally in India and Borneo. 

The university offers the following graduate programs:

Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Programs

•	 Emerging Infectious Diseases 

•	 Molecular and Cell Biology

•	 Neuroscience

Departmentally-based Ph.D. Programs

•	 Clinical Psychology

•	 Environmental Health Sciences

•	 Medical Psychology

•	 Medical Zoology

•	 Pathology

Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.)

Physician-Scientist (M.D./Ph.D.) Program

Master of Science

•	 Public Health

•	 Molecular and Cell Biology

Master of Public Health 

Master of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 

Master of Military Medical History
8

Signature Curriculum

Graduate School of Nursing

The USU Graduate School of Nursing (GSN) 

provides the nation with highly skilled advanced 

practice nursing professionals pursuing careers in the 

federal and military health care systems. 

GSN faculty members are dedicated to educating and mentoring the next generation of clinical 

experts, leaders, scholars and researchers in nursing. 

The GSN’s curriculum is designed to provide a 

comprehensive education that prepares students 

to deliver the highest quality care and services in a 

broad range of settings, from the clinic to the battlefield. The areas of focus encompass Operational 

Readiness in Changing Environments; Population 

Health and Outcomes; and Clinical Decision-Making 

in the Federal Healthcare System which are woven 

throughout all programs within the school.

In this way, graduates of the GSN are uniquely 

equipped to become not only outstanding nurses, but 

also leaders in their fields, ready to take on a diverse 

range of challenges and succeed in any environment.

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Program

Masters students take part in a program that 

provides education and training to equip them for 

advanced roles in both acute and primary care settings. The program emphasizes health promotion, 

disease prevention, case management, emergency 

preparedness, patient safety, administration and 

perioperative and anesthesia services. 

Program options include Perioperative Clinical 

Nurse Specialist (CNS), Family Nurse Practitioner 

and Nurse Anesthetist.

The GSN has a wealth of military and civilian 

accredited clinical practice sites for each of its 

masters program options.

Ph.D. Program

USU’s Ph.D. program in nursing emphasizes the 

conduct of nursing research significant to the 

federal sector. The distinctive curriculum encompasses areas of basic, applied and translational 

nursing sciences that form the scientific underpinnings of military operational readiness and force 

protection. It also addresses issues surrounding 

the sequelae of military service and population 

health issues within the federal and military 

health sectors. The program prepares students as 

research scientists, scholars, leaders and educators. Practicum opportunities include research at 

the university and federal or military agencies.

Ph.D. areas of concentration are nursing science; 

research; statistics and designs; and federal and 

military health care policy and issues.
9

“Although I had the opportunity 

to attend a civilian university, 

USU was my first choice. I’m 

certain the camaraderie and 

faculty support I’ve encountered 

in the GSN is unmatched by any 

other university.” 

Lieutenant Lina Badura, 

class of 2007

Nurse Anesthesia Program Sixth in the Nation

In 2007, U.S. News and World Report ranked the USU Graduate 

School of Nursing Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesia (CRNA) 

program sixth out of 106 national programs. USU’s CRNA graduates practice anesthesia at state-of-the-art medical centers, in the 

field with Special Operations teams and ground forces, on board 

ships, in the air and at remote locations around the world.

MEDMARX

Colonel Linda Wanzer (right), Assistant Professor 

and Program Director of the Perioperative Clinical 

Nurse Specialist Masters program, and Perioperative 

Nursing Consultant to the Army Surgeon General, 

provided primary oversight for the students during 

their work on the MEDMARX project.

“USU’s GSN exposes students to once-ina-lifetime collaboration opportunities and 

exceptional learning experiences.”

USU’s Graduate School of Nursing was 

approached by the U.S. Pharmacopeia—the official 

public standards-setting authority for all prescription 

and over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements and other health care products manufactured 

and sold in the United States—to collaborate on a 

medication error reporting system. Students from 

three consecutive years of USU’s Perioperative 

CNS classes were asked to utilize their clinical 

expertise and critical thinking skills to analyze a 

six-year data set from MEDMARX—the world’s 

largest error reporting program. The students 

provided analysis and interpretation, and also 

made recommendations to improve the quality and 

safety of perioperative patient care.

The students’ findings and recommendations 

were published nationally as a white paper, and 

have garnered significant attention. This work has 

impacted perioperative standards and medication 

safety guidelines, and has shaped material in a 

perioperative drug reference manual. 

“I did an MPH here in 1987 because I was ready to ‘stretch’ out of my role as an ICU nurse. 

That degree gave me the opportunity to work in HIV clinical research at NIH during the 

challenging early years of the epidemic. Now I work in an equally challenging arena—public 

health policy and program development for the Department of Veterans Affairs. It became 

time to stretch again, and now I’m back, working on my Ph.D!”

Victoria Davey, R.N., M.P.H., classes of 1987 and 2009, Deputy Chief Officer, 

Public Health and Environmental Hazards, Department of Veterans Affairs
10

Fie l d Ex e r c ises

As part of their education, USU students take part in a number of field exercises that prepare them to practice 

medicine in challenging environments and exercise the leadership skills they will need as uniformed officers. 

Antietam Road March

First-year medical and nursing students participate 

in a memorable educational experience designed 

to teach them the tenets of battlefield health care. 

The students travel to Antietam National Battlefield 

near Sharpsburg, Maryland, the infamous site of 

the bloodiest one-day battle in American history. 

They take part in a six-mile road march, stopping at 

designated stations where local Civil War re-enactors 

discuss conditions and battlefield strategies, and 

where USU faculty members discuss medical aspects 

of the battle. The exercise underscores the school’s 

distinctive curriculum, and for students with no prior 

military experience, is their first experience walking 

cross-country in controlled movements by platoons, 

and wearing load-bearing gear.

Operation Kerkesner is designed to teach critical 

military skills in a simulated battlefield environment. 

The four-day exercise provides training in areas including land navigation, hand-to-hand combat, firearms 

training and use of military vehicles and radios. It 

also gives students a chance to experience some of 

the challenges of providing medical care in harsh 

environments, including starting an IV in a field setting 

and triaging and treating fellow service members 

while “under fire.”

Approximately half of USU students have no prior 

uniformed services experience. Operation Kerkesner 

provides essential military skills training and serves 

as an introduction to the challenges of practicing 

battlefield medicine. 

Commander John Love, M.D., 

graduated from the USU School 

of Medicine in 1994 and has 

experienced two deployments 

to Iraq. He was invited to return 

to the university to assist with 

Operation Bushmaster. 

Operation Kerkesner

“It’s not just an exam. 

Everything you learn is 

definitely applicable to 

what you do out there.” 

- as quoted in the Chronicle of 

Higher Education
11

Operation Bushmaster

Many USU graduates credit Operation Bushmaster 

with providing some of the most helpful and memorable training they received while at the university. 

The exercise is the culmination of and practical 

exam for the rigorous Military and Contingency 

Medicine (MCM) course, taken by all fourth-year 

School of Medicine students, as well as some 

students in the Graduate School of Nursing.

The MCM course augments students’ clinical 

knowledge with specialized medical education 

covering a broad range of military-relevant topics, 

including advanced trauma life support, preventive 

medicine, patient care in flight, military medical 

ethics and combat stress control. Students then are 

put to the test during a four-day simulation exercise 

at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. 

Throughout Operation Bushmaster, students live in 

field conditions, working in groups of roughly 15 

to run medical units under continually changing 

conditions. The students set up sites where they 

receive “casualties” (played by first-year students), 

suffering both routine illnesses and battlefield 

injuries. Students are evaluated by USU faculty on 

their medical knowledge and leadership abilities 

as they rotate through positions as commander, 

executive officer, medical officer and ambulance 

team leader. When not under evaluation, students 

fill in as medics, radio operators or security personnel, and spend time working in a deployable 

medical facility. They also take part in a combat 

stress rotation designed to familiarize them with and 

give them an opportunity to “treat” combat-related 

mental health issues. 

