The Official USU Newsletter

Volume 5, Issue 16 ■ November 29, 2010

www.usuhs.mil
On the cover

USU Sports Medicine Fellows provided 

on-site medical support for the 35th 

Annual Marine Corps Marathon. Pictured 

l-r, Nathan Falk MD, Trey Wilson MD 

(USU SoM ‘02), Kevin deWeber (USU 

SoM ‘92) fellowship director, Sean 

Martin, DO, and Ben Ingram, MD. 

Courtesy Photo

Sharon Willis

Deputy Vice President for External 

Aff airs and Managing Editor

Ken Frager

Public Aff airs Specialist

Staff Sgt. Matthew Rosine

Production Editor

MC1 Chad Hallford

Writer

Christine Creenan-Jones

Contributing Writer

Lori Fields

Layout and Design

Production

Editorial content is edited, prepared 

and provided by the USU Offi ce of 

External Aff airs unless otherwise 

indicated. The Pulse staff may 

include or exclude articles based 

upon news value, impact on the 

university and space availability.

Submissions

The Pulse will be published 

bi-weekly on Mondays. The 

deadline for submissions is at 4 p.m. 

Tuesday prior to the publication 

date. Submissions can be sent to 

usunewsletter@usuhs.mil or by 

calling 301-295-0895.

2 The Pulse The Offi cial USU Newsletter

Fellowship off ers hands-on exposure

by Ken Frager

Maintaining the strength and fi tness 

of service members is a critical component to maintaining a healthy and active 

war-fi ghting force. Th e skills and training to accomplish this is similar to what 

is needed to maintain strong and healthy 

world class and professional athletes. Th e 

National Capital Consortium’s (NCC) 

Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship, a one-year tri-service training 

program, prepares active-duty family 

physicians with expertise in musculoskeletal and exercise-related problems 

needed to successfully care for these 

specially-conditioned individuals.

Under the guidance of Army Col. 

(Dr.) Kevin deWeber, director of the 

fellowship program, four fellows have 

provided critical medical support 

for many of the running and athletic 

events involving the military this year. 

Th e Army 10-Miler, the Marine Corps 

Marathon, the Wounded Warrior 5K 

and the Marine Corps 10K were the 

most recent events in the Washington, 

DC, area but this past summer, USU’s 

fellows represented the University 

at the Warrior Games in Colorado, 

providing medical support and care to 

the hundreds of service members who 

were competing and participating.

“We’ve been connected to these 

events throughout my four years at 

USU,” said deWeber, “and I think the 

organizers really see that our team is 

among the best suited to provide the 

needed care. My dream is to be able 

to bring our fellows along to provide 

support at the World Military Games, 

which is sponsored by the International Military Sports Council (CISM). 

Service members from 133 countries 

compete in the games, which take 

place every four years. Th e next edition 

will take place in July 2011 in Rio de 

Janeiro, Brazil.” 

Army Col (Dr.) Francis O’Connor, a 

past fellowship director who currently 

leads the Consortium for Human and 

Military Performance at USU, works 

closely with the fellowship program in 

supporting the events. “Many of the 

injuries and conditions these athletes 

experience are similar to what our 

fellows might see when treating activeduty service members,” said O’Connor. 

“Th ese injuries include heat-related 

illnesses, hypothermia and musculoskeletal injuries, along with more basic 

scrapes, bumps, bruises and strains.”

Th e NCC Sports Medicine fellowship 

is among the largest program of its type 

in the country with four military fellows 

annually. Th e fellowship also supports 

three civilians in partnership with a 

program in Fairfax, Va. Th e program 

has produced more than 50 graduates 

to date and aside from caring for the 

active-duty population, the fellows also 

care for student athletes competing for 

many of the local NCAA Division 1 

athletic teams, including Georgetown, 

George Mason, American and the U.S. 

Naval Academy.

Courtesy Photo
November 29, 2010 3

USU mourns passing of educator

by Staff Sgt Matthew Rosine and Ken Frager

John Henry Cross, Ph.D, a teacher, 

researcher and mentor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and 

Biometrics (PMB) at the Uniformed 

Services University of the Health 

Sciences for more than 34 years, passed 

away, November 19. An emeritus 

professor of parasitology at the time of 

his death, Dr. Cross’s affi liation with 

USU dated to the very fi rst matriculating class of medical students in 1976, 

when he became a visiting professor.

Dr. Cross joined the faculty on a 

full-time basis in 1984, retiring as a 

full professor in 2009. He was named 

Professor Emeritus upon his retirement and received the University 

medal, the highest award for service to 

the USU, earlier this year.

