The Official USU Newsletter

Learning to Care for Those in Harm’s Way

Volume 10, Issue 13 July 27 2015 

www.usuhs.edu
2 the pulse July 27 2015

Art Kellermann, M.D., Dean of the F. Edward 

Hébert School of Medicine congratulates 

graduates at the National Capital Area Joint 

Service Graduation in Bethesda, Md. June 

19. See story, page 6. (Photo by Danielle 

Snowden)

On the cover

Sharon Holland

Deputy Vice President for External 

Affairs and Managing Editor

Eric Ritter

Writer and Editor

MC3 Laura Bailey

Writer and Photographer

Alexis Christman 

Communications Intern

Kiernan Kiser 

Communications Intern 

Danielle Snowden 

Communications Intern

 

Production

Editorial content is edited, prepared 

and provided by the USU Office of 

External Affairs 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 is published 

biweekly on Mondays. The deadline 

for submissions is at 4 p.m. 

Tuesday prior to the publication 

date. Submissions can be sent to 

eric.ritter2@usuhs.edu or by calling 

301-295-3338.

Risk Factors for Suicide Attempts 

in Iraq, Afghanistan Identified

Courtesy Article

Risk factors for regular Army suicide attempts by enlisted soldiers and officers in Iraq and Afghanistan have been 

identified, and socio-demographic factors, 

length of service, deployment history, and 

the presence and recency of a mental 

health diagnosis are among the primary 

predictors, according to a study published 

July 8 in JAMA Psychiatry. Enlisted Army 

service members in their second month of 

service were at greatest risk for attempting 

suicide.

The study, "Suicide Attempts in the 

U.S. Army during the wars in Afghanistan 

and Iraq, 2004-2009," used data from the 

Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience 

in Service members (Army STARRS), the 

largest study of mental health risk and resilience ever conducted among U.S. Army 

personnel. 

From 2004-2009, the Army experienced the longest sustained increase 

in suicide rates relative to the other U.S. 

military branches. Rates of non-fatal suicide attempts among soldiers rose sharply 

during this time in parallel with the trend 

in suicide deaths, yet researchers’ understanding of Army suicide attempts remains limited. 

Robert J. Ursano, M.D., chair of the 

Department of Psychiatry and Director 

of the Center for the Study of Traumatic 

Stress at the Uniformed Services University (USU), Murray B. Stein, M.D., M.P.H., 

professor of Psychiatry and Family and 

Preventive Medicine at the University of 

California, San Diego, both co-principal investigators for Army STARRS, and 

a team of Army STARRS researchers, 

looked at data for more than 1.66 million 

soldiers who served on active duty from 

January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2009, 

which included 975,057 Regular Army 

soldiers (i.e., excluding those in the U.S. 

Army National Guard and Army Reserve). 

The study found that enlisted soldiers accounted for 98.6% of all suicide 

attempts (377 per 100,000 person-years) 

versus 1.4% (27.9 per 100,000 person-years) for officers. Enlisted soldiers 

had higher odds for a suicide attempt if 

they were female, had entered the Army at 

25 or older, were currently 29 or younger, 

did not complete high school, were in their 

first four years of service, and had a mental health diagnosis during the previous 

month. The risk was highest in the second 

month of service and declined as the length 

of service increased. Black, Hispanic and 

Asian service members had lower risk for 

suicide attempts. Enlisted soldiers who 

were never deployed or who had previously 

deployed were at greater risk for attempting 

suicide than those who were currently deployed. 

Among officers (both commissioned 

and warrant), who accounted for 141 cases, only socio-demographic characteristics 

(female, older age at Army entry, younger 

current age, and low education) and the 

presence and recency of mental health diagnoses were significant. Female officers 

who entered the Army at age 25 or older 

and had a mental health diagnosis in the 

previous month constituted the greatest 

risk for suicide attempt. Length of service 

and deployment status was not associated 

with suicide attempt among officers. 

Researchers also estimate that enlisted women had nearly 13 times the risk of 

female officers for a suicide attempt, and 

enlisted soldiers who entered the Army at 

25 years or older had more than 16 times 

the risk of officers in the same group for a 

suicide attempt. "Suicide attempts have different predictors than suicide," said Ursano. 

"They identify a group for intervention and 

preventive care. The 'who is at risk' and 

when they are at greatest risk can aid development of targeted interventions."