The event culminates in a dramatic nighttime mass 

casualty exercise in which students are placed 

in the scenario of responding to a platoon that 

has sustained significant casualties. Under stressful, changing conditions, the students must find 

the “wounded” and triage them, treat them and 

arrange for their evacuation.

Captain Glenn Burns, M.D., is an 

Assistant Professor in the Department 

of Military and Emergency 

Medicine. A USU graduate, Dr. 

Burns participated in the Military 

and Contingency Medicine course 

and Operation Bushmaster as a 

student and saw its lessons at work 

during his emergency medicine 

residency and a tour in Iraq with the 

U.S. Special Operations Command. 

Now he is an instructor in the 

department that runs the course. 

In total darkness, with only the voices of 

the “wounded” to guide them, the students 

must locate and retrieve casualties.

Critical Training

“No other medical school expects 

their students and graduates to 

be able to perform individual and 

mass casualty care under fire. 

The skills learned throughout this 

month-long experience have been 

applied directly on the battlefield.”
12

Military Leadership

USU creates scientists and health care practitioners who are prepared for a range of exciting careers in service 

to the nation. From clinics and field hospitals to laboratories and classrooms, the university’s many exceptional 

graduates routinely distinguish themselves as leaders in their respective fields.

l e a ders h i p

Major General Thomas Travis, M.D., 

a USU alumnus, was selected recently 

to command Wilford Hall Medical 

Center. Previously, he was Command 

Surgeon, Headquarters Air Combat 

Command at Langley Air Force Base. 

Dr. Travis is one of the Air Force’s few 

pilot-physicians, and his distinguished 

career has included command of the 

U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace 

Medicine, Malcolm Grow Medical 

Center and the 79th Medical Wing, 

Andrews Air Force Base.

“I am very proud to 

be a USU graduate! 

Medical personnel 

have never been 

more clearly a part 

of this nation’s 

combat power, 

and USU and its 

graduates have 

contributed greatly 

to that capability.”

Public Health

USU alumna Captain Kimberly Mohs, M.D., is a member of the U.S. Public Health 

Service, working at the Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, New 

Mexico. Dr. Mohs is the Medical Director of the Center’s Diabetes Education and 

Counseling Center; Chair of the Internal Medicine Department; and Executive 

Director of the Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program. 

Medical Preparedness

Captain (ret.) Kevin Yeskey, M.D., a graduate 

of the USU class of 1983, was selected to 

become Deputy Assistant Secretary and Director 

of Preparedness and Emergency Operations 

within the Department of Health and Human 

Services. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Yeskey 

held a principal advisory role on matters related 

to public health and medical preparedness as a 

member of the Office of Public Health Emergency 

Preparedness at DHHS. He also has held a 

number of key disaster-related positions, including Director of USU’s Center for Disaster and 

Humanitarian Assistance Medicine. 

“For me, the Indian Health Service has provided both an excellent 

diversity in patient care and a wonderfully rewarding patient population. 

The staff of the Indian Health Service are extremely dedicated to 

improving patient care and making strides forward in public health, 

despite many fiscal and logistical challenges. My education at USU was 

definitely a good preparation for this exceptional experience.”
13

Medical Care

Medical Diplomacy

USU alumnus Colonel Donald Thompson, M.D., Command 

Surgeon for the Combined Security Transition Command, 

was awarded the Ghazi Mir Bacha Khan High Medal by 

Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Dr. Thompson was given 

the award in recognition of his contributions to efforts to 

improve the health care delivery system for both service 

members and civilian in Afghanistan.

Major Tony Leonard (top) is a 2003 graduate of USU’s 

Family Nurse Practitioner program. He is stationed in 

Iraq along with Major Joseph Candelario (bottom), also 

a GSN alumnus. They work to ensure the health of their 

battalion, and also provide care for members of the Iraqi 

Army, interpreters, contractors and Iraqi civilians.

“I have had the opportunity to instruct Iraqi medics, 

as well as Iraqi nurses and medical providers. They 

are so eager to learn... There is a big knowledge gap 

in medical care there, which we are trying to close... 

I am thankful for the education I received at USU... 

The skills taught and the ability to think critically 

prepared me well to provide excellent nursing care.” 

 Major Tony Leonard

“I was able to spend a month in Kenya as part of a 

pulmonary and critical care fellowship working at a 

tuberculosis clinic in a rural district hospital. The U.S. doesn’t 

have many active TB cases, so this was a great opportunity 

to enhance my training. I toured several different hospitals in 

the area, gave lectures and helped teach local students and 

physicians-in-training. I felt uniquely prepared to handle some 

of the unusual cases I saw because USU has an entire course 

dedicated to the study of parasitology.”

International Work

Major Aaron Holley, M.D., a graduate of USU, 

is a Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellow at 

Walter Reed Army Medical Center. 
14

FACUL T Y

Deborah Bowen, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Social 

and Behavioral Sciences at Boston University, is a 1986 

graduate of USU and former student of Dr. Grunberg. She 

has been recognized for her work in cancer and health 

behavior change, and served as principal investigator on 

several NIH-funded grants on health behavior topics including breast cancer risk communications and dietary change. 

Among her many professional honors, Dr. Bowen has been 

named Outstanding Health Psychologist by the American 

Psychological Association. 

“My experiences at USU prepared me both intellectually 

and practically for an academic career in public health. 

Intellectually, I had the privilege of receiving training that 

was both challenging and rigorous. Practically, having the 

opportunity to apply health and medical psychology to 

the settings of military medicine and health promotion 

led me to see how my field could be relevant in many 

contexts, including urban and international settings.”

Neil Grunberg

USU’s distinguished faculty includes world-renowned researchers and internationally accomplished clinicians, 

each of whom is dedicated to furthering medical research and practice, as well as sharing their knowledge, 

skills and experience for the benefit of USU students. The faculty is comprised of an outstanding group of 

military service members and civilians.

The faculty is dedicated to the shared mission of ensuring our nation’s health and well being by helping to 

create tomorrow’s leaders in federal and military health care. This significant goal fosters a highly collaborative 

atmosphere in which faculty often work on a multi-disciplinary level to advance both education and research. 

Preparing Students for Success

USU fosters a 

highly collaborative 

atmosphere in which 

faculty often work on 

a multi-disciplinary 

level to advance 

both research and 

education. 

Neil Grunberg, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Medical and Clinical 

Psychology. His specialty areas include tobacco and nicotine use, drug abuse and 

stress. He has published more than 140 scientific papers on these topics, with an 

emphasis on the effects of nicotine on body weight, food consumption, attention and 

stress. In addition to his research and teaching responsibilities, Dr. Grunberg mentors 

graduate students in medical and clinical psychology, as well as neuroscience. 

Dr. Grunberg has received multiple awards for his research 

and teaching, including the prestigious Society of Behavioral 

Medicine Distinguished Scientist award. Most recently, he 

received the 2006 Building Partnerships for Better Health Award 

from the USU Center for Health Disparities and the 2007 Carol 

J. Johns Medal for outstanding contributions to the faculty and 

educational programs at USU. Dr. Grunberg also received the 

U.S. Surgeon General’s Medal for his work as scientific editor 

for the well-known Surgeon General’s report that showed that 

nicotine is addictive, and the Surgeon General’s report on the 

health benefits of smoking cessation. 
15

Experience

Bruce Schoneboom

Anthony Beutler

The U.S. military is developing practices and training 

to help prevent orthopedic injuries. USU clinician/

researcher Major Anthony Beutler, M.D., a faculty 

member in the Department of Family Medicine and 

head of the new USU Injury Prevention Lab, is the 

principal military investigator on a National Institutes 

of Health-funded study on knee injury prevention. 

Knee injuries are some of the most common injuries 

among special operations personnel and recruits 

undergoing basic training.

