Table of Contents

President’s Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

The USU Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

School of Medicine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Graduate Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Graduate School of Nursing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

A Unique University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

University Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

The Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

USU Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
1

President’s Letter

A health sciences university fulfills many roles: a citadel of 

knowledge, core of innovation and center of compassion. 

At the Uniformed Services University of the Health 

Sciences (USU), these roles thrive through the careful 

nurturing of a collaborative environment that stretches 

across the street and around the world.

Our mission is to create an academic center of excellence 

where students, faculty and staff are challenged to do their 

best. Our students learn the art and science of military medicine and public service, while 

joining our faculty in cutting-edge research that leads to life-saving advances.

Collaborations with colleagues in the U.S. and abroad are key drivers of excellence at 

USU. Evidence of these collaborations is everywhere. A traumatic brain injury program 

taps more than 200 experts throughout the National Capital Region to advance diagnosis 

and treatment, while a partnership between USU and Taiwanese scientists provides insight 

into a genetic condition that leads to the development of tumors. 

These partnerships are yielding improved medical education and groundbreaking scientific 

research. Our success has led the Department of Defense to increase its reliance on USU 

for advice on complex issues related to health care delivery.

While the accomplishments noted in these pages are impressive, our past serves as 

a springboard to the future. With our facilities sharing the grounds of the new 

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, we see bright days ahead full of 

opportunities for research and teaching excellence. 

We are working closely with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 

Health Affairs to strengthen USU’s future as an academic health leader, helping to 

provide the best education and training for the medical professionals who will care for 

our nation’s sons and daughters in uniform. As tomorrow beacons, we march forward 

knowing that our solemn devotion to duty and dedication to serving the nation will 

ensure our continuing success.

USU President
2

At the end of World War II, the need 

for military doctors was evident when 

doctors returned to their private 

practices after their discharges, leaving 

a shortage of military physicians in the 

field. Policymakers began discussing the 

need for a federal medical school, but the 

debate had little traction until 

renewed focus began in the 

1970s, led by Rep. F. Edward 

Hébert (D-Louisiana). He 

advocated a health sciences 

university that would develop 

scholars through unparalleled 

medical education and would 

provide the nation a superb 

cadre of officers with unique 

and unparalleled skills. 

In 1972, President Nixon 

signed a bill chartering the 

nation’s only federal academic 

health center. Since opening its doors 

more than 30 years ago, the Uniformed 

Services University of the Health Sciences 

(USU)–often referred to as “the West 

Point of Military Medicine”–has taught 

uniformed officers to care for those in 

harm’s way. These dedicated health care 

professionals continue to advance military 

medicine and public health in the U.S. 

and around the world.

In 1973, the Board of Regents appointed 

a site selection committee that chose 

100 acres on the grounds of the National 

Naval Medical Center as USU’s permanent 

home. Situated across the street from the 

National Institutes of Health, the location 

allows USU faculty and students singular 

opportunities to work alongside worldrenowned scientists.

Dr. Anthony Curreri, a celebrated surgeon 

and decorated soldier, became the 

University’s charter president in 1974. 

He began assembling the University, 

choosing only the best students and 

faculty. The curriculum would be 

grounded in educational and scientific 

rigor, the learning environment would 

adopt academic principles of collegiality 

and peer review, and the University would 

foster a commitment to high standards of 

medical professionalism. 

When the School of Medicine graduated 

29 officer physicians in 1980, the 

precedent was set for USU alumni’s 

commitment to service. Since its founding, 

the School of Medicine has awarded
3

‘A Window Into Many Diseases’

Thomas Darling

Professor, Department of Dermatology

Thomas Darling, M.D., Ph.D., is collaborating with Chih-Hung 

Lee, M.D., Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and 

his wife, Chien-Hui Hong, M.D., Kaohsiung General Veterans 

Hospital, to study tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Individuals 

with this genetic condition develop tumors in multiple organs 

beginning in early childhood or even before birth.

It was not known how many people in Taiwan have TSC, so Lee 

accessed the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database to identify 

all TSC patients who received care between 2004 and 2006. In an 

article to appear in the journal Neuroepidemiology, Hong, Darling 

and Lee report that the prevalence of TSC was highest in younger 

individuals, with a minimum of one in 14,608 under age 6 afflicted 

with the disease. Since TSC is a significant health problem in Taiwan 

and the U.S., Darling and his colleagues are studying tumor 

formation with a goal to provide better therapy.

The tumors can be found on the skin and internally. TSC skin 

lesions can range from subtle to disfiguring, and a patient can have 

one or several types of lesions. The skin tumors can be used as 

surrogates of the internal tumor because sampling from an internal 

organ is not as feasible.

Darling also collaborates with Joel Moss, M.D., Ph.D., at the 

National Institutes of Health. Through NIH’s collaboration, he 

works primarily with adult women who have TSC.

“The skin provides a window into many internal diseases. For 

example, TSC is commonly diagnosed based on the skin findings,” 

Darling said. “Despite this, much more was known about internal 

tumors than skin tumors. I felt that we could help patients with 

their skin disease and our findings could also propel 

investigations into the internal tumors.”

Doctor of Medicine degrees to more than 

4,300 uniformed officers.

For each succeeding class, the mission of 

USU has remained unaltered–providing 

the nation with health professionals and 

scientists dedicated to career service in 

the Department of Defense and the U.S.

Public Health Service, serving the common 

good, and continuing a commitment to 

medical excellence during peace and war. 

USU serves the uniformed services and 

the nation as an outstanding academic 

health sciences center devoted to a 

collaborative approach to education, 

research and service.

The Importance of Collaboration

The University provides military and 

public health-relevant education, research, 

service and consultation to the U.S. and 

the world, actively collaborating with the 

militaries of other nations, research 

institutes, and public and private organizations to pursue excellence and innovation 

during times of war and peace.

USU is home to several world-renowned 

researchers who collaborate internationally 

with their colleagues from other nations. 

It is their goal to bridge the global divide 

and bring cutting-edge discoveries to 

the forefront. 
4

The F. Edward Hébert School of 

Medicine at USU educates students 

to assume the dual role of physician 

and officer in the uniformed services, 

providing comprehensive medical care 

and serving the nation, often under 

adverse, austere conditions.

The School of Medicine is accredited 

by a number of outside organizations. 