“Dr. Cross’s career was extraordinary in many diff erent ways,” said 

Gerald V. Quinnan, Jr., M.D., Professor and Chair of Preventive Medicine. 

“Th e fact that it lasted more than 50 

years as a world renowned scholar 

and a fi rst-rate educator was truly 

exceptional. Th e number of people he 

impacted on is probably more than 

most academicians could ever hope to 

touch. He was well known, liked and 

admired by virtually everyone in his 

fi eld.”

Dr. Cross arrived at USU with more 

than 18 years of fi eld experience as 

a parasitologist in the Department 

of Medical Ecology at the U.S. Naval 

Medical Research Unit #2, located 

initially in Taipei and then in Manila. 

His interest in these areas, both 

geographically and scientifi cally, was 

stimulated by his experience as a U.S. 

Navy medical corpsman during World 

War II. 

Dr. Cross maintained strong ties 

with the parasitology community in 

Southeast Asia, serving as a visiting professor in the Department of 

Parasitology of the National Taiwan 

University Medical School from 

1967 to 1984, and as a member of 

the faculty in Tropical Medicine 

of Mahidol University, Bangkok 

Thailand from 1984 until his death. 

In honor of his years of scientific 

contributions to the area of food 

and waterborne parasitic zoonoses, 

Dr. Cross was awarded a Doctor 

of Medicine (Honoris Causa) from 

Mahidol University in 2007. 

As a researcher, Dr. Cross was the 

recognized world expert on human 

disease caused by the parasitic 

nematode Capillaria philippinensis. His 

seminal publications describing the 

Photo by Thomas Balfour

John Henry Cross, Ph.D

complete life cycle and clinical manifestations of this previously unknown 

human parasitic infection are classics of 

the medical parasitology literature. His 

impact on research and teaching can 

be measured by the more than 5,000 

medical and graduate students who 

benefi tted from his mentorship at USU. 

His curriculum vitae lists more than 

330 publications for which he was lead, 

senior, or co-author.

“Dr. Cross was a truly classical 

parasitologist and USU was tremendously lucky to have had a researcher 

and teacher of his worldwide stature on 

its faculty for more than a quarter of a 

century,” said Capt. (Dr.) Philip Coyne, 

Jr., USPHS. “He was a key reason why 

USU has attained a reputation among 

medical schools for excellence in tropical medicine.”

“Dr. Cross will defi nitely be missed,” 

said Army Col. (Dr.) David Brown, 

(SoM ’94). “I don’t know how many 

times I’ve told the story of him infecting himself with ascaris overseas so he 

could bring a supply of eggs back in 

the US...now that is dedication.”

Dr. Cross is survived by his wife of 

58 years, Evelyn Cross, his daughter 

Kelly Finn and her husband, Th omas 

Finn, and a grandson John Finn.

Celebrating Nurse Practitioners

Photo by MC1 Chad Hallford

GSN Nurse Practitioner students and Faculty gathered to celebrate Nurse Practitioner 

week Nov. 7-13 on campus during a presentation honoring the vital role NPs play in 

bringing high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered, personalized 

healthcare to all populations of the United States.
4 The Pulse The Offi cial USU Newsletter

USU volunteers support children’s charity event

by MC1 Chad Hallford

University Brigade volunteers 

supported the 19th annual Pediatric 

Brain Tumor Foundation’s (PBTF) 

Baltimore-Washington Ride for Kids 

in Ellicott City, Md., earlier this fall.

The event is held to support the 

search for a cause and cure of brain 

tumors, the leading cause of cancer 

death among children.

The day’s activities kicked off 

with the USU color guard, but the 

involvement of USU staff extended 

throughout the event. “The USU 

color guard has always received such 

a positive, overwhelming response 

for their participation,” said Navy 

University contenders earn unique German Badge 

by MC1 Chad Hallford

Carrying a nearly 25-pound rucksack, marching at a pace not slower than 

16:06 per mile over a distance of 12-18 

miles, USU representatives achieved a 

unique milestone.

Finding strength through the various 

rigors, 18 of USU’s fi nest military representatives competed for and completed 

requirements for the German Armed 

Forces Badge for Military Profi ciency 

(GAFBMP) earlier this fall. 

“It’s an opportunity for some 

from USU to achieve something 

extraordinary,” said Army Sgt. 

1st Class Michael Rice, School 

of Medicine Army Company 1st 

Sergeant.

More than a dozen USU students 

and faculty earned the decoration. 

Other Allied service members may be 

awarded and wear the badge regardless 

of rank upon completion of the awards 

requirements. 