The results represent the most comprehensive accounting of U.S. Army suicide attempts to date and reveal unique risk 

profiles for enlisted soldiers and officers, 

and highlights the importance of focusing 

research and prevention efforts on enlisted 

soldiers in their first tour of duty.
3 the pulse July 27, 2015

Grunberg graduates from inaugural PLS

by MC3 Laura Bailey

Neil E. Grunberg, Ph.D., director of 

leadership research and development and a 

professor in the department of Military and 

Emergency Medicine (MEM) at USU, graduated with the inaugural class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) program 

during a ceremony at the George W. Bush 

Presidential Center in Dallas, July 9, 2015. 

President George W. Bush and President 

Bill Clinton spoke at the graduation. 

Grunberg began the PLS program, 

Feb. 2015, along with 59 fellow scholars 

who were selected from 1,000 applicants. 

The program selects scholars who demonstrate a desire and ability to strengthen 

their leadership skills. 

Presidential centers of George W. 

Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. 

Bush and Lyndon B. Johnson formed the 

program to develop leaders who will increase social good in communities with the 

purpose of tackling tough societal issues 

through hard work and bi-partisanship. 

Since February, the selected scholars 

traveled monthly to participating presidential centers around the country. They spent 

several days studying and discussing various approaches to leadership, developed a 

network of peers from various backgrounds 

and exchanging ideas with mentors such as 

former presidents, key administration officials and leading academicians. 

During the course of the program, 

scholars were also charged with developing a personal leadership project with the 

intent of implementing and impacting their 

communities in a meaningful way. 

Grunberg’s project focused on developing a Leadership Education and Development Summit to address the need to 

teach medical, nursing and dental students 

how to lead 21st Century health-care teams, 

insure patient safety and contain costs. He 

and collaborators, Dr. Eric Schoomaker 

and Dr. John McManigle from MEM, hope 

to hold the first LED summit at USU during 

the winter of 2016. 

The summit will include representatives from U.S. medical schools and health 

care programs to share philosophies, approaches, and techniques relevant to leadership curriculum. In addition, invitees will 

include stakeholders, non-health care leadership experts and a few PLS alumni. 

Planning for the project is underway 

to achieve the long-term goals of sharing 

health-care leadership curriculum among 

U.S. healthcare programs and establishing 

national guidelines of leadership education 

and training. 

Being surrounded by impressive 

leadership scholars in various fields of expertise proved enlightening to Grunberg in 

a way he had not expected, he said. When 

it comes to the task at hand, which for him 

is to help develop a leadership curriculum 

at USU, his approach in the past had always been to seek guidance from leaders 

at other medical schools. His participation 

in the PLS program has enlighted him to 

untapped resources by asking for help, listening intently and balancing humility with 

self-confidence. 

“Among the 60 scholars, a dozen 

of them are in the Washington area,” said 

Grunberg. “We are continuing to work with 

many of these scholars as well as with several others around the country who have 

overlapping interests. This network will 

greatly benefit the USU LEAD program. 

For example, we are now working with 

fellow PL scholars who are former special 

operators, several who have expertise in 

healthcare and science and communication 

experts in education as well. These are remarkable and dedicated people. It was an 

honor to be among this inaugural class of 

scholars,” said Grunberg. 

He has brought back what he learned 

and hopes to share it with faculty, students 

and staff at USU, he added. 

Grunberg remains involved in the 

program. He and other PLS scholars will 

attend meetings at the Ronald Reagan Library, in October, and at the John F. Kennedy Library, Oct. 2016. His involvement 

will also include participation in PLS alumni activities and helping to mentor future 

scholars. 

Director of leadership research and development in the Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, Dr. Neil Grunberg, poses with 

former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton during a ceremony for the inaugural class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) 

program at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, July 9. (Courtesy Photo)
4 the pulse July 27 2015

MH, Cont. Page 5

Uniformed Services University 

(USU) is currently one of only four facilities 

in the United States that actively tests for the 

Malignant Hyperthermia (MH) syndrome. 

The other three facilities are University of 

California at Davis, University of Minnesota and Wake Forest. 

According to Dr. John Capacchione 

director of the Malignant Hyperthermia 

Testing Center in USU's Department of Anesthesiology, MH is an inherited life-threating pharmacogenetic disorder triggered in 

susceptible patients by certain anesthetic 

medications.

“Since this is inherited, the patient is 

predisposed to the condition,” Capacchione 

said. “However, they may not know that 

they have it. That’s why testing for MH is 

so important. If we identify their condition 

before a triggering anesthetic can be administered, we will deliver other medications 

or methods that don’t trigger MH. It isn’t 

gender-specific either. Either parent can 

carry the gene. If that’s the 

case, their offspring have a 

50 percent chance of testing 

positive for it.”