Its curriculum includes an additional 

500 hours of military-unique education 

and training that emphasizes trauma 

and emergency medicine, infectious 

disease and parasitology, the 

humanities and behavioral 

sciences, and the principles 

of leadership and teamwork.

The School of Medicine is 

tuition-free, and students earn 

the pay and benefits of an 

ensign or second lieutenant 

throughout their four years at 

USU. In exchange for their 

education, they commit to 

serving at least seven years in 

the uniformed services after 

graduation.

A majority of School of 

Medicine graduates build 

impressive careers devoted to military 

medicine. In fact, more than 76 percent 

of USU graduates choose to remain on 

active duty until retirement. Nearly onefourth of all physicians currently serving 

on active duty are USU alumni, many of 

them in leadership positions. Indeed, the 

University counts 15 flag officers among 

its alumni ranks and has produced more 

physicians who have served in the White 

House than has any other medical school.

Whether serving in the White House, 

providing emergency surgery on the 

battlefield or leading medical assistance 

teams in response to terrorism, disasters 

and life-threatening diseases, School of 

Medicine graduates have a direct impact 

on the future of military medicine and 

public health.

Working in partnership with experienced 

physicians and other volunteers in 

2009, then Second Lieutenant Daniel 

Adams and other USU students offered 

humanitarian assistance when they 

visited the Dominican Republic. The 

group provided free medical care to 

the country’s underserved populations, 

including refugees living in homes 

with no running water, electricity or 

sewage systems. The volunteers’ suitcases, 

containing medications, vitamins, 

toothbrushes and fluoride, served as 

mobile pharmacies. 

“I was overwhelmed by the medical 

need,” Adams said. “We saw everything 

from the common cold to tuberculosis 

and AIDS. USU gives us the tools we 

need to practice good medicine in 

bad places.”

On the research front, collaborative 

work carried out by Air Force Second 

Lieutenant Jason Hoskins, a second-year 

student at the School of Medicine, could 

have a direct impact on the management 

of trauma and emergency medicine. 

The research, published in the Journal 

of the American College of Surgeons, 

shows that an aircraft-tracking method 

adapted to patient-data tracking may 

be more effective than current methods 

used in similar, primarily militarytrauma, settings.
5

Hoskins, a former air traffic control 

officer and lead on the study, explained, 

“For decades, air traffic controllers have 

managed the complexities of airspace and 

aircraft handoff with a simple ... nearly 

flawless system.” 

Designed to reach out to future students, 

the University’s collaborative S2M2 

(Science, Service, Medicine, Mentoring) 

program had a clear impact on Artemisa 

Zuazo, whose father served in the U.S. 

Army. With dreams of becoming a trauma 

surgeon serving soldiers, Zuazo believed 

strongly that USU’s military-focused 

curriculum would serve her need to 

learn about caring for others in extreme 

environments. Wanting to know more 

about the school, she applied to and was 

accepted by S2M2, the perfect solution for 

her and other high-school students.

This past summer, Zuazo and other 

aspiring health care practitioners 

shadowed a surgeon, simulated suturing 

and developed a health care presentation. 

“The S2M2 program is definitely one of 

the best things I’ve ever done,” she said. 

“It reinforced everything I thought about 

military medicine. Now I know for sure 

that this is what I want to do, and this is 

where I want to be.”

Combating Deadly Viruses

Christopher C. Broder

Professor of Microbiology

A collaborative research team from USU, the Australian Animal Health 

Laboratory (AAHL) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has 

developed and tested a novel human antibody treatment that may halt 

the spread of two deadly viruses, Nipah and Hendra. The team is led 

by Christopher C. Broder, Ph.D., professor of microbiology at USU, 

and Katharine Bossart, Ph.D., a USU alumna and assistant professor, 

Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, and 

investigator, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories Institute.

Nipah and Hendra viruses are found in Pteropid fruit bats and are 

characterized by their recent emergence as agents capable of causing 

illness and death in both animals and humans. Recent outbreaks have 

been associated with human case fatality rates as high as 75 percent. 

In experiments carried out in ferrets at the AAHL in Geelong, Victoria, 

Australia, the team of researchers demonstrated that giving the anti-virus 

human monoclonal antibody (m102.4) therapy after exposure to Nipah 

virus offered protection from the disease.

Earlier work at the NCI and USU resulted in the discovery of the 

m102.4 antibody that attacks a critical component of both viruses. 

Antibodies—proteins found in blood or other bodily fluids of 

vertebrates—are used by the immune system to identify and neutralize 

viruses and bacteria.

“There are currently no licensed and approved vaccines or

therapeutics for prevention and treatment of disease caused by these

viruses for humans or livestock,” Broder said. “This fully human

monoclonal antibody is the first antiviral agent against the Nipah and 

Hendra viruses that has a genuine potential for human therapeutic use.”

The experiments were supported in part by the National Institute 

of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 

and published in the journal PLoS Pathogens.
6

The Graduate Programs of the University’s 

F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine 

prepare students to become scientists 

and health care practitioners capable 

of pursuing a range of traditional and 

nontraditional careers in service to the 

nation. Both civilian and military students 

benefit from the University’s ample 

offering of research possibilities, 

graduate degree programs and stateof-the-art research facilities. 

In addition to USU research 

laboratories, students have access 

to the nearby National Institutes 

of Health (NIH), National Naval 

Medical Center, National Library 

of Medicine, Walter Reed Army 

Institute of Research, Armed Forces 

Radiobiology Research Institute and 

surrounding biotechnology companies. 

Research programs are supported, in part, 

by NIH through the Henry M. Jackson 

Foundation for the Advancement of 

Military Medicine (HJF). In addition, 

USU faculty members have been awarded 

grants from other agencies and private 

foundations. As a result, graduate students 

have the opportunity to participate in a 

wide selection of cutting-edge research 

exploring basic biomedical science, 

including:

• Mechanism and control of infectious 

diseases

• Cancer biology and mechanisms 

of signal transduction 

• Cell-to-cell signaling

• Regulation of cell growth and division

• Developmental biology

• Regulation of gene expression. 

Approximately two-thirds of USU’s 

173 graduate students enroll in doctoral 

programs, with the remainder pursuing 

master’s degrees. The University’s School 

of Medicine offers the following graduate 

degrees:

• Doctor of Philosophy

• Doctor of Public Health

• Master of Science in Public Health

• Master of Tropical Medicine and 

Hygiene

• Master of Military Medical History.

A physician/scientist (M.D./Ph.D.) 

program is also offered.