Dr. Beutler is conducting the study in conjunction with 

the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Injury 

Prevention Research Center. In the initial phase of the 

study, he and his colleagues are assessing incoming 

students at the U.S. Military Academies. They will 

follow these students throughout their tenures at the 

academies and will analyze the data to establish 

prospective markers for injury risk. The goal is to 

eventually use this information to develop an injury 

prevention program that will address the most common injuries in the U.S. military.

Colonel Bruce Schoneboom, Ph.D., 

a graduate of the USU School of 

Medicine’s neuroscience program 

and an Associate Professor in the 

Graduate School of Nursing’s 

Department of Health Systems, Risk 

and Contingency Management, 

recently returned to USU from a 

one-year voluntary deployment to 

Afghanistan. As senior ranking officer, Dr. Schoneboom was 

selected to serve as the commander of the 14th Combat 

Support Hospital detachment at Forward Operating Base 

Salerno. There, he put his military training and medical 

expertise to use leading a team of 38 surgeons, registered 

nurses and a variety of allied health technicians who 

provided care for U.S. military service members and other 

coalition forces, and for Afghan civilians. 

“Throughout the military medical 

system, in the clinical environment, 

the senior people are usually from or 

have graduated from USU. Whether 

explicit or implicit, leadership is woven 

throughout everything we do here. We 

are educating the future leaders within 

the military health care system.”

“Through this collaboration with UNC, we 

are using their expertise in epidemiology 

and biomechanics and are applying it to a 

military population. Not only do we hope to 

maximize readiness and minimize time lost 

due to injury within the military system, but 

we believe our results can be broadly applied 

in civilian settings.”
16

CAMPUS LIFE

In many ways, USU is very much a traditional university, with student clubs and organizations, athletic teams 

and social activities. However, there is also a very special atmosphere at the university. At USU, there is an 

inimitable and pervasive spirit of teamwork not only among students, but also among faculty and staff. It is 

this sense of a shared purpose, camaraderie and commitment to service that distinguishes the university from 

other institutions.

university Life

DEBT-FREE EDUCATION

Many attending other medical and graduate 

programs incur significant debt due to student loans. 

USU is unique in that students pay no tuition or fees. 

In fact, most students receive salaries or stipends.

Medical students enter the university as commissioned 

officers in one of the four uniformed services: Army, 

Navy, Air Force or Public Health Service. No prior 

service is required. Students receive the full salary 

and benefits of a uniformed officer throughout their 

four years at the university in exchange for a 

seven-year active duty service commitment. 

Students in the Graduate School of Nursing are 

all active-duty uniformed nurses or nurses in federal 

civilian service. They continue to receive their regular 

salaries while at USU. 

Those in the Graduate School are a mix of civilians 

and uniformed officers. Civilian students may receive 

stipends, and uniformed graduate students continue 

to receive their regular active-duty pay and benefits 

while attending the university.

USU’s faculty and staff are comprised of 

officers and enlisted personnel, as well as 

civilians. This dedicated cadre of individuals 

is united by their commitment to service.

USU Staff

USU students can take part in a number of athletic activities, 

including soccer, rugby and hockey. Students actively participate 

in a variety of interest groups, many affiliated with national 

sponsoring organizations, which provide opportunities to learn 

about careers and foster interest in medical specialties such 

as aerospace medicine, emergency medicine, surgery, family 

medicine and undersea medicine. 

Student members of the Gamma Chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha—the national 

honor medical society, and one of the many student groups at USU—tutor and assist 

other students as they adjust to the rigors of medical school. The Student Spouses 

Club promotes a sense of community and support. The club holds many events 

throughout the year and activities for each class. Dining In and Dining Out are 

annual traditional military social events for USU students, families and associates.
17

Central LOCATION

Students, faculty and staff at USU are dedicated to serving 

their nation. This commitment creates a distinctive sense of 

camaraderie and attitude of teamwork evident throughout 

the university. Students, faculty and administrators work 

together to achieve the goal of maintaining a cadre of 

uniquely trained physicians, nurses and scientists. 

USU is committed to fostering diversity and maintaining an 

inclusive environment in which all students receive the tools 

and resources necessary to succeed. Many USU students 

are married, and the university provides a welcoming 

atmosphere and support system for both students and 

their families. 

The USU campus is surrounded by park-like woodlands 

adjacent to the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) 

and across the street from the National Institutes of Health. 

The new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is 

scheduled to open on the NNMC campus in 2011.

Most students live close to the university and have access 

to mass transit facilities, making it easy to take advantage 

of the many cultural, educational and social activities in the 

Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

The University Family Health Center is 

dedicated to providing comprehensive 

personal and family-centered care to 

active-duty students and other DoD

beneficiaries assigned to USU and 

their families.

Supportive Environment

Uniformed students, 

faculty and staff are 

representative of all 

services—the Army, 

Navy, Air Force and 

Public Health Service.

The U.S. military is the most racially and 

ethnically representative organization in 

the United States. USU seeks to have this 

diversity reflected in the military’s cadre of health care 

practitioners and are working closely with undergraduate 

institutions, various interest groups and the Association of 

American Medical Colleges to attract more under-represented minorities to careers in medicine, and specifically 

to USU and a career in military or public health medicine.

“We at USU strive to have 

our student body reflect 

the diversity in the military.”

Commander Margaret Calloway, M.D.,

Associate Dean for Admissions and 

Recruitment
18

Y e a r I n R e v i e w

Throughout the year, USU hosts a variety of educational, military and social events. These include lectures from 

distinguished scientists, service-oriented special occasions and campus-wide observances.

USU’s annual Research Week is designed to promote research 

by faculty and students at the university and its affiliate institutions and to provide increased opportunities for interdisciplinary 

collaboration. The event informs the local scientific community, 

partnering institutions and other federal agencies about 

research projects being conducted at, and in conjunction with, 

USU. The poster presentations, invited speakers and panels 

exemplify the university’s unique role in public health and 

military research.

In 2007, USU was honored to welcome Anthony Fauci, M.D., 

Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious 

Diseases, as the plenary speaker.

RESEARCH WEEK

WU AND LEONARD AWARDS

MEDICAL MASTERPIECES: ART OF A SURGEON

As part of the university’s Research Week, two USU 

faculty members were recognized for their unique 

and fundamental contributions to advancing research 

in their fields. Chou-Zen Giam, Ph.D. (left), received 

the Henry Wu Award for Excellence in Basic 

Research for his work on the human retrovirus HTLV-1, 

which causes adult T cell leukemia. Shiv Srivastava, 

Ph.D. (right), received the James Leonard Award for 

Excellence in Clinical Research in recognition of his 

discoveries regarding the over-expression of the ETSrelated gene-1 in prostate cancer. The researchers 

reported their findings in the prestigious publications 

The EMBO Journal and Oncogene, respectively.

In 2007, USU had the distinction of hosting 

a collection of original paintings and 

sketches by renowned medical illustrator 

Frank Netter, M.D.. Dr. Netter, a surgeon 

by training, was a U.S. Army officer during 

World War II and was placed in charge of 

creating graphic training aids, largely used 

to teach combat first aid and survival skills, 

and to train x-ray technicians. He went on 

to become the world’s foremost medical 

illustrator, with his artwork serving as the 

standard by which all others are measured. 

Netter once was hailed by The New York 

Times as, “the medical Michaelangelo.”

Dr. Alan Seyfer, USU Distinguished Professor of Anatomy, 

Physiology and Genetics and Air Force 2nd Lt Joshua 

Gustafson were instrumental in arranging the exhibit.
19

Expanding University Facilities

USU broke ground for its new academic center, Building E. Among 

those participating in the ceremony were Hawaii Senator Daniel K. 