In the United States military, the 

GAFBMP is one of the few foreign 

awards approved for wear. 

“Th ere are so few places to be eligible 

to even fulfi ll the requirements for the 

award,” said Rice. “Fortunately for us, the 

German liaison offi ce in Reston provides 

the venue to complete the event requirements, off ering our students the opportunity to compete for such a rare medal.”

Authorization and manner of wear is 

based on U.S. Uniform Regulations. 

To earn the award one must complete 

the following fi ve requirements: 

be recommended by the Commanding Officer — recognizing the Soldier’s physical and moral standards 

 obtain First Aid-Combat Life Saver 

(CLS) level 1 or equivalent 

 pass the German sports test — all 

events required 

 achieve qualifying score on 25 

meter Marksmanship 

 hike a road march — which must 

be performed in military uniform 

and boots carrying a rucksack 

weighing no less than 10 kilograms 

over a varying distance depending 

on age and gender. 

Th e awarded grade (gold, silver or 

bronze) is determined by the results of 

the Marksmanship score and the ruck 

march time and distance. 

Photo by Army Spc. Gerald Brenner

Cmdr. René Hernández, SoM Navy 

company commander. “They continue 

to be a special addition to the annual 

ceremony.”

In all, more than 20 enlisted staff 

members donated their time to assist 

with tasks ranging from parking 

assistance to registration.

“Many of our volunteers have 

assisted for multiple years,” said 

Hernández. “We have found that once 

someone starts volunteering for the 

‘Ride,’ it sort of stays with them.”

USU also had participants in the 

‘Ride’, including Brigade Chaplain, 

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Bruce Mentzer.

“I wanted (the USU motorcyclists) to go on more group rides,” 

said Mentzer. “This was an excellent 

opportunity for us to gather, go for a 

ride and support a great cause.”

The event concluded with a postride ceremony honoring the success 

of cancer survivors while remembering and honoring the struggles of 

cancer’s youngest victims.
November 29, 2010 5

Pediatric faculty 

honored for thyroid 

cancer research 

by Ken Frager

Army Col. Bruce Schoneboom 

received the 2010 Association of 

Military Surgeons of the United States 

(AMSUS) Nursing Award Nov. 3 during 

the association’s annual convention in 

Phoenix. 

Schoneboom received the award based 

on his signifi cant contributions to 

the Federal Health System through his 

outstanding eff orts as a researcher, clinician, educator and health care leader. 

“For me personally, it is a validation of the hard work we did at the 

University,” said Schoneboom, who is 

currently a fellow at the National War 

College at Ft. McNair in Washington, 

D.C. “It is humbling to be nominated 

and recognized by your peers. I was 

honored to be nominated. 

While the award recognizes him 

alone, Schoneboom sees the AMSUS 

nursing award as recognition of the 

eff orts of the entire Graduate School of 

Nursing (GSN) team. 

“It was not just me who earned this,” 

Schoneboom said. “Our whole team was 

able to build new programs in the GSN. 

We went from two programs to fi ve. And 

these contribute to other USU programs. 

We expanded enrollment from approximately 40 students in a class to 70. To 

me, that was a really big thing – helping 

to put the school on the map and being a 

ready, capable partner.” 

Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Kirk Jensen, an 

assistant professor in the USU Department of Pediatrics, received the Young 

Investigator’s Award at the 14th International Th yroid Conference held in 

Paris, Sept. 16.

Maj. Jensen is a graduate of USU 

(SoM ‘00) and the National Capital 

Consortium Pediatric Endocrine 

Fellowship Program, for which he 

is now a faculty member. He was 

selected from several hundred 

presenters for his investigation on 

the resistance of thyroid cancer 

cells to programmed cell death in a 

low-adherent environment known as 

“Anoikis in Thyroid Cancer.” 

His co-investigators on this project 

were Drs. John Costello, Aneeta Patel, 

Andrew Bauer and Vasyl Vasko.

Th e ITC is held every fi ve years 

and brings together experts to share 

their discoveries and insight into the 

pathophysiology of thyroid disease. 

Societies that participate in the 

ITC include the European Th yroid 

Association, the American Th yroid 

Association, the Asia and Oceania 

Th yroid Association, and the Latin 

American Th yroid Society.

But for Schoneboom, being recognized at the 2010 AMSUS conference is not about receiving awards and 

accolades. 

“It is really special to be recognized 

by all these diff erent fi elds with an 

award like this,” Schoneboom said. 

“But, we don’t do the work we do to win 

awards. We do it to make a diff erence. 