The combination of individually tailored 

graduate programs and the possibility of 

engaging in pertinent research, either in 

the laboratory or in the field, prepares 

USU students for productive and 

rewarding careers in many sectors of the 

biomedical sciences and public health. 

In addition to their knowledge and 

training, USU graduates give back 

to the nation by contributing to the 

advancement of health and science, 

by mentoring and teaching the next 

generation of scientists and health care 

practitioners, and by undertaking 

valuable public service, often in 

adverse and hostile conditions.

As a result of award-winning faculty and 

cutting-edge research, the University 

produces exceptional graduates who 

lead programs in laboratories, clinics and 

classrooms across the U.S. and around 

the world.

HJF Graduate Fellowships 

HJF selected three sixth-year USU 

doctoral students to receive 2009-10 

fellowships. The program, established 

in 1988 and comprising two Henry 

M. Jackson Fellowships and one Val G. 
7

Hemming Fellowship, provides doctoral 

fellows with stipends and travel support.

Kathleen Jones, a student in the Emerging 

Infectious Diseases Program, won the Val G. 

Hemming Fellowship. Jones works in the 

laboratory of Douglas “Scotty” Merrell, 

Ph.D. Her thesis project focuses on 

understanding how mutations in a specific 

gene in the human pathogen Helicobacter 

pylori affect disease development. The 

pathogen infects more than half of the 

world’s population, causing a range of 

maladies, including gastritis, ulcer disease 

and gastric carcinoma. Jones has identified 

a link between particular sequences in an 

H. pylori virulence gene and the development of gastric cancer.

Kristen Hamilton and Robert Clark, both 

in the Medical and Clinical Psychology 

Program, won Henry M. Jackson 

Fellowships. Hamilton is completing her 

thesis project in the laboratory of Neil 

Grunberg, Ph.D. She is investigating the 

effect of stress on impulsivity, and also 

increased stress and impulsivity on nicotine 

craving. She aims to better understand 

how these variables affect nicotine use 

and drug abuse.

Robert Clark is 

completing his 

dissertation in 

the laboratory of 

Tracy Sbrocco, 

Ph.D. His studies 

focus on the 

cultural, behavioral 

and psychophysiological 

basis of sexual 

dysfunction. 

He is studying 

how a menopausal woman’s view of her 

sexuality may affect her sexual health and 

quality of life. Clark hopes to address the 

role of psychosocial, physiological and 

developmental factors in maintaining 

healthy female sexuality.

‘Strengths of Peers’

Sharon Juliano

Interim Director

Graduate Program in Neuroscience

Sharon Juliano, Ph.D., foreground, is a professor and acting 

director of the Graduate Program in Neuroscience. She holds 

additional faculty appointments across several departments and 

disciplines, and she works with a broad cross-section of the 

University’s faculty and students. 

These highly diverse interactions enhance the learning 

environment by weaving together unique perspectives. Juliano 

fosters idea exchanges both in the classroom and laboratory, from 

medical students, graduate students and the post-doctoral fellows 

she mentors.

For example, Juliano facilitates open discussion through weekly 

data clubs. These informal gatherings give students opportunities 

to present their research findings to an audience with versatile 

skills. The platform encourages students to approach science in 

dynamic, innovative ways.

“The University is a very collegial place to work,” Juliano 

said. “Not only do my students understand the importance 

of collaboration when addressing important scientific 

questions, but I, too, rely on the strengths of my peers 

when conducting research.”
8

Founded in 1993 to pursue excellence in 

serving the needs of advanced-practice 

nurses in the uniformed services, USU’s 

Graduate School of Nursing (GSN) 

initially provided a master of science in 

nursing with specialization in anesthesia 

nursing or family nurse practitioner.

To meet the evolving requirements of 

the uniformed services, the GSN added 

the peri-operative clinical nurse specialist 

program leading to a master’s degree 

and a doctoral program focusing on 

nursing science in 2003. The GSN 

launched the adult psychiatric mental 

health nurse practitioner degree program 

five years later.

The GSN’s curriculum focuses on 

operational readiness, clinical decisionmaking, and population health and 

outcomes. Students are trained to work 

in acute and primary-care settings, with 

emphases on patient safety, professional 

ethics, force protection and international 

health. Graduates are prepared to 

support the U.S. military and Public 

Health Service, and to answer calls for 

humanitarian assistance.

In addition to careful curriculum 

development, the GSN pursues 

excellence in clinical practice and health 

care research. This fiscal year marked the 

activation of the Dr. Faye Glenn Abdellah 

Center, USU’s newest research center. 

Named for GSN’s trailblazing first dean, 

the center provides a primary research 

infrastructure for nurse scientists. 

Pursuit of Excellence

Gloria Ramsey, J.D., R.N., FAAN, 

associate professor at the GSN, embodies 

the pursuit of excellence. Ramsey was 

inducted into the American Academy of 

Nursing and recognized for her expertise 

in bioethics. Ramsey presented two 

papers at the ninth World Congress of 

Bioethics, organized on behalf of the 

International Association of Bioethics.

Students and faculty demonstrated 

excellence during the 76th annual 

meeting of the American Association 

of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). Two 

GSN submissions were selected in 

the AANA Foundation’s State of the 

Science competition.

The AANA recognized four others 

for their pursuit of excellence. Navy 

Commander John Maye, Ph.D., won the 

AANA “Researcher of the Year Award” 

for his contribution to the practice of 

anesthesia through clinical research. 
9

Maye is assistant professor and director of 

research for the Nurse Anesthesia Program.

Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Bohan, 

CRNA, Ph.D., NC, received this year’s AANA 

post-doctoral fellowship for his work in the 

development of an anesthesia research program. 

Assistant director of the Nurse Anesthesia 

Program, he directs student research.

The Foundation also honored Army Reserve 

Major Judith Wiley, CRNA, from Rush 

University assigned to GSN’s Nurse Anesthesia 

Program as “Clinical Instructor of the Year,” 

and GSN Associate Dean for Academic Affairs 

Army Colonel Bruce Schoneboom, Ph.D., as 

“Friend for Life.”

Recognizing its faculty for talent and pursuit 

of excellence, the GSN presented the annual 

Clinical Educator Awards to Air Force Major 

Kelly Nader, Carlton Brown, M.S., and Army 

Major Ricky Norwood. 