Inouye; Maryland Senators Paul Sarbanes and Barbara Mikulski; 

Maryland 8th-District Congressman Chris Van Hollen; Assistant 

Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs William Winkenwerder, Jr. M.D.; 

Acting Surgeon General of the United States Rear Admiral Kenneth 

Moritsugu, M.D.; National Naval Medical Center Commander Rear 

Admiral Adam Robinson, M.D.; John Lowe, President-CEO of the Henry 

M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine; 

members of the USU Board of Regents, administration, faculty and 

senior representatives from Grimberg Construction.

Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Rascon 

addressed USU medical students. Rascon received the award for his actions as 

a medic in Vietnam, which included shielding wounded soldiers’ bodies with his 

own. He was so heavily injured in battle that he was not expected to survive.

USU Celebrates 28th Commencement

War Hero addresses Students

Colonel John Wempe, M.D., assumed command from Lieutenant 

Colonel John Maurer of the USU Brigade—the military leadership 

component within the university and USU’s link to the broader 

military community. The Brigade is comprised of roughly 250 

faculty and staff members from all branches of the Armed Services. 

Brigade personnel play a key role in helping USU students 

become leaders in a military environment.

In 2007, USU celebrated its 28th commencement, with Vice Admiral Donald C. Arthur, M.D., 

Navy Surgeon General and Chief of the Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, providing the commencement address. The School of Medicine and Graduate School of Nursing 

awarded more than 200 doctor of medicine and other scientific graduate degrees.

Brigade Command Change
20

Y e a r I n R e v i e w

FIGHTING FOR LIFE

USU has been referred to as “military medicine’s 

best kept secret.” However, with a new film focused 

on the university, the school will not remain a secret 

much longer.

“Fighting for Life,” a documentary by two-time 

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Terry Sanders, is 

a portrait of American military medicine. The film tells 

the story of USU and shows students at the university 

who are on their journeys towards becoming military 

physicians and nurses. 

The gripping documentary uses compelling footage, 

including images from the current conflicts in Iraq 

and Afghanistan, to illustrate the ways in which U.S. 

military medical personnel around the world work 

tirelessly to care for those in harm’s way, and in 

particular the key role USU plays in educating these 

doctors. It premiered at a private screening at the 

Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in May, and 

enters broad release in the fall of 2007.

The film was initiated by the Friends of USU—an 

all-volunteer membership group incorporated in 

Maryland as a 501(c)3 organization. Led by a 

volunteer board of directors and working in close 

collaboration with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation 

for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Friends of 

USU seeks to support and promote public awareness 

of the university. Friends President Thomasine I. 

Alvarez was the driving force behind the production 

of the film and is the Executive Producer. Her son 

attended USU and was deployed to Iraq. Her 

husband, Everett Alvarez, Jr., is the chair of the 

university’s Board of Regents.

Many members of the USU community—students, 

faculty, alumni and staff—are featured in this full-length 

docu-drama including Drs. Paul Pasquina, Gina and 

Warren Dorlac and Stephen Davies. 

© 2007 American Film Foundation

“When I first visited USU, I was immediately 

struck by the quality, maturity and idealism 

of the students; the energy, excellence and 

clarity of faculty lectures; the high ethical 

component running throughout the school; 

and the dedication and generosity of faculty 

and staff toward the students.”

Terry Sanders, Producer and Director

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Pasquina, M.D. A graduate of West Point and USU, in 2003 Dr. 

Pasquina was selected to be the Chairman of the 

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service and 

shortly thereafter was instrumental in helping to form 

the U.S. military’s Amputee 

Program at Walter Reed 

Army Medical Center.

“The thing that keeps 

me going is the attitudes 

of our patients. To see 

these soldiers push the 

limits of medicine and of 

rehabilitation has been 

incredible to watch and to 

class of 1991 be a part of.”
21

NOBEL LAUREATE Presents Packard Lecture

2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology of Medicine 

recipient Sydney Brenner, Ph.D., visited the 

university to present the annual David Packard 

Lecture. A pioneer in genetics and molecular 

biology, among his many groundbreaking 

accomplishments, Brenner established the existence of messenger RNA and demonstrated 

how the order of amino acids in proteins is 

determined. The Packard Lecture is USU’s 

premier invited lecture.

Both graduates of USU, the 

Dorlacs serve at Landstuhl 

Regional Medical Center 

in Germany, where patients 

are sent directly from Iraq 

and Afghanistan. She is 

the Medical Director of the 

Combined Intensive Care 

Unit and he is the Trauma 

Medical Director.

First-year students receive their medical coats in 

a ceremony marking “White Coat Day.”

“The film shows how much we 

need [USU], with its focused 

mission to teach medical students 

and graduate nurses to practice 

good medicine in bad places.” 

Bernadine Healy, M.D., former director 

of the National Institutes of Health and 

president and CEO of the American Red 

Cross, writing in her U.S. News & World 

Report health column

Stephen Davies, Ph.D. Dr. Davies is an Assistant Professor in the 

Department of Microbiology and Immunology at 

USU. His interest is in understanding human diseases, particularly traditionally overlooked tropical 

diseases that afflict billions of people worldwide, 

such as schistosomiasis. Dr. Davies’ laboratory is 

funded by the National Institutes of Health and the 

Department of Defense.

“Schistosomiasis affects around 200 million 

people. We’re hoping that our work will lead 

to the design of new drugs or vaccines.”

“The devotion for me is...

these soldiers and Marines 

and seeing what they’ve 

sacrificed. If they can do 

that for our country, then 

we all should do as much 

as we can, because they’ve 

given so much more.” 

Lieutenant Colonel Gina 

Dorlac, M.D.

class of 1989 class of 1989

Colonel Warren Dorlac, M.D. and Lieutenant Colonel Gina Dorlac, M.D.
22

CONTINUING HEALTH EDUCATION

Military readiness requires physicians and other personnel with specialized training in military medicine, disaster 

medicine, combat casualty care, tropical medicine and related disciplines. USU contributes to medical readiness 

and disaster response by training thousands of health care professionals annually through its continuing medical 

and nursing education programs. USU also serves as a central resource for DoD and the nation by providing 

consultative services and expertise on a wide array of military-related topics.

USU’s Office of Continuing Education for Health Professionals offers 

the only program of its kind in the military health system, with six 

accreditations—for physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, 

pharmacists and health care executives. The office offers state-of-the 

art training opportunities, organizes and executes DoD medical 

treatment facility-based activities, organizes courses, workshops and 

Internet continuing education and runs regular conferences. 

The Military Training Network conducts advanced cardiac life 

support, pediatric advanced life support and advanced trauma life 

support classes. It also manages training programs embedded within 

military units around the world.

R e a diness

COUNTERING THE EFFECTS OF EMOTIONAL TRAUMA

USU’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS), which 

operates in conjunction with the Department of Psychiatry, conducts 

research, education, consultation and training on preparing for and 

responding to the psychological and health effects of traumatic 

events. The Center’s multi-disciplinary approach integrates science, 

clinical care and community needs, preparedness and public 

education. Center Director Robert Ursano, M.D., Professor and 

Chair of the Department of Psychiatry, is world-renowned for his 

leadership and scholarship in disaster planning, preparedness, 

response and recovery. Staff members have expertise in 

disaster psychiatry, military medicine and psychiatry, social 

and organizational psychology, neuroscience, family violence, 

workplace preparedness and public education.

USU is world-renowned for its leadership and scholarship in 

disaster planning, preparedness, response and recovery.

“Continuing education directly supports the readiness 

of our military members. Because of increased 

availability of quality continuing education, healthcare 

providers are more prepared to take care of troops 

who are in harm’s way.” 

Captain Jaime Luke, R.N.

Senior Executive Director for Continuing Health Education
23

Physical wounds are sometimes not 

the only injuries sustained by military 

personnel. Combat trauma, Post 

Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and 

challenges related to reintegration 

after deployment can be serious 

issues that require specialized 

care. Deployment also can be a 

significant stress on family members. 