Th ings like awards are just icing on the 

cake.”

Th e AMSUS award recognizes the 

last seven-year period of growth and 

change of Schoneboom’s career. It 

highlights his service as the fi rst 

department chair for the newlyrestructured GSN. 

Col. Schoneboom served as acting 

dean for the GSN, associate dean for 

Academic Aff airs, director for the Nurse 

Anesthesia Program, and in many other 

roles for the University. In 2006, Col. 

Schoneboom deployed to command the 

14th Combat Support Hospital Detachment, Forward Operating Base -- Salerno, 

Afghanistan, in support of Operation 

Enduring Freedom. While deployed, he 

promoted warrior care and supported 

humanitarian assistance, earning the 

Bronze Star. 

He also conducted his own research, 

“Physiologic Monitoring for Military 

Nurses.” Th is study was funded by the 

Tri-Service Nursing Research Program 

for $1 million. 

He has been recognized nationally as a 

Distinguished Practitioner in the National 

Academy of Advanced Practice Nursing, 

an organization representing 10 diff erent 

healthcare professions, and he was instrumental in transforming the GSN’s master’s 

programs into a Doctor of Nursing 

Practice — a new national standard and 

mandate for advanced practice nursing. 

Because of his extraordinary career, 

Col. Schoneboom was inducted as a 

Fellow in the American Academy of 

Nursing in 2009, an exclusive organization of 1,500 members who are “the most 

accomplished nursing leaders in education, management, practice and research.”

Courtesy Photo

Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Kirk Jensen

Schoneboom receives AMSUS award

by Staff Sgt Matthew Rosine

Photo by Thomas Balfour

Army Col. Bruce Schoneboom
6 The Pulse The Offi cial USU Newsletter

CFC chili cookoff 

Photo by MC1 Chad Hallford

CHAMP Hosts HIT Workgroup

by Sharon Willis

Marine Capt. Matthew Anderson, along with Air Force Tech. Sgt. Louella Campbell, congratulates Air Force Master Sgt. Stephen 

Huntington on winning the CFC Chili Cookoff. Huntington’s chili recipe was selected as the top choice from a diverse field of quality chilis 

supplied by military and civilian participants during the CFC fundraiser Nov. 9.

USU faculty, military representatives, fitness experts and prominent 

members of the American College 

of Sports Medicine converged on the 

Uniformed Services University of the 

Health Sciences (USU) last month 

for a two-day meeting to discuss high 

intensity training (HIT) programs 

such as CrossFit, P90X and a myriad 

of other commercial, off-the-shelf 

fitness programs. 

Hosted by USU’s Consortium for 

Health and Military Performance 

(CHAMP), in conjunction with 

the Human Performance Resource 

Center, workshop attendees met 

to take an in-depth look at HIT 

programs and to gauge their effect 

on the overall fitness and readiness 

of military troops.

According to CHAMP medical 

director Col. (Dr.) Francis O’Connor, 

high intensity training programs like 

CrossFit and P90X are extremely 

popular, but there is anecdotal 

evidence to suggest an increasing rate 

of injury in those participating in 

the programs. Injuries have ranged 

from torn ligaments to exertional 

rhabdomyolysis, the rapid destruction 

of skeletal muscle that can result in 

kidney failure. 

“Exertional rhabdomyolysis can 

be a serious medical condition if not 

properly treated, to include kidney 

injury that may require dialysis, and 

potentially death, as a reult of signifi -

can electrolyte disturbances,” said 

O’Connor.

However, O’Connor said, there is 

not adequate data available to outline 

the true injury rates, and therefore a 

study is needed. He said that while 

high intensity exercise is important 

to an exercise program, it needs to be 

balanced against other components 

including strength, power and cardiovascular endurance. “HIT cannot be 

the entire program day in and day 

out,” O’Connor said. Attendees also 

discussed the use of dietary supplements that oft en accompanied various 

HIT programs.

Th e immediate goal of the 

workgroup was to develop overall 

strategies and a work plan for moving 

forward. Additionally, the group would 

produce an article for targeted publication in Sports Medicine Reports 

which they hope to use as pivot point to 

produce policy changes in military and 

civilian settings. 

“Using a matrix, we plan to outline 

what characteristics should be in 

an optimal training program and 

how top programs match up,” said 

O’Connor. “We will address what 

programs do and don’t do in regard 

to results, and will also address 

precautions or things to consider to 

increase effectiveness and safety, and 

reduce risk.” 
November 29, 2010 7

Briefs

USU Holiday party

Tickets for the USU Holiday Party 

are now available. 