Associate Dean 

For Research Appointed

Marguerite Littleton-Kearney, Ph.D., became 

associate dean for research in September. She 

served most recently as an associate professor 

at The Johns Hopkins University School 

of Nursing. A former critical care nurse 

at the National Naval Medical Center in 

Bethesda, Md., and a Navy Reserve captain, 

she was activated to full active-duty status 

on two occasions.

Littleton-Kearney holds bachelor’s and master’s 

degrees from the Medical College of Georgia 

in Augusta, as well as a diploma from Mercy 

Hospital School of Nursing in Baltimore. 

She earned her Ph.D. and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Rush University.

Understanding Genetic Disorders

Diane Seibert

Director, Family Nurse Practitioner Program

Through a project called GeneFacts, Diane Seibert, Ph.D., 

is collaborating with health professionals from across the 

nation to foster greater awareness and understanding of 

genetic disorders. GeneFacts, produced in association with 

the National Coalition for Health Professional Education 

in Genetics, is a web-based resource providing answers to 

common genetic questions.

As one of three senior editors, Seibert is pairing family 

physicians and genetics counselors in writing teams. These 

authors are developing point-of-care information that will 

assist with the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of 

genetic disorders.

“I want to be able to provide my students and other health 

care providers with a place to find good information about 

how to treat patients with clinical conditions that have a 

genetic underpinning,” Seibert said. “Having access to a 

resource like GeneFacts will allow them to better serve 

their patients by receiving quality information quickly.”
10

Medical and nursing students at the 

Uniformed Services University are 

active-duty uniformed officers in the 

Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health 

Service. These dedicated individuals 

will become health care practitioners in 

some of the most challenging austere 

environments, including wartime, natural 

disasters, emerging infectious disease 

sectors and public health emergencies.

USU has a remarkable, worldwide 

reputation as a center of excellence. 

Students, faculty and alumni attribute 

the University’s extraordinary impact 

on military medical research and 

humanitarian assistance around the world 

to its passion for medical science and 

commitment to national service. 

The University’s motto, “Learning to 

Care for Those in Harm’s Way,” befits 

those individuals who decide to study 

and prepare for careers in service to the 

nation and who become outstanding 

graduates, scientists and health care 

practitioners. During their time at USU, 

students gain an understanding of the 

needs of military patients and sensitivity 

to their special requirements.

Indeed, USU is a university unlike 

any other: Unique in the education 

it offers its students, faculty and 

alumni and unique in its educational 

resources for military medical personnel 

that emphasize equal parts science, 

compassion and hope.

Through agreements with other military 

treatment and research centers, USU 

offers its students and faculty an 

unparalleled gateway to collaborative 

research and clinical settings that allow 

graduates to have a direct impact on 

the future of military medicine and 

public health.

Unique Ways of Educating

Operations Kerkesner and Bushmaster

Taking advantage of USU’s experienced 

faculty and “teachable moments” with 

students, Operation Kerkesner and 

Operation Bushmaster are annual rites of 

passage for first- and fourth-year medical 

students, respectively. Both events assess 

students’ knowledge, skill and attitudes as 

military officers. 
11

The field training exercises offer 

USU students simulated “real-world” 

experience in providing medical care 

in support of warfighting, peacekeeping 

and humanitarian assistance operations. 

The training also prepares students for 

natural or man-made disasters, helps 

them develop cultural sensitivities, and 

enhances their capacity to practice 

field preventive medicine in mitigating 

the threat of water- and food-borne, 

and insect-transmitted illnesses. The 

exercises also test the student’s 

knowledge and understanding of 

permissible rules of engagement.

Operation Kerkesner offers first-year 

medical students the skills and training 

needed to operate in a hostile field 

environment. The goals are to allow 

inexperienced officers to become part 

of a disciplined team, orient students to 

life in the field and challenge experienced officers in unexpected ways.

Operation Bushmaster, a capstone 

of the USU curriculum that merges 

classroom knowledge and battlefield 

training to treat combat trauma 

patients, is best described as a large, 

complex practical laboratory exercise 

in a simulated combat environment. In 

the field, students treat patients while 

simultaneously organizing movement 

of their facility, performing triage, 

and evacuating and managing mass 

casualties during the day and night. 

Students are graded as part of their 

academic curriculum.

“For nearly 30 years, USU has been 

charged with preparing graduates for 

the realities of war and disasters,” said 

USU President Charles Rice, M.D. 

“There has never been a more critical 

need. Our students leave us knowing 

that when the time comes, they will 

be ready. The graduates know that 

the men and women who sacrifice so 

much for our nation deserve the best 

possible care.”

Antietam March

America’s bloodiest one-day battle, 

which saw more than 23,000 men 

killed or wounded, took place in 

the Civil War amid the cornfields of 

western Maryland. More than 140 

years later, the hard lessons learned 

on the Antietam battlefield offer 

a one-of-a-kind teaching tool for 

modern military medical training.

More than 150 medical students 

from USU, accompanied by a 

number of students from the 

Graduate School of Nursing, 

participated in a six-mile road 

march through the Antietam 

National Battlefield in Sharpsburg 

in the spring of 2009 as part of their 

first-year curriculum. Originally 

intended as a way for students 

to break in their new combat 

boots, the field exercise serves as a 

means of teaching students, from 

a historical perspective, the basic 

tenets of battlefield health care. 

University students marched in 

small groups and stopped at stations 

along the route to hear local Civil 

War re-enactors discuss conditions 

and battlefield strategies. USU 

faculty members also highlighted 

the medical aspects of the battle, 

stressing the importance of care on 

the front lines, medical logistics and 

the use of evacuation assets. 
12

Presidential Classroom

More than 40 high school students 

participated in this year’s Presidential 

Classroom, a weeklong program hosted 

by the Armed Forces Radiobiology 

Research Institute (AFRRI). The 

endeavor addresses a wide range of topics, 

including public policy, national security, 

science, energy technology, journalism 

and global health.

The program began nearly a decade ago, 

when calls went out to several science 

labs around the Washington, D.C. area 

seeking their participation. AFRRI 

answered the call and has been a 

sponsor of Presidential Classroom for 

nearly 10 years. 

“The students gain a better understanding 

of what our armed forces are doing, 

not necessarily on the battlefield, but 

in the lab as it relates to science and 

technology,” said Annabelle Ombac, 

logistics manager for the program. 

“Specifically, they learn what radiation 

is, what everyday items have traces of 

radioactivity, and on a larger scale, what 

AFRRI is doing with its research of 

large traces of radioactivity so we can be 

prepared, if attacked.” 