The new USU Center for Deployment 

Psychology (CDP) plays a key role in 

the Military Health System’s approach 

to dealing with mental health effects of 

deployment on service members and their families.

The American Psychological Association worked 

closely with Congress to establish the program 

at the university. The Congressionally funded 

program will educate military and civilian 

health care professionals about how to provide 

appropriate and effective care for deploymentrelated mental health issues. The Center’s 

mission is to develop a well-trained cadre of 

psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers to 

treat members of the military community.

CDP staff are developing and conducting 

behavioral health courses, instituting research, 

making recommendations and drafting proposals 

that to support deployment-related policies and 

program development. They are also working to 

increase awareness regarding deployment-related 

behavioral health needs among service members 

and their families. CDP is working closely with 

other USU programs including the esteemed 

Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, as well 

as well-known researcher David Krantz, Ph.D., 

Professor and Chair of the Department of Medical 

and Clinical Psychology. 

New Center Focuses on Deployment-Related Mental Health Care

In 2007, CSTS launched the Courage to Care for Me campaign as part of their broadly 

successful Courage to Care initiative—a health communication campaign designed to 

educate professionals and laypersons in a timely manner about topics related to militaryunique health care, homeland security and national health issues. Courage to Care for Me

is designed to raise awareness of the strength and courage required in parenting during 

stressful times. The goal is to help clinicians and family advocacy professionals reinforce 

the values of positive parenting, especially to new mothers in military settings.

Courage to Care for Me

A Courage to Care For Me “onesie” is imprinted with the campaign logo and 

accompanied by a tag that asks “Why Courage?” The tag explains that parenting 

during times of war involves courage at home, just as on the battlefield.

CSTS Associate Director Stephen Cozza, M.D., 

contributed to the development, by Sesame 

Workshop, of a new outreach 

kit designed to help young 

children of service members deal 

effectively with the stresses of 

military deployments. Titled “Talk, Listen, Connect: 

Helping Families During Military Deployment,” 

the kit addresses the challenges and concerns 

children experience during various stages of 

deployment, and includes a DVD featuring the 

Sesame Street Muppets. 

Helping Families During Military Deployment

(left to right) Dr. Charles L. Rice, President, USU; Dr. Cynthia Belar, 

American Psychological Association; Congressman C.W. Bill 

Young; Dr. David Riggs, Director, CDP; Dr. David Krantz, Chair, 

USU Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology.
24

IMPROVING BLAST INJURY OUTCOMES

In addition to providing world-class educational opportunities, USU is dedicated to visionary military and public health-relevant research and has a reputation as a worldwide center of excellence in areas such as disaster 

medicine, infectious diseases, preventive medicine, tropical medicine and adaptation to extreme environments. 

University researchers conduct investigations to ensure military health and readiness, and for the broad benefit 

of humankind. Collaboration is key, with USU scientists conducting clinical and laboratory investigations sideby-side with leading researchers at federal and private institutions in the U.S. and around the world.

Currently, improvised explosive devices are the most 

common cause of combat injuries. Blasts frequently 

result in traumatic brain injury, as well as chronic 

disabilities that can affect everyday functions. The most 

frequently occurring symptom of blast traumatic brain 

injury (BTBI) is memory 

impairment.

An interdisciplinary 

team of USU researchers led by Christine E. 

Kasper, Ph.D., R.N., a 

Professor in the Graduate 

School of Nursing and 

faculty with the Office of 

Nursing Services at the 

Department of Veterans 

Affairs Central Office, 

received a three-year 

grant from the VA to 

characterize the cellular, molecular and behavioral 

consequences of moderate and severe BTBI. The 

researchers also will test their theory that treatment with 

an anti-inflammatory medication, along with behavioral 

stimulation, will produce neuro-regeneration leading 

to better patient outcomes. This is a departure from the 

traditional approach of severely limiting the amount of 

stimuli to which a patient with TBI is exposed.

The cross-disciplinary research team includes Denes 

Agoston, M.D., Ph.D., an Associate Professor in the 

Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, and 

Neil Grunberg, Ph.D., a Professor in the Department of 

Medical and Clinical Psychology. Colonel Geoffrey 

Ling, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Division of Critical 

Care Medicine, Vice Chair of the Department of 

Neurology and a Professor in the Departments of 

Anesthesiology, Neurology and Surgery and Joseph 

Long, Ph.D., at the Walter Reed Army Institute of 

Research, are also collaborators.

Its close proximity to prestigious research institutions, including the 

National Institutes of Health, affords USU faculty and students 

singular opportunities to interact. They have a deep sense of 

shared mission among themselves and others within the military 

health system, lending itself to an extraordinary team spirit rarely 

found at other educational institutions.

“The wealth of research opportunities here is mind 

blowing...You have to cross cut if you want your research to 

have clinical relevance. Everyone here is so welcoming about 

collaborations and talking about research. It’s a joy.”

Students at USU benefit from this atmosphere and location, 

as well. “One of my doctoral students is back and forth at 

NIH all the time... Some of my students are also working 

on a study we’re doing with the Armed Forces Radiobiology 

Research Institute...”

Christine E. Kasper, Ph.D., R.N.

Collaborating for Success

R ese a r ch
25

Extending Research Collaborations

USU is working to increase research collaborations with the National Institutes 

of Health. University faculty not only seek out new research relationships, but 

there is also a growing exchange between NIH personnel and USU faculty. 

These collaborations have attracted scientists from many of the institutes, among 

them the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Johnan A. R. Kaleeba, Ph.D., is a virologist and Assistant Professor in the USU 

Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He came to the university from 

NIAID to continue his scientific studies on mechanisms by which DNA tumor 

viruses infect and alter the growth of host cells leading to cancer. Dr. Kaleeba’s 

work at NIH culminated with the discovery that a protein normally involved in 

protecting cells against inflammation is also co-opted as an entry receptor for 

a new herpesvirus that is associated with Kaposi’s sarcoma, the most common 

cancer among people with weak immune systems. His work was published in 

the prestigious journal Science.

Now at USU, Dr. Kaleeba is developing novel approaches to harness the 

body’s own anti-inflammatory defenses as a mechanism to attenuate the 

emergence of virus-associated syndromes, with the ultimate goal of developing 

treatments for such illnesses.

ADVANCING THE SCIENCE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS

As reported widely in the media, on January 

29, 2006, while reporting in Iraq, ABC news 

anchor Bob Woodruff was severely injured 

when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb near Taji. 

After receiving a life-saving craniectomy in Balad 

performed by far-forward neurosurgeons, he 

was airlifted to the Army hospital in Landstuhl, 

Germany, and then on to the National Naval 

Medical Center (NNMC) in Bethesda, 

Maryland, all within 72 hours of the blast. 

Upon arrival at NNMC, a team including 

clinician/researcher Lieutenant Colonel Rocco 

Armonda, M.D., USU Class of 1990, performed 

a cerebral angiogram on Woodruff to ensure 

he had no evidence of neurovascular injury. Dr. 

Armonda is an interventional vascular 

neurosurgeon/

intensivist with USU’s 

Comprehensive 

Neuroscience 

Program (CNP) 

and is a member 

of the faculty of the 

Department of Surgery. The reporter emerged 

from a five-week medically induced coma, and 

10 days later, was able to return home for further 

rehabilitation. Armonda traveled to New York 

to assist with Woodruff’s cranioplasty using a 

military computer-manufactured acrylic plate and 

injectable bone “paste.” Woodruff returned to 

NNMC one year later while filming an ABC 

News special report chronicling his injury and 

subsequent recovery.

The CNP is a multi-site, collaborative clinical 

research program working to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of neurological 

disorders, with a focus on acute care. Program 

researchers examine neurological issues from a 

broad perspective that encompasses not only 

basic research, but also real-world applications. 