Not to be confused 

with hyperthermia, which 

is a medical emergency 

brought on by heat stroke 

or infection, MH is a genetic condition passed through 

DNA. Also, the use of malignant in MH is not to be 

confused with a cancer.

Signs of MH include 

elevated temperature, elevated carbon dioxide, dark 

brown urine and muscle rigidity. Treatment during an 

MH episode includes wrapping the patient in a cooling 

blanket that helps reduce 

fever and the risk of other 

serious complications, and 

the administration of the 

medication dantrolene.

Capacchione did go 

USU only one of four installations 

nationally to test for MH

By Eric D. Ritter on to add that drugs are not the only triggers for MH. Heat stress can also be a trigger.

“What we’ve found is that people 

who are MH-positive are also prone to 

heat stress,” he said. “They can go out and 

exercise and develop severe muscle pain to 

the point where their muscles actually die. 

That can be catastrophic and lethal, because 

when muscle dies, it releases toxins into the 

blood stream which can lead to renal failure.”

Capacchione then explained why this 

condition has military relevance.

“We have servicemembers deployed 

to hot, austere environments who may be 

carrying better than 50 pounds of gear. This 

is very important from a readiness perspective. Young, muscular members of the military can develop heat related injuries and 

then never quite recover. When this occurs, 

they are often sent to us for an evaluation.”

Even though servicemembers can 

be treated successfully for the condition, 

it is still a disqualifier for military service. 

That may make a servicemember hesitant 

to undergo testing, because it means they 

will likely be discharged from the service, 

regardless of how many years of service 

they have. The fear is that if someone with 

MH were to have a reaction in the field, the 

manpower and time it takes to treat that patient would compromise the care delivered 

to others in a mass casualty scenario.

Capacchione explained that there are 

only four testing sites primarily due to the 

high cost of running the MH testing program. 

“Fortunately, the ones that are able to 

continue the testing are spread out over the 

corners of the country, so they are able to 

accept patients through referrals.”

The program is not funded by the Department of Defense, but rather, for more 

than 30 years, they have received funding 

from several outside research grants to conduct the testing, Capacchione said.

Educating non-anesthesia providers about MH is another challenge that 

they face. There are documented cases of 

Dr. Peter Dedocz with the USU Department of Anethesiology analyzes data being collected from lab specimens to test for Malignant Hyperthermia (MH). USU is one of only four facilities in the United States that 

tests for the condition. (Photo by Eric Ritter)
5 the pulse July 27, 2015

USU continues 101 critical days of 

summer message

by MC3 Laura Bailey

MH from Page 4

non-anesthesia-related awake manifestations of MH that have presented to Emergency departments, said Capacchione.

“ED physicians have treated these 

events as presumed cases of febrile seizures. 

During airway management and rescue, 

one of the medications routinely given is 

an actual MH-triggering agent. If we have 

ED physicians who are educated in what to 

look for, we can potentially avoid putting 

a patient at further risk. This is something 

that we need to get into the non-anesthesia 

medical literature so that everyone is educated.”

As busy as they are testing presumed 

MH susceptible patients, they’re just as 

busy ruling the diagnosis out in many cases. Capacchione states that sometimes patients are misdiagnosed, and it’s important 

to get that corrected because the MH label 

remains with the patients and their families 

for life.

Education is also key to the general public. If a person recognizes that any 

member of their family has ever had any 

of the symptoms associated with MH, they 

should get themselves tested. Capacchione 

said if they do come back positive for MH, 

they can work on getting that individual a 

medical alert bracelet to let responders and 

doctors know of the condition in an emergency situation. Testing at USU isn’t just 

for servicemembers either. The MH testing 

team has collaborative efforts with other 

organizations internationally and locally 

like the Childrens National Medical Center (CNMC) in the District of Columbia. 

Civilians can undergo the diagnostic MH 

muscle biopsy at CNMC, while the actual 

muscle testing procedure is performed at 

USU.

The USU MH testing team isn’t just 

working on identifying those with MH. 

According to Department of Anesthesiology research assistant professor, Dr. Saiid 

Bina, who is also a primary member of the 

MH team, research in the field has come 

a long way since he began working on the 

program back in the early 1980s at USU.

“I have seen so much progress in 

technology that has helped us with research 

here,” Bina said. “The data was originally 

collected with bulky equipment and large 

rolls of printed paper. Now, everything is 

compacted and digital, which cuts down 

the time needed to analyze the data."