The institute plays a vital role in national 

defense and in protecting humanity 

from radiological threats worldwide. 

AFRRI fosters widespread collaborations 

with government facilities, academic 

institutions and private industry in 

the U.S. and abroad. Its long-standing 

sponsorship of the Presidential 

Classroom series and 

independent research affirms 

its unique ability to enrich 

and stimulate the minds of 

young scientists.

Educational Training

USU’s Center for Health Disparities 

(USUCHD) has significant expertise in 

assessing reasons for health and health 

care disparities. The center develops 

and implements educational initiatives 

that give providers the tools and skills 

necessary to deliver high-quality care 

to diverse populations. Its goal is to 

significantly enhance medical education, 

research and practice for underserved 

populations.

In 2009, the center entered into a 

partnership that will address the lack of 

health care provider and practitioner 

training, educational resources and service 

uniformity. The partnership also studies 

systemic impediments that exacerbate 

cultural, economic, familial and regional 

challenges contributing to disparities in 

health and health care. Partnering with 

USUCHD on this venture is Steptoe 

Group, LLC, a management consulting 

and technical services firm. 

The relationship will provide a program 

to deliver patient-centered, evidencebased services to address the mental 

health needs of vulnerable populations 

within the military community.

USNS Comfort

Learning never ends for health care 

professionals. As their formal education 

concludes, health care practitioners 

immerse themselves in continuing 
1313

education, which remains a key component of their careers. USU is dedicated to 

providing continuing educational opportunities for medical professionals wherever 

the classroom is—even on the open sea.

USU faculty and staff from the Naval 

Health Research Center, San Diego, 

developed a continuing education 

curriculum that was adopted and 

modified for use aboard the USNS 

Comfort, a hospital ship conducting 

humanitarian missions in the southern 

hemisphere. Comfort personnel partnered 

with in-country health care providers to 

bring free medical, dental and veterinary 

care to those in need. 

From Bench to Bedside

John Baker and Mark Scher

Joint Office of Technology Transfer

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences 

(USU) and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the 

Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. (HJF) formed a 

Joint Office of Technology Transfer in 2000. This partnership 

encourages collaboration between military and civilian 

medicine to move innovative technologies into the 

marketplace—from bench to bedside.

Joint Office of Technology Transfer team members John 

Baker, J.D., right, and Mark Scher, Ph.D., play vital roles in the 

technology transfer process. Their work has assisted in many 

notable achievements, including the successful management of 

license agreements for products ranging from diagnostics for 

infections and simple devices for home care of cancer patients to 

vaccines for infectious diseases and cancer. All have potential for 

worldwide military and civilian use.

As USU general counsel, Baker provides legal oversight by 

ensuring that federal laws, Defense Department regulations and 

good business practices are followed throughout the technologytransfer process. 

Scher, the director of technology transfer and commercialization 

for HJF, ensures that inventions are protected through the 

patenting process and leads efforts to negotiate cooperative 

research and development agreements and licenses with 

commercial partners. 

“USU and HJF together play an integral role in medical research 

and technology transfer, including initiatives directly supporting 

the mission of the Department of Defense and broadly serving 

the public good,” Baker said.

“The purpose of USU’s continuing 

education program is to provide 

innovative, quality continuing education 

for Department of Defense health care 

professionals to facilitate professional 

development, lifelong learning and 

improved patient care,” said retired Navy 

Captain Patricia Kenney, supervisor 

and nurse educator at USU’s Office of 

Continuing Health Education.

Providing continuing education for 

health care professionals aboard the 
14

USNS Comfort is an exceptional 

example of pursuing education no 

matter the location. A deeper look 

into the partnership-building 

activities of the Office of Continuing 

Health Education revealed that in 

fiscal 2008, the office provided 

continuing education to 10,546 

doctors, nurses, psychologists, health 

care executives and social workers. 

A total of 10,473 individuals received 

general certificates of attendance. 

Unique Educational 

Resources 

USU offers an extraordinary learning 

experience that blends science with a 

commitment to service. Although the 

quality of the core medical education 

remains consistent with other notable 

medical academic institutions, USU’s 

School of Medicine curriculum contains 

an additional 500 hours of militaryunique content for medical students.

The University’s educational and research 

programs derive unparalleled benefits 

from its faculty members who deploy 

around the world on humanitarian and 

research missions and provide care for 

those in combat and in the wake of 

disaster. Educational resources abound 

at USU–from the alumni serving as 

mentors and role models, to the brick 

and mortar that house the centers of 

excellence. USU’s unique educational 

resources provide a military medical 

education second to none.

Simulation Center

By the time they graduate, USU medical 

students receive more simulation practice 

than they would at most medical schools 

in the nation. During their four years 

at the University, students participate in 

approximately 40 different simulations 

in preparation for their careers as military 

medical officers. 

Much of this training occurs in an 

8,000-square-foot, full-scale, immersive 

virtual-reality area that allows teams of 

students to participate in simulated mass 

casualty drills, biochemical attacks and 

other medical training scenarios. This 

unmatched facility, the National Capital 

Area Medical Simulation Center, is an 

integral part of USU’s mission to provide 

state-of-the-art technology to conduct 

clinical and surgical skills training. The 

facility offers students some of the most 

advanced medical simulation technology 

available in the world.

Going beyond the classroom, the 

training and simulations conducted at 

the center are critical components of 

the Washington, D.C. region’s readiness 

and ability to respond to man-made or 

natural disasters.

Mine Victim Assistance Program

Providing a multitude of opportunities 

for USU students to hone their medical 

craft is at the heart of the University’s 

education philosophy. This dedication 

to skill development produces some 

outstanding learning challenges. One 

such opportunity occurred when a team 

of medical personnel from USU’s Center 

for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance 

Medicine spent three years participating 

in a mine victim assistance program in 

the Republic of Chad.
1515

The center, part of the Department of 

Military and Emergency Medicine at USU, 

provides assistance to the government of 

Chad in the form of sustained training, as 

well as material resources and technical 

guidance. The effort seeks to build capacity 

and increase self-sufficiency for treating 

casualties of any trauma. 

A curriculum for the First Responders 

in Austere Environments was adapted 

for a target audience of de-miners and 

translated into French. As a result, more 

than 225 individuals were trained in 

stabilizing victims from accidental 

explosions. By recruiting the best 

performers in each class as assistant 

instructors, the knowledge spreads to 

small villages and towns throughout 

Chad to increase self-sufficiency.