The initiative is a collaborative effort among 

Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), 

NNMC, Conemaugh Health System, USU 

and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the 

Advancement of Military Medicine, under the 

direction of Colonel William Campbell, M.D., 

Dr. Armonda (right) and a patient Chair of Neurology at USU.
26

Using Genomics to Understand Disease Processes

EXPLORING RADIATION RESISTANCE

Radiation resistance is an important area of study 

in many respects, from devising mechanisms of 

radioprotection to cleaning up nuclear waste. 

USU researchers, lead by Department of 

Pathology Associate Professor Michael Daly, 

Ph.D., have made significant strides in research 

related to the radiation-resilient bacterium 

Deinococcus radiodurans.

D. radiodurans has long been known to be 

capable of withstanding extremely high doses of 

ionizing radiation. In a groundbreaking study 

released in 2007, Daly and collaborators from 

institutions including the National Institutes of 

Health uncovered evidence pointing to a potent 

form of protein protection as the mechanism 

through which the bacterium protects itself. 

These results likely will cause a shift in D. radiodurans research, changing the focus from 

previously held theories regarding DNA damage 

and repair.

In prior work on the organism, Daly and colleagues collaborated with the Pacific Northwest 

National Laboratory to develop improved methods 

of studying the bacterium. The organism had been 

engineered previously by another scientific team 

to attack pollutants often found at radioactive sites. 

The technologies created by Daly’s team allowed 

scientists to obtain extensive protein identification 

information that could lead to methods of using the 

D. radiodurans as a tool for bioremediation. The 

results of the study were published in the leading 

journal PLoS Biology.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common 

life-limiting genetic disease in the U.S. 

The disease manifests when a child 

receives one mutant CF gene from each 

parent. Roughly five percent of the U.S. 

population carries a copy of the mutant 

CF gene, making the disease relatively 

common in the military dependent 

community, and therefore relevant to 

military medical research. Harvey Pollard, 

M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the 

USU Department of Anatomy, Physiology 

and Genetics, and his team received 

a $14 million award from NIH to use 

proteomics to advance CF research. 

Pollard’s lab is making significant progress 

on several fronts, including developing 

new technologies to study proteins. 

Current methods focus primarily on mass 

spectrometry, which identifies proteins that 

occur in abundance. Many investigators 

believe that the crucial disease-specific 

proteins are those that occur in low levels. 

Pollard and his team have therefore 

developed a new antibody microarray 

technology that is highly sensitive and can 

detect these less abundant proteins. The 

Pollard lab now uses both technologies 

in parallel to get a complete view of as 

many of the proteins as possible. 

The group is applying its new protein 

analysis technology to the study of 

several other important diseases, 

including prostate cancer, breast 

cancer and heart disease. They are 

conducting this research in collaboration 

with partners including Johns Hopkins 

University, NIH and the Lombardi 

Comprehensive Cancer Center at 

Georgetown University.

Dedication
27

LINKING DIET TO GASTRIC DISEASE

Many people have never heard of Helicobacter 

pylori, yet more than half of the world’s population 

is infected with the bacteria. H. pylori is the main 

cause of peptic ulcer disease and a major cause 

of gastric cancer, although most people with H. 

pylori don’t have obvious symptoms. Roughly 20 

percent of people younger than 40 and 60 percent of people older than 60 are infected with the 

bacteria. A team of researchers including D. Scott 

Merrell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Microbiology 

and Immunology, showed that high concentrations 

of salt in the stomach seem to stimulate increased 

activity in the bacteria, raising the risk of serious 

gastric disease.

Epidemiological evidence has 

long implied that there is a 

connection between H. pylori

activity and diet, but until now, 

the majority of research has 

focused on the effects of diet on 

the stomach rather than on the 

bacteria’s response to specific components of a 

person’s diet. As part of an NIH-supported project, 

Merrell’s team examined the effect of a high-salt 

diet on H. pylori’s growth and gene expression. 

The researchers deduced that high levels of salt

in vitro cause a defect in cell division. Further, they 

found increased transcription by two genes that 

induce virulence in H. pylori. This could help to 

explain the increased risk of disease previously 

shown to be associated with a high-salt diet among 

H. pylori-infected individuals. The team presented 

the study results at the May 2007 general meeting 

of the American Society for Microbiology. 

USU RESEARCHERS FIND BROAD-SPECTRUM DEFENSE AGAINST HIV-1

Research conducted at USU suggests that it may 

be possible to develop a vaccine that protects 

against the myriad strains of the HIV virus. This 

groundbreaking study titled: “Extensively CrossReactive Anti-HIV-1 Neutralizing Antibodies 

Induced by gp140 Immunization” appeared a 

spring 2007 online edition of Proceedings of the 

National Academy of Sciences.

To be effective, an HIV vaccine must induce the 

body to produce cross-reactive antibodies that can 

neutralize multiple strains. USU Professors Captain 

Gerald Quinnan, Jr., M.D., and Christopher Broder, 

Ph.D., and their colleagues at USU attempted to 

elicit these broad-range antibodies by immunizing 

with a particular HIV-1 surface protein, designated 

R2 gp140, and an immune response-boosting 

component. The researchers tested antibodies 

generated by the immunizations to determine 

their effectiveness in neutralizing the infectivity of 

a variety of HIV-1 strains. Antibodies produced as 

a result of immunization neutralized all 48 strains 

of HIV-1 tested. The results are encouraging for 

vaccine development, because they showed that 

it is possible to elicit a broad-spectrum antibody 

response. This research was supported by a grant 

from a number of collaborators including the 

National Institutes of Health/NIAID and the Henry 

M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of 

Military Medicine.

Drs. Gerald Quinnan (left) and Christopher 

Broder (center) talk with Dr. Anthony Fauci, 

Director of the National Institute of Allergy 

and Infectious Diseases.
28

AFRRI scientists provide research results 

and expertise to the U.S. Government and 

the DoD in the field of radiation biology 

and help inform and develop policies and 

national response plans. For example, in 

collaborations with the international scientific 

community, AFRRI acts as a catalyst to 

publish medical and technical information 

based on data from nuclear accidents and 

incidents in other countries. Such information 

can be used to direct rescue operations, 

including those resulting from terrorist actions 

or industrial nuclear accidents. 

Researchers are also investigating treatment 

options to protect both service members and 

civilians in a variety of radiation exposure 

scenarios. Using their understanding of the 

mechanisms of radiation damage, AFRRI

scientists are pursuing new and improved 

pharmacological approaches to prevent 

the health-degrading and potentially 

life-threatening effects of ionizing radiation. 

Making use of novel cellular and molecular 

approaches and complex physiological 

systems, the researchers are working to 

move these potentially life-saving drugs from 

discovery through the FDA approval process. 

MEASURES TO COMBAT RADIATION EXPOSURE

EXPOSURE LEVELS AND HEALTH RISKS

A F RRI

A r m ed Forces Rad iob iology R ese a rch Institut e

It is imperative that the military and the larger medical community, indeed, the nation, be prepared for the threat 

of nuclear or radiological attack. A component of USU, the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute 

(AFRRI) provides unique expertise and capabilities in the field of radiation biology. Researchers there are working on novel assessment and treatment technologies to protect both military and civilian populations.

A nuclear or radiological attack could result in 

mass casualties and would likely cause a range of 

acute and long-term health consequences. Research 

conducted at AFRRI is improving the ability to rapidly 

assess an individual’s exposure to radiation. 

Scientists at AFRRI are creating new approaches to 

classical biodosimetry, which is based on cytogenetic 

damage, for casualty triage 

soon after exposure. One area 

of study focuses on developing 

dose-assessment assays that use 

transportable equipment to test 

easily obtained samples, such as 

hair, fingernails, urine or a drop 

of blood. Utilizing innovative 

approaches, they are also improving 

the accuracy, dose range, ease of 

use and speed of biodosimetry. 

To ensure the health of our service members, AFRRI

scientists established a new approach to assessing the potential health effects of militarily relevant 

metals that may become embedded as shrapnel. 