The Holiday party will be from 

11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dec. 10 in the 

USU cafeteria. 

Tickets are $3. Ticket purchase 

includes lunch and a chance to win a 

raffl e prize. Prize-only tickets are also 

available for purchase for $1. 

Tickets will be on sale through Dec. 

4. Tickets will be sold from 11:30 a.m. 

to 1 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday 

in the cafeteria. 

Holiday items

Th e USU Alumni bookstore now has 

several holiday items available. 

Th e bookstore is open from 11 a.m. 

to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

For more information, stop by the 

bookstore or call 295-3686.

Flu Vaccine update 

Th e USU Family Health Center 

continues to vaccinate all active duty 

faculty and staff . 

Vaccinations are available while supplies last from 8:00 a.m. to noon and 

1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily, except on 

Tuesday aft ernoons. 

All Tricare-eligible benefi ciaries can 

receive their fl u shots or mist at 12:45 

p.m. Th ese patients include: 

All patients ages 2 to 9 years who 

do not fall into another group can 

receive mist. 

Shots are available for: 

 Children ages six- to 35-months 

 Children ages 3 years and up 

 Children ages 9 years and up who 

are immuno-compromised 

A limited number of vaccinations 

for the USU civilian population will be 

available through the Civilian Occupational Health and Safety Offi ce. Th e 

specifi c dates and times have not been 

determined and will be distributed. 

For questions or specifi c concerns 

related to civilian vaccinations, contact 

Andrea Sorrells Easton at 295-9444. 

New carpool guidance 

The USU is currently transitioning 

to the new carpool program and any 

groups who wish to use the carpool 

garage at USU will have to apply to 

the NSAB. 

An authorized carpool group can 

park in any of the spaces 1 thru 41 in 

the carpool area at this time. Once 

the carpool garage is full all other 

carpool groups will have to seek 

parking in the USU garage. 

Drivers who arrive as the only 

member of their carpool group 

should not park in the assigned 

carpool area prior to 9 a.m. These 

drivers should park in the general 

USU parking areas. 

To legally park in the USU carpool 

area a vehicle must have an L-1 sticker on the rear of your vehicle and a 

carpool rearview mirror hanger. 

The carpool area will be open to all 

“L1” and “W” stickers between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m. 

Drivers should also be aware that 

the base police will be enforcing this 

program. The USU Security office 

will assist in enforcing the program. 

Drivers at AFRRI should be aware 

that they are not included in the USU 

carpool program. 

If you have additional questions 

you may contact the USU Security 

Department at 295-3033. 

Using computer resources 

Security incidents continue to be 

a drain to limited USU Information 

Assurance manpower. The following 

highlight current DoD policy and 

best practices: 

Personnel must not install 

self-coded or non-licensed soft ware 

on network resources; add, remove, 

confi gure, or attempt to modify 

USU computer operating systems 

or programs; move audio/visual or 

network cables, computers or attempt 

to connect personal computers to the 

network including MDL and lecture 

hall spaces; connect personal devices 

except for those previously authorized 

by NOC; download pornographic 

material and store or display off ensive 

material, such as racist literature, 

sexually harassing or obscene language 

or material; store or process classifi ed 

information on any USU system. 

Personnel must not permit 

unauthorized individuals access to a 

government-owned or governmentoperated system or program; access 

online gambling, games and social 

engineering sites. 

Common Access Card Renewal 

A large number of federal University 

employees will be required to renew 

their Common Access Card (CAC) by 

December 2010. 

CAC renewal is extremely important to maintain access to DTS 

(Travel) and all DAI (Time keeping/ 

Procurement) applications. 

Appointments at NNMC will 

fill up fast during this time period, 

and Thursdays starting at 7:30 a.m. 

is the only day NNMC will accept 

walk-ins. 

Please note people can renew their 

CAC at any RAPIDS location site. 

Online appointments at convenient 

locations can be made by using the 

following link: http://appointments. 

cac.navy.mil/default.aspx. Alternate 

locations can be found at the following link: http://www.dmdc.osd.mil/

rsl/owa/home. 

Contractors must be updated in the 

Contractors Verifi cation System (CVS) 

by the USU Security Department prior 

to issuing or renewing a CAC. 

ESC meetings

Th e Enlisted Social Committee 

holds its monthly meetings on the fi rst 

Tuesday of every month.

Meetings are held at 9:30 a.m. in the 

cafeteria’s small dining room.

Being a part of the ESC is an excellent way for USU enlisted personnel to 

actively pursue volunteer opportunities at USU.