“This program is an excellent opportunity 

to use health care diplomacy to win hearts 

and minds, or gain access and influence, in 

a crucial part of the world. Our security at 

home is increasingly dependent on global 

and regional stability, and it starts in places 

like Chad,” said retired Air Force Colonel 

Charles Beadling, M.D., a USU graduate 

and director of the center. He leads the 

humanitarian mission in Chad.

Single IRB Streamlines Review Process

Captain Gregory Martin

Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics 

Established by USU and the National Institute of Allergy and 

Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in 2005, the Infectious Disease 

Clinical Research Program (IDCRP) is a major initiative that 

focuses on clinical infectious diseases of military importance. 

This multifaceted program encourages the exchange of scientific 

ideas and development of collaborative research efforts between 

Department of Defense (DoD) and NIAID investigators in 

military treatment facilities and research laboratories. 

Led by Navy Captain Gregory Martin, M.D., and headquartered 

within USU’s Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, 

the program is built around a global network of military clinical 

sites and leverages DoD’s extensive health care and research 

infrastructure. The framework allows IDCRP to rapidly address 

novel infectious disease threats around the world as they are 

identified, providing an ideal platform to study new challenges.

USU researchers collaborated on the establishment of a network 

infectious disease institutional review board (IRB), with goals of 

decreasing the amount of time needed to move research from 

bench to bedside, harmonizing research practices and strengthening 

communication throughout DoD.

The IRB also facilitates high-priority military research through 

the program and streamlines the institutional review and approval 

process by enabling researchers to work with a single board for 

multicenter protocols. Collaborative research can now be reviewed 

once, freeing DoD and NIAID to emphasize multicenter studies. 

Previously, such studies required as many as seven separate 

reviews that often imposed significant delays. 
16

Milestones of accomplishment and 

markers of progress punctuate a year 

in USU’s life. These achievements 

frequently blend education and research 

in pursuit of military and public health 

advancements. In addition to the 

outstanding scholarship opportunities, 

students also engage in a variety of 

activities that enrich the USU 

experience and enhance campus life.

USU’s Research Week, held in midMay, promoted research initiatives of 

faculty, staff and students and provided 

opportunities for interdisciplinary 

collaboration and communication 

between USU graduate students and 

faculty. Patricia Grady, Ph.D., R.N., 

FAAN, the director of the National 

Institute of Nursing Research, gave 

the plenary lecture. 

In June, USU’s Faculty Senate hosted its 

second annual Education Day. “Building 

Bridges: Integrating Basic and Clinical 

Science Education” promoted continuing 

education of faculty, staff and students, 

as well as affiliated teaching institutions. 

Discussions included innovation and 

effective strategies in health sciences 

education, along with the transfer of 

strategies between basic science and 

clinical disciplines.

Air Force Lieutenant General James 

Roudebush, M.D., the service’s surgeon 

general, addressed more than 200 

graduating physicians, advanced practice 

nurses and scientists at the University’s 

30th commencement exercise on May 16. 

As the Air Force’s medical leader, 

Roudebush, now retired, advised on 

medical aspects of the air expeditionary 

force and the health of the Air Force 

population. The ceremony was steeped 

in military and academic traditions as 

Roudebush discussed the importance of 

educating medical leaders. USU now has 

more than 5,000 alumni.

Warrior Care Month

The U.S. Secretary of Defense designated 

November as Warrior Care Month to 

honor servicemembers’ sacrifices and to 

increase awareness of America’s programs 

and resources. USU hosted senior leaders 

of the military health system to discuss 

the spectrum of health care, with focus 

on services offered for posttraumatic 

stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. 

In recognition of Warrior Care Month, 

the University’s Center for the Study 

of Traumatic Stress created a Warrior 

Care website that contains educational 

resources for leadership, health care 

providers and military families. 

Awards, Appointments

And Honors

Air Force Colonel Brian Reamy, M.D., 

was selected as USU’s Associate Dean for 

Faculty following a nationwide search. 

Reamy previously served as the chair of 

USU’s Department of Family Medicine. 

As associate dean, Reamy is responsible 

for working as a faculty advocate to 
17

Upholding the Spirit of Camaraderie

Master Chief Clinton Garrett

Brigade Senior Enlisted Leader

Master Chief Clinton Garrett plays a critical role in advancing 

USU’s mission as the senior enlisted leader. He is the voice of 

the noncommissioned officers and a liaison for the University 

brigade commander and president.

Garrett’s previous experiences working with servicemembers 

from all branches of the military make him an ideal candidate 

for a leadership position in USU’s joint service environment. 

His challenge on the Bethesda campus is to maintain respect 

for each service and their respective cultures while upholding 

the spirit of camaraderie that underscores excellence in the 

USU learning environment.

“Working at USU has been an incredible experience,” Garrett 

said. “I’ve learned much about the armed forces as a whole, 

particularly the unique tenets of military medicine that are 

gained by serving in this one-of-a-kind environment. Here, 

the strengths of every service are harnessed, thus ensuring the 

mission of caring for those in harm’s way is achieved.”

promote an academic environment 

that supports, enhances and rewards the 

activities of hundreds of on-campus School 

of Medicine faculty and thousands of nonbilleted faculty throughout the Military 

Health System.

The American Association of Nurse 

Anesthetists Foundation awarded this year’s 

prestigious postdoctoral fellowship to Air 

Force Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Bohan, 

Ph.D., certified registered nurse anesthetist 

(CRNA). He is assistant director of the 

Nurse Anesthesia program and director 

of Air Force, Army and Public Health 

Service nurse anesthesia student research 

at USU’s Graduate School of Nursing. 

The fellowship was established in 2006 

to recognize CRNAs at the doctoral 

level actively involved in developing an 

anesthesia research program. Bohan chaired 

and coordinated several concurrent student 

research projects pertaining to simulation. 

Harry Holloway, M.D., professor of 

psychiatry and neuroscience at the 

School of Medicine, was named to 

the External Advisory Council for the 

National Space Biomedical Research 

Institute. Funded by NASA, the institute 

studies health risks related to long-duration 

spaceflight. Its External Advisory Council 

includes leaders in research fields central to 

the institute’s mission. 