Researchers evaluate the acute and long-term health 

risks of metals, such as depleted uranium and tungsten 

alloys, and explore potential treatments for any 

adverse effects. 

Exp ertise
29

AFRRI’s specialized research 

facilities and resources—designed 

specifically for small-scale research 

purposes—provide scientists with a 

variety of radiations, energies and 

dose rates. This enables researchers 

to conduct targeted research on 

the effects of ionizing radiation, 

and allows them to simulate field 

conditions and determine the effects 

of combined injuries. Its mediumsized research reactor, high-energy 

irradiation facility and low-level irradiation facility are licensed by the 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

UNIQUE RESEARCH FACILITIES

PROVIDING EDUCATION ON MEDICAL EFFECTS OF IONIZING RADIATION

AFRRI’s Military Medical Operations department 

supports the U.S. Armed Services by providing 

medical and operational personnel with up-to-date 

information concerning the biomedical consequences of radiation exposure, how the effects 

can be reduced and how to manage casualties. 

At the Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation 

course, students receive a unique education on the 

hazards of ionizing radiation, radiation pathology, 

human exposure resulting from radiation accidents, 

consequences of nuclear weapons detonation and 

nuclear accident response by government organizations. They also hold an annual scientific updates 

meeting to share the most recent findings in the field 

with military and civilian personnel, health care 

providers and operational planners.

The Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation course 

is the most comprehensive training available on 

this topic, and is the only graduate-level course 

in the DoD for training health care professionals 

in the management of uncontrolled ionizing 

radiation exposure. 

AFRRI has a team 

of scientists ready to 

deploy in case of a 

nuclear event. They are 

subject matter experts 

on how to manage 

casualties in such 

situations.
30

The U.S. military is increasingly called on to support 

domestic and international disaster response and 

other humanitarian assistance efforts, which often 

involves providing medical care in austere environments and in developing countries. The Center for 

Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine 

(CDHAM), which operates within USU’s Department 

of Military and Emergency Medicine, serves as a 

central resource for the DoD, other government agencies and international partners. 

Headed by Robert Darling, M.D., a graduate of the 

USU class of 1985, CDHAM’s staff has expertise 

in a broad range of areas, and its academic setting 

enables a multidisciplinary approach to disaster 

mitigation. The program is engaged in a full range 

of initiatives aimed at improving preparedness and 

response. Many of these efforts are undertaken with 

foreign military and civilian agencies, as well as other 

leading U.S. academic medical centers. 

The center supports the U.S. military with a wide 

range of health-related activities around the world. 

CDHAM works with the Global Emerging Infections 

Surveillance and Response System (DoD-GEIS) 

on a pandemic influenza program, serving as a 

resource for commanders in the field. The center is 

collaborating with the U.S. Southern Command to 

create a sustainable HIV/AIDS prevention program 

for Caribbean defense forces in seven countries. 

Staff members also are working with the government 

of Chad on a landmine assistance program to help 

government and military forces provide care to victims 

of landmines.

In May of 2007, two researchers with CDHAM 

published a study showing that many residents of 

FEMA-created trailer parks housing persons displaced 

by Hurricane Katrina are facing serious and persistent 

mental health issues. According to the study, which 

appeared in the Annals of Emergency Medicine,

major depression is a pervasive problem, with suicide 

attempts among trailer park residents at a rate 78 

times higher than the national average. The researchers, Lynn Lawry, M.D. and Michael P. Anastario, Ph.D., 

used a global humanitarian aid perspective to assess 

a number of factors, including mental health, for the 

purpose of informing recovery efforts.

In 2007, a CDHAM team traveled to Afghanistan to 

help coordinate efforts to devise strategies to create 

a long-term health care infrastructure by helping to 

rebuild the civilian medical system and expanding 

health care expertise within the country. Efforts include 

working with Afghan National Security Forces to 

help them develop their health care infrastructure and 

conduct health care training programs.

C ou r ag e

Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Response

The Center’s staff has expertise in a 

broad range of areas, and its academic 

setting enables a multidisciplinary 

approach to disaster mitigation.

Jim Holliman, M.D., was part of a CDHAM 

team that travelled to Afghanistan.
31

National Capital Area Medical Simulation Center

The National Capital Area Medical Simulation 

Center houses some of the most advanced 

medical simulation technologies in the world. At 

the Simulation Center, students undertake critical 

clinical and surgical skills training, including taking 

part in exercises involving live simulated patients, 

high-fidelity patient mannequins and virtual reality 

computer-enhanced task trainers. The center conducts roughly 8,000 simulations each academic 

year, and its resources are available to all university 

medical and nursing students, interns, residents and 

others in the USU community. 

Immersive Virtual Enviaronment

The center is home to a cutting-edge Wide Area 

Virtual Environment (WAVE). Most computer-based 

medical simulators focus on individual training, 

but in reality, most medical care is administered in 

teams. The WAVE creates a realistic environment 

in which groups of students can train together to 

care for the injured during combat situations. The 

initial prototype system creates a 3-D environment, 

complete with an advanced sound system, that 

immerses participants in a battlefield setting. The 

WAVE also can be used to simulate disaster, 

biological attack and other mass casualty 

scenarios. It is one of the only facilities of its 

kind in the world.

Surgical Simulation

The center’s Surgical Simulation Laboratory 

includes a full-scale operating room, as well as a 

virtual reality room, which provide realistic scenarios for trauma and surgical training. The operating 

room is equipped with computerized, high-fidelity 

human patient mannequins, and the virtual reality 

room houses computer-enhanced task trainers that 

enable students to practice surgical procedures, 

endoscopic skills and laparoscopic techniques.

Clinical Skills

The Simulation Center’s Clinical Skills Teaching 

Laboratory includes 12 patient examination rooms 

where standardized patients, played by actors, 

help students hone their communication, interpersonal, professional, physical exam and diagnostic 

reasoning skills. Faculty monitor the encounters and 

provide students with critical feedback. 

The Simulation Center 

uses state-of-the-art 

technologies to conduct 

specialized clinical and 

surgical skills training. By 

graduation, USU students 

will have taken part in 

roughly 40 different 

simulations.
32

Looking Ahead

U.S. academic medicine is facing a myriad of 

challenges—a predicted 30 percent shortfall in the 

number of physicians within the next 20 years; fewer 

competitive undergraduates applying to medical 

school; concern about student debt and its limitation 

of choice of practice; continued lack of diversity 

among student bodies; curricula taxed by the 

ever-growing complexity and scientific challenges of 

medical practice; and the challenge and practicality 

for faculty of balancing the enormous demands of 

acting as physician, teacher and scientist. At the same 

time, health care and biomedical research have never 

been more exciting and fulfilling.

USU faces many of the same issues as civilian 

academic health centers, with the critical difference 

that USU students face neither debt nor limits on 

practice and career. The university’s curriculum 

is, and has always been, focused on keeping 

troops healthy. This gives a special niche that 

the university will continue to emphasize in both 

education and research programs. The university is 

at an extraordinary moment in history. Due to the 

recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment 

and Closure committee, the DoD will create on this 

campus, and with USU as its educational core, the 

“academic health center of the 21st Century.” Leaders 

in the National Capital Area are hard at work 

developing the new Walter Reed National Military 

Medical Center (WRNMMC), scheduled to open 

on the National Naval Medical Center campus—the 

home of USU—in 2011. 

USU’s role in this new medical center presents a 

tremendous opportunity not only for the Military 

Health System, but also for the nation’s academic 

health system. The joining of four uniformed services, 

co-located with a health sciences university, on a 

campus adjacent to the National Institutes of Health, 

with its unparalled research and clinical services, will 

allow U.S. medicine to create a new model of an 

academic health center. WRNMMC will be a focal 

point of federal investment in the health sciences at a 

single site and will allow USU to provide an education for future uniformed services practitioners and 

researchers that is informed by the very latest research 

on emerging health problems.