Bina is also credited with developing 

a new blood test that can potentially detect 

MH without requiring the standardized invasive muscle biopsy from a patient’s lateral 

thigh.

Capacchione concluded that as long 

as the MH testing program continues at 

USU, they will continue to work toward 

helping the military and public with treatment and education that will ultimately 

help save many lives.

Whether it’s swimming or boating, vacations to distant destinations, or 

just playing and having a good time with 

friends and family this summer, the Uniformed Services University of the Health 

Sciences safety officials to stress the importance of summer safety as we are part of the 

way through 101 Critical Days of Summer 

safety campaign.

Each year, the Department of Defense 

loses between 80 and 100 service members 

to summer-related preventable mishaps 

and fatalities, making summer safety a priority across the DoD and at USU. 

“Critical Days of Summer is in place 

for a reason,” said Master Sgt. Danny L. 

Vitek, the safety officer at USU. “Historically, Memorial Day weekend through Labor 

Day presents greater challenges to the team. 

Many risk factors are overlooked therefore 

several preventable mishaps occur every 

summer. Critical Days of Summer is our 

tool of choice to help counter those mishaps by being increasing safety awareness.”

The theme for this summer is doing 

the right thing for the right reasons. Things 

like fastening seatbelts, driving at reasonable speeds, using proper equipment such 

as flotation devices for water activities are 

a few examples of putting the theme into 

practical use. 

“The key is to really exercise sound 

judgment,” said Vitek. “When you go for a 

bike ride, wear a helmet. Put on sunblock 

when you know you’re going to be in the 

sun for even short periods of time. Drink 

water continuously through the day and 

take extra for extended events like hiking. 

It’s the simplest things that can keep you 

safe, prevent injuries and even keep you 

and your families alive. Stop for a moment 

and consider all risks related to the activity 

you are about to engage in and then exercise your best judgment.” 

Take care of each other, he added. 

“Let’s say your battle buddy is barbequing inside the garage because of a little 

rain outside. What should you do?” said 

Vitek. “Well, for starters you should probably remind them about the Critical Days 

of Summer and throw out a simple question. Where might the smoke go? Then 

your buddy says “You’re right,” and moves 

it back outside, you prevented a mishap or 

even death, right? It’s that easy. The point is 

to speak up. It is better to be a little uncomfortable providing advice than extremely 

uncomfortable with regret.

“The summer should be a time for 

making good memories with family and 

friends, not a time to suffer loss,” said Dr. 

Charles Rice, president of USU. “I want 

everyone at USU to enjoy the summer, but 

take extra care to come back to us safe. We 

are halfway through the summer with zero 

fatalities. I’m sure they’re already practicing 

summer safety. I implore those who are to 

continue doing so – and then some. Practicing summer safety is the responsibility of 

each of us whether on or off-duty. Remember, it’s difficult to learn to care for those 

in harm’s way when you are in harm’s way 

yourself. Let’s finish the summer strong.”
6 the pulse July 27 2015

by Sharon Holland

National Capital Consortium, WRNMMC 

graduate interns, residents, fellows

by Sharon Holland

Army, Navy, and Air Force medical, 

dental and administrative officers received 

certificates of completion during the National Capital Area Joint Service Graduation Ceremony, June 19.

The ceremony, held at the Strathmore 

Music Center in north Bethesda, celebrated 

the successful end of postgraduate training 

for 76 interns, 128 residents, and 58 fellows in the National Capital Consortium 

and Walter Reed National Military Medical 

Center graduate medical education programs.

Art Kellermann, M.D., dean of the 

Uniformed Services University of the 

Health Sciences’ F. Edward Hébert School 

of Medicine, presided over the ceremony along with Rear Adm. (Dr.) Raquel C. 

Bono, director of the National Capital Region Medical Directorate. Jerri Curtis, 

M.D., the NCC’s Designated Institutional 

Official and associate dean for Graduate 

Medical Education, USU, Army Col. (Dr.) 

Brian M. Belson, director for Education, 

Training and Research at Walter Reed 

Bethesda, and Army Col. (Dr.) Clifton E. 

Yu, director of Graduate Medical Education 

at Walter Reed Bethesda, also participated 

in the ceremony.

USU School of Medicine alumnus (’99) Army Col. (Dr.) Robert Mabry 

was guest speaker for the ceremony, telling graduates that courage informs and 

strengthens all other leadership characteristics, particularly when it comes to their 

military careers. 