Vincent Ho, M.D., professor in and vice 

chair of the Department of Radiology and 

Radiological Sciences, was selected to lead 

the newly integrated Department of 
18

Radiology of the National Naval Medical 

Center and Walter Reed Army Medical 

Center. The two medical centers are 

slated to merge into the Walter Reed 

National Military Medical Center in 

Bethesda in 2011.

The Faculty Senate Education Committee 

awarded two Innovation in Teaching 

Awards to faculty members who went 

beyond the standard of teaching to 

improve the University and student 

experience. Rosemary Borke, Ph.D., 

professor, Department of Anatomy, 

Physiology and Genetics, won the 

Preclinical Science Award for originality 

or creativity in neuroanatomy. 

James Smirniotopoulos, M.D., professor 

in the Department of Radiology and 

Radiological Sciences, was awarded the 

Clinical Award for technology changes 

in medicine, in particular MedPix, the 

electronic “Radiology Glossary” and the 

“Brain Lesion Locator.” 

Brian Cox, Ph.D., professor, Department 

of Pharmacology, was awarded the 

prestigious Carol J. Johns Medal for 

outstanding contributions to the School 

of Medicine and Graduate School of 

Nursing as both mentor and leader. The 

USU Faculty Senate honored Cox as 

best among the University faculty for 

developing engaging lectures, creating an 

interdisciplinary neuroscience graduate 

program and serving as a member on 

several committees promoting academic 

excellence. Cox is also a world-renowned 

scientist, who has performed pioneering 

studies of endogenous opioid peptides. 

Cox’s work contributes directly to 

understanding mechanisms and actions of 

key medicinal agents and abused recreational drugs. He is the president of the 

American Society of Pharmacology and 

Experimental Therapeutics.

Colleen Conway-Welch, Ph.D., was 

recognized by Modern Healthcare as 

one of the Top 25 Women in Healthcare. 

She is a USU Board of Regents member 

and dean of the School of Nursing at 

Vanderbilt University, where she has 

served for 25 years, one of the longestserving deans of a nursing school in 

the country. 

Brigade Offers Military Expertise

USU medical and nursing students are 

active-duty uniformed officers in the 

Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health 

Service who are being educated to 

deal with wartime casualties, disasters, 

emerging infectious diseases and other 

public health emergencies. The USU 

Brigade serves as the University’s military 

leadership component and provides 

military expertise to its staff, faculty 

and students. 

The brigade offers administrative, legal 

and operational support, and training, 

while contributing to continuity, 

leadership and military medical readiness. 

Members of the brigade include officers 

and enlisted personnel.

Led by Army Colonel John Wempe, 

USU’s uniformed students, faculty and 

staff participate in activities such as 

regular formations, performance 

evaluations, physical fitness exercises, 

testing and training in appropriate 

uniformed programs and customs.

USU Notables

The Compassionate Friends recognized 

USU as one of 141 employers 

nationwide that show enhanced 
1919

sensitivity to bereaved employees following 

the death of a child of any age. The group 

is the nation’s largest self-help bereavement 

organization. USU was among those 

selected in 2009 “for going above and 

beyond the normal policies of most 

companies in helping their employees when 

the death of a child occurred.” 

USU’s Office of Continuing Health 

Education (CHE) was awarded a five-year 

accreditation by the American Psychological 

Association. CHE serves the U.S. federal 

health care delivery system globally and 

provides continuing education credits for 

health care executives, nurses, pharmacists, 

physicians, psychologists and social workers. 

This accreditation enables USU to continue 

awarding credits to psychologist participants 

at educational events. 

As part of the National Naval Medical 

Center-Walter Reed Army Medical CenterUSU Integrated Grand Rounds series, 

Harvey Fineberg, M.D., Ph.D., president 

of the prestigious Institute of Medicine of 

the National Academies, presented “The 

Swine Flu Situation: 1976 as Applied to 

Now–What to Expect in the Fall.” Fineberg 

spoke to more than 200 health science 

professionals about the relevance of history 

in understanding the current H1N1 virus.

The American College of Obstetricians and 

Gynecologists Committee on American 

Indian Affairs established a new award 

in honor of a USU faculty member. The 

“William H.J. Haffner American Indian/ 

Alaska Native Women’s Health Award” 

was named for USU’s former Department 

of Obstetrics and Gynecology chair and 

associate dean for faculty development. 

The award recognizes an individual who 

has made a major contribution to raising 

the level of health and/or improving 

American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) 

women’s health care. In naming the award, 

the committee sought someone who was 

“a living example of what the award stands 

for.” Dr. Haffner, a retired U.S. Public 

From Alumnus to Faculty

Jeffrey Longacre

Vice President for Affiliations and International Affairs

Jeffrey Longacre, M.D., has contributed to USU in many 

ways over the past three decades. He graduated from the 

School of Medicine in 1986 and returned as a uniformed 

faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics in 1998. 

He was recently selected as the vice president for affiliations 

and international affairs. 

Longacre also serves as the special assistant to the Joint Task 

Force, National Capital Region Medical. His charge ensures the 

University’s role in the academic health center with the opening 

of the future Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in 

2011, co-located with USU.

Through his senior administrative post, Longacre is working 

to expand and enhance University relationships with military 

and civilian treatment centers worldwide. These partnerships 

benefit USU students by strengthening their clinical skills and 

broadening their awareness of global health issues. USU offers 

reciprocal experiences for international students as well. Students 

from countries around the world are provided opportunities to 

learn alongside USU students in the National Capital Region.

“Our graduates advance health and science at home and abroad. 

Therefore, it is fundamental that USU maintains international 

perspectives in learning,” Longacre said.
20

Health Service captain who was assigned 

to the Indian Health Service for many 

years, was chosen as the epitome of 

“dedication and exceptional service to 

AI/AN women’s health care.” The first 

award will be presented in May 2010 at 

the college’s annual clinical meeting. 

Four acclaimed actors performed readings 

at USU that examined topics of violence, 

ethics and suicide. These topics led to 

discussions after the presentation about 

approaches to military medical treatment 

and education. Bryan Doerries, writer, 

founder and director of “The Philoctetes 

Project: Theater of War,” discovered 

that the ancient stories have relevance 

for a military audience. The USU venue 

encouraged post-reading faculty and 

student discussions.

Lights, Camera, Action

“Fighting for Life,” a documentary film, 

aired on Public Broadcasting Service, 

(PBS) stations nationwide. Produced 

by two-time Academy Award-winning 

filmmaker Terry Sanders, the film focuses 

on the role USU plays in educating 

leaders in military medicine and looks at 

the care they provide to servicemen and 

women injured in combat.