Success will depend largely on flexibility and 

innovation. The university must learn to cross with 

grace and ease the boundaries of service—Army, 

Navy, Air Force or Public Health Service, within and 

beyond the Department of Defense and Department 

of Health and Human Services. It must engage 

civilian academic health centers in meaningful 

partnerships and connect with NIH researchers, grant 

them access to the military’s extraordinary clinical 

research population and databases, and in turn gain 

expanded access for the military system to state-ofthe-art treatment and protocols.

The nation has invested billions of dollars in public 

health. The creation of WRNMMC is a first step in 

pooling resources and developing shared visions to 

serve a single mission—ensuring military and public 

health worldwide.

Members of the original 

2006 – 2007 flag council for 

National Capital Area integration efforts included: (left to 

right) Major General Kenneth 

Farmer, Jr., M.D., Commanding 

General, North Atlantic Regional 

Medical Command; Charles 

Rice, M.D., USU President; Rear 

Admiral Adam Robinson, M.D., 

Commander, National Naval 

Medical Center; Brigadier 

General Thomas Travis, M.D., 

Commander, 79th Medical Wing.

The DoD will create on this 

campus, and with USU as 

its educational core, the 

“academic health center of 

the 21st Century.”
President 

Charles L. Rice, M.D.

Chief of Staff

Stephen Henske, M.H.A., CAPT, MSC, USN (Ret)

Special Assistant, Bldg. E

Mary A. Dix, B.S., M.S.

Special Assistant, BRAC Integration

Vernon D. Schinski, Ph.D.

CAPT, MSC, USN (Ret)

Dean, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine

Larry W. Laughlin, M.D., Ph.D.

CAPT, MC, USN (Ret)

Vice Dean

Col John McManigle,USAF, MC

Associate Dean for Graduate Education

Eleanor S. Metcalf, Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education

Howard E. Fauver, Jr., M.D., COL, MC, USA (Ret)

Associate Dean for Student Affairs

Richard MacDonald, M.D., COL, MC, USA (Ret)

Commandant, School of Medicine

Col. Ken Tashiro, USAF, MC

(Acting) Dean Graduate School of Nursing

William Bester, R.N., MSN, C.N.A.A., BC

BG, AN, USA (Ret)

Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs

Karen L. Elberson, Ph.D., R.N. 

Vacant (October 1, 2007 – present)

Assistant Dean for Student Affairs/Commandant

LTC Wanda D. Jenkins, AN, USA

Director, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute

COL Patricia K. Lillis-Hearne, MC, USA

Director, U.S. Military Cancer Institute

John Potter, M.D.

(Acting) Senior Vice President

Dale C. Smith, Ph.D.

Vice President for Recruitment and Diversity

CAPT Cynthia Macri, MC, USN

Vice President, Affiliations and International Affairs

Emmanuel G. Cassimatis, M.D.

COL, MC, USA (Ret)

 Senior Executive Director, Continuing Education for 

Health Professionals Directorate

CAPT Jaime Luke, NC, USN

Vice President for External Affairs

Carol R. Scheman, M.S.S.A.

Vice President for Finance and Administration

Stephen C. Rice, M.S., F.A.C.H.E.

CAPT, MSC, USN (Ret)

Vice President for Research

Steven G. Kaminsky, Ph.D.

Brigade Commander

LTC John Maurer, MS, USA 

COL John Wempe, MC, USA (August 2007 – present)

General Counsel

John E. Baker, J.D., LL.M., COL, JA, USA (Ret)

Faculty Senate President

Bob Williams, Ph.D.

F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine 

Academic Department Chairs/Program Directors

Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics

Chair: Harvey B. Pollard, M.D., Ph.D., CAPT, USPHS (Ret)

Department of Anesthesiology

(Acting) Chair: LTC(P) Cynthia H. Shields, MC, USA 

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Chair: Teresa Dunn, Ph.D.

Department of Biomedical Informatics

Chair: A. Leon Moore, Ph.D.

Department of Dermatology

Chair and Professor: Leonard B. Sperling, M.D.

COL, MC, USA (Ret)

Department of Family Medicine

Chair: Col Brian V. Reamy, USAF, MC

Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology

Chair: David S. Krantz, Ph.D.

Department of Medical History

Chair: Dale C. Smith, Ph.D.

Department of Medicine

Chair: Robert Goldstein, M.D. 

(Acting) Chair: Brian Monahan, M.D. 

(September 2007 – present)

Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Chair: Alison D. O’Brien, Ph.D.

Department of Military and Emergency Medicine

Chair: CAPT Trueman W. Sharp, MC, USN

Department of Neurology

Chair: COL William W. Campbell, Jr., MC, USA

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Chair: Andrew Satin, M.D., Col, USAF, MC (Ret) 

(Acting) Chair: Col Christopher Zahn, USAF, MC 

(September 2007 – present)

Department of Pathology

Chair: Robert M. Friedman, M.D., CAPT, USPHS (Ret)

Department of Pediatrics 

Chair: Ildy M. Katona, M.D., CAPT, MC, USN (Ret)

Department of Pharmacology

Chair: Brian M. Cox, Ph.D.

Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics

Chair: CAPT Gerald V. Quinnan, USPHS

Department of Psychiatry

Chair: Robert J. Ursano, M.D., Col, USAF, MC (Ret)

Department of Radiation Biology

Chair: Terry C. Pellmar, Ph.D.

Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine

Chair: James G. Smirniotopoulos, M.D.

Department of Surgery

Chair: COL David G. Burris, MC, USA

Emerging Infectious Diseases Program

Director: Christopher C. Broder, Ph.D.

Molecular and Cell Biology Program

Director: Jeffrey M. Harmon, Ph.D.

Neuroscience Program

Director: Regina Armstrong, Ph.D.

Section of Medical Jurisprudence

Bradley S. Beall, J.D., CDR, JAGC, USN (Ret)

Graduate School of Nursing 

Academic Department Chairs/Program Directors

Department of Health Systems, Risk and Contingency 

Management

Chair: Sandra C. Bibb, D.N.Sc., R.N.

Department of Health, Injury and Disease Management

Chair: Diane Padden, Ph.D., C.R.N.P.

Family Nurse Practitioner Program

Director: Diane Seibert, Ph.D., C.R.N.P.

Perioperative Clinical Nurse Specialist Program

Director: COL Linda J. Wanzer, AN, USA

Nurse Anesthesia Program 

Director: Lt Col Adrienne Hartgerink, USAF, NC

Nursing Science Program

Karen L. Elberson, Ph.D., R.N.

(Acting) Director: Christine Kasper, Ph.D., R.N. (August 

2007 – present)

Psychiatric Mental Health Program

MAJ Robert Arnold, AN, USA

Board of Regents

Chair

The Honorable Everett Alvarez, Jr.

Vice Chair

The Honorable Linda J. Stierle

Members 

The Honorable Otis W. Brawley

The Honorable Colleen Conway-Welch

The Honorable William DeLaPeña

The Honorable Sharon A. Falkenheimer 

(Resigned July 31, 2007)

The Honorable Vinicio E. Madrigal

The Honorable Lawrence C. Mohr, Jr.

The Honorable C. Thomas Yarington, Jr. 

(Deceased May 30, 2007)

Ex-Officio Members

The Honorable S. Ward Casscells

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs 

Charles L. Rice, M.D.

President, USU

VADM Donald C. Arthur (July 2004 - August 27, 2007)

Surgeon General, United States Navy

VADM Adam M. Robinson (August 27, 2007 – present)

Surgeon General, United States Navy

Lt Gen James G. Roudebush, USAF, MC

Surgeon General, United States Air Force

RADM Kenneth P. Moritsugu, USPHS

(Acting) Surgeon General of the United States

MG Gale S. Pollock, AN, USA

(Acting) Surgeon General, United States Army

USU Leadership

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