“You have to show some career courage. Aristotle called courage the first virtue, because it makes all of the other virtues possible. In addition to being the most 

important human virtue, it is the most 

important military virtue as well. Think 

about it. Concepts like leadership, innovation, and change wither in the absence of 

courage. Leadership takes making bold and 

often unpopular decisions. Innovation involves creating groundbreaking, but tradition-defying, ideas. Innovation takes courage. Change take courage. Challenging the 

status quo takes courage. Leadership takes 

courage,” said Mabry.

“The NCC graduation is always an 

inspiring event. It marks the moment when 

the future leaders of the military medical 

corps make the transition from trainee to 

practitioner,” said Kellermann. “It is the 

culmination of many years of hard work for 

the graduates and their families alike. Their 

sense of pride and excitement about the future is palpable.” 

Art Kellermann, M.D., Dean of the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, addresses the 

crowd of medical, dental and administrative graduates at the National Capital Consortium, 

WRNMMC graduation in Bethesda, Md. June 19. (Photo by Danielle Snowden)

The percentage of U.S. Air Force recruits with detectable immunity to measles, mumps and rubella was lower than 

found in previous nationwide samples and 

may be low enough for outbreaks to occur, 

according to a study, "Measles, Mumps, 

and Rubella Titers in Air Force Recruits: 

Below Herd Immunity Thresholds?" released July 7, in the American Journal of 

Preventive Medicine.

In 2014, the CDC reported more 

than 600 measles cases -- the most since 

2000, when the virus was declared eliminated in the U.S. Additionally, more than 

1,150 cases of mumps were reported in 

2014, an increase to previous years, with 

most occurring on college campuses nationwide in individuals previously vaccinated for the disease. 

Researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 

Defense Health Agency, and Joint Base 

Lackland-San Antonio, led by Air Force Lt. 

Col. (Dr.) Paul E. Lewis, III, USU Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics (now with the Armed Forces Health 

Surveillance Center), studied more than 

32,500 recruits in basic training between 

April 2013 and April 2014 to determine 

whether there were a sufficient number of 

recruits with immunity to prevent an outbreak. They found that the percentage with 

adequate antibodies to measles, mumps, 

and rubella were 81.6%, 80.3%, and 82.1%, 

respectively. These are generally lower than 

levels required to maintain herd immunity.

According to the study, the minimum 

level required to maintain immunity to disease outbreak in the general population is 

referred to as 'herd immunity.' Military recruits are at increased risk for communicable diseases given close living and sleeping 

quarters and weakened immune systems 

secondary to fatigue and stress. Many are 

sent to overseas locations where the likelihood of exposure is elevated. Antibody 

titers are obtained for six diseases on all 

new recruits entering Air Force basic training, and the service members are vaccinated for any of those six diseases for which 

they show no immunity. Department of 

Defense immunization policy recommends 

presuming mumps immunity if measles 

and rubella titers are positive, however the 

mumps component of the MMR vaccine 

is the least effective and tends to wane the 

fastest, so the presumption may lead to below-herd immunity thresholds. 

“If individuals entering the workforce and college across the nation have the 

same rates as the recruits, outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease can be anticipated 

to continue,” said Lewis. 

The study recommends obtaining 

antibody titers from recruits for mumps 

in addition to the measles and rubella, and 

vaccinating all individuals susceptible to 

one or more of the viruses. 

Recruits show lower immunity levels to measles, mumps, rubella 
7 the pulse July 27, 2015

GME Graduates Earn NCC, WRNMMC Awards 

by Sharon Holland

Each year the National Capital Consortium and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center present a variety of 

awards during the National Capital Area 

Joint Service Graduation Ceremony for interns, residents and fellows. This year, the 

following awards were presented: 

The Bailey K. Ashford Award for 

clinical research was presented to Navy Lt. 

Donald J. Lucas, a general surgery resident. 

The Bailey K. Ashford Award for laboratory 

research was presented to Army Maj. (Dr.) 

Elizabeth Polfer (USU ‘09), an orthopaedic 

surgery resident. The award is presented to 

the Walter Reed Bethesda house staff member judged to have accomplished the most 

outstanding research during training. 

The Robert A. Phillips Award recognizes the outstanding individual research 

projects in both staff/fellow and resident 

categories presented during the annual 

National Capital Region Military Research 

Competition. The award was given to Air 

Force Capt. (Dr.) Katherine E. Shedlock, 

Pediatrics, for Resident Clinical Study; 

Army Maj. (Dr.) David C. Hostler, Pulmonary and Critical Care, for Fellow Clinical 

Study; Army Capt. (Dr.) Kyle T. Packer, 

Ophthalmology, for Resident Laboratory 

Study; Dr. Roopa Biswas, assistant professor, USU, for Staff Laboratory Study; and 

poster winners Army Maj. (Dr.) Elizabeth 

Polfer, Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Mark Fleming, 

Orthopedic Surgery, and Air Force Capt. 

Shannon D. Pierce, a critical care nurse. 

The Walter Reed National Military 

Medical Center Outstanding Intern Award 

was presented to Navy Lt. (Dr.) Alison Lane, 

Internal Medicine. Navy Lt. (Dr.) Michael 

M. Dore, also in the Internal Medicine service, was the recipient of the Lieutenant 

Neil Holland Award for the WRNMMC 

house staff member who best exemplifies 

excellence in teaching and humanitarianism, ability as a clinician, instructor, 

counselor and mentor. Army Capt. (Dr.) 

Nathanial R. Miletta, Dermatology Service, 

and Navy Lt. Cmdr. (Dr.) Melissa S. Butts, 

Rheumatology Service, earned the General 

Graves B. Erskine Award as the outstanding resident and fellow. Army Maj. (Dr.) 

Robert J. Walter, Sleep Medicine Service, 

was presented the Major General Lewis A. 

Mologne Award for outstanding demonstration of commitment to patient care, and 

the greatest respect for truth, honesty and 

dedication in the practice of medicine. The 

Vice Admiral James A. Zimble Award was 

presented to Army Col. (Dr.) Michael K. 

Rosner, Neurosurgery, for his contributions 

and dedication to, and interest in, teaching, 

as well as his demonstrated scholarly activities including publications, invited lectures, 

membership and/or fellowship in national 

and/or international societies.

The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Outstanding Faculty 

Award and Staff Physician Teacher of the 

Year Award were presented to Army Maj. 

(Dr.) John D. Betteridge, Gastroenterology Service, and Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Joshua 

Hartzell (USU ‘02), Infectious Disease Service, respectively. Army Maj. (promotable) 

(Dr.) Joseph G. Cheatham, Gastroenterology, and Navy Capt. (select) (Dr.) Timothy J. Whitman, Infectious Diseases, both 

received the Lieutenant General Claire L. 

Chennault Award which is presented to 

faculty who best demonstrate overall excellence, professional medical expertise and 

personality traits of innovativeness, fairness, leadership and tenacity in the face of 

adversity.

The Lieutenant General Claire L. 

Chennault Award for Outstanding Psychiatry Faculty was presented to Dr. Jennifer 

J. Weaver, Psychiatry Service, for her excellence in teaching, supervising, mentoring, 

research and leadership, and who has the 

most capably and devotedly contributed to 

the advancement of Graduate Medical Education psychiatry training programs.

Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Catherine A. 

Kimball-Eayrs, (USU '99) Pediatrics Service, received the Graduate Medical Education Mentor Award. The award is presented 

to a WRNMMC/NCC faculty member who 

has a profound impact on an individual or 

group of individuals as a mentor. 

The Innovative Curriculum Award 

was presented to Pediatrics faculty member Army Maj. (Dr.) Jennifer Hepps. The 

award is given to the WRNMMC/NCC 

faculty member who has developed a GME 

curriculum that significantly improves resident education or patient outcomes. 

Last, the Silver Caduceus/Gold Twig 

Award, presented to the outstanding Medical Service Corps officer graduating from 

a long-term health education training program, was presented to Army Maj. Rosalinda Uy, oncology pharmacy, for her demonstrated professionalism that exemplified the 

values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.

A recipient of one of the NCC/WRNMMC graduate medical education awards is congratulated by Navy Rear Adm. (Dr.) Raquel Bono, director of the National Capital Region 

Medical Directorate. (photo by Danielle Snowden)
8 the pulse July 27 2015

Final Frame

Supply Staff Sgt. Eva Ilias, a staff member at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), receives 

a Master Fitness Training course (MFTC) completion certificate from Maj. David Feltwell, a lead MFTC instructor and 

physical therapist at the U.S. Army Physical Fitness School, Fort Jackson, S.C., during a certificate presentation at USU, 

July 23. The MFT is an additional skill identifier that allows soldiers with the MFT certificate to assist commanders in 

designing and teaching physical readiness programming for their units. Seven faculty members at USU and three students from the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine participated in this event as a part of their Summer Operational 

Experience.(photo by MC3 Laura Bailey)