USU partnered with Sesame Workshop 

and Maryland Public Television to host a 

screening of the PBS primetime special, 

“Coming Home: Military Families Cope 

With Change.” Stephen Cozza, M.D., 

professor, Department of Psychiatry and 

associate director of the Center for the 

Study of Traumatic Stress, was featured 

in the special. He has worked extensively 

with families and children of deployed 

members. The special discusses the 

challenges injured soldiers and families 

face in coping with major life challenges 

and encouraged support of one another. 

New Board of Regents Members 

Retired Army Lieutenant General 

Ronald Blanck, D.O., chair.

Blanck currently serves as vice chairman 

and partner of Martin, Blanck & 

Associates. Previously, he was president 

of the University of North Texas Health 

Science Center at Fort Worth and 

remains a professor in the university’s 

Department of Internal Medicine. Blanck 

began his military career in 1968 as a 

medical officer and battalion surgeon 

in Vietnam. He retired 32 years later as 

surgeon general of the U.S. Army and 

commander of the U.S. Army Medical 

Command.

Dr. Haile Debas, member. 

Debas is executive director of Global 

Health Sciences at the University of 

California-San Francisco. He is also 

the Maurice Galante Distinguished 

Professor of Surgery and holds hospital 

appointments at the University of 

California Medical Center and Mount 

Zion Medical Center.

Dr. Michael Johns, member. 

Johns is chancellor of Emory University, 

where he previously served as chief 

executive officer of the Robert W. 

Woodruff Health Sciences Center, 

executive vice president for health 

affairs, chairman of the board of 

Emory Healthcare, and professor in the 

Department of Otolaryngology.

Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu, member. 

Moritsugu currently serves as vice 

president of Global Strategic Affairs 

for LifeScan Inc., a Johnson & Johnson 
2121

Advancing the Mission

Retired Major General Patrick Sculley

Senior Vice President for University Programs

Students, faculty and alumni advance the University mission 

well beyond the flagship campus. Retired Major General 

Patrick Sculley, D.D.S., is supporting this geographically diverse 

population as USU’s senior vice president for university 

programs from the new USU office in San Antonio. 

Sculley facilitates opportunities for USU stakeholders in the 

southern region by advocating on their behalf. Interfacing 

with uniformed medical professionals at various military and 

civilian treatment facilities allows him to understand the needs 

of uniformed medical professionals. He shares this knowledge 

with University leadership in order to promote a better 

administrative and academic environment. 

An additional focus of Sculley’s charge entails seeking 

opportunities to improve the future of military health care. 

Under this banner, he is serving as chairman of a committee 

seeking to establish University-sponsored dental graduate 

degree programs for comprehensive dentists and oral and 

maxillofacial surgeons.

“We are ever vigilant of new opportunities to better serve 

those who serve our nation. I am grateful to once again be 

involved in the health care mission on behalf of uniformed 

servicemembers and their families.” 

company. He is also chairman of the 

Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute.

Dr. Gail Wilensky, member.

Wilensky is an economist and senior 

fellow at Project HOPE, an international 

health education foundation. She is also 

a commissioner on the World Health 

Organization Commission on the Social 

Determinants of Health.

Retired Marine Corps General 

Charles Krulak, member. 

Krulak is actively engaged in corporate 

governance as a member of both the 

Union Pacific Corp. and FreeportMcMoRan Copper and Gold Corp. 

board of directors. The former 

Commandant of the Marine Corps also 

served for six years as a senior executive 

with MBNA Bank. 

Mr. Lawrence Lewin, member. 

Lewin is an executive consultant, 

founder and former president and 

CEO of the Lewin Group. For more 

than 40 years, he has directed a wide 

range of projects involving health 

policy and finance, academic medicine, 

and health systems management and 

governance. He was a member of the 

DoD Task Force on the Future of 

Military Health Care and is currently a 

member of the International Advisory 

Committee for Brookdale’s Smokler 

Center in Jerusalem. 

Serving the Broader 

Health Community

The Center for the Study of Traumatic 

Stress made online resources available to 

aid in recovery from community violence. Fact sheets entitled “Psychological 

First Aid: Helping Victims in the 

Immediate Aftermath of Disaster” and 

“The Impact of Kidnapping, Shooting 

and Torture on Children” are among 

the resources that offer help. 
22

Research at USU is, by nature, 

collaborative. Forming partnerships, 

supporting research studies and 

promoting the expansion of educational 

opportunities utilize the unique 

capabilities and resources available to 

a university known as the “West Point 

of military medicine.” 

USU is a leading subject-matter 

expert on military medicine, but the 

University’s research accomplishments 

and educational influence are providing 

valuable contributions to civilian 

medicine and public health. 

Much of the research within the 

military medical system is similar to that 

undertaken in the private sector, with a 

notable exception. Military scientists, in 

many cases, have access to tools and assets 

beyond those available to most civilian 

researchers because of the Defense 

Department’s vast network of laboratories 

and medical research facilities. The armed 

forces operate laboratory and clinical 

sites throughout the U.S. and around the 

world. This network provides military 

medical researchers with unparalleled 

and extensive resources, enabling them 

to conduct state-of-the-art scientific 

investigations on a global scale.

Center for Prostate 

Disease Research

The Center for Prostate Disease Research 

(CPDR), part of USU’s Department 

of Surgery, has made groundbreaking 

discoveries to unravel the mysteries 

of prostate disease. These discoveries 

have propelled its reputation as one of 

the leading prostate disease research 

centers in the nation.

The center adopted a holistic approach 

to prostate research that has enabled the 

program to make significant progress on 

both the scientific and clinical research 

fronts. The center has forged relationships 

with prestigious institutions through 

creation of a much-heralded multicenter 

national prostate cancer database.

In 2009, a collaborative research effort 

by CPDR, Walter Reed Army Medical 

Center and Gen-Probe Inc., a leader 

in the development of rapid, accurate 

and cost-effective nucleic acid tests, 

bore fruit after two years of intensive 

work. The partnership developed a new 

diagnostic test for prostate cancer, based 

on the promising prognostic utility of 

the urine PCA3 test. The development 

is significant, as the PCA3 test could 

provide valuable prognostic information 

and may help determine which patients 

are candidates for active surveillance 

versus more aggressive treatment of 

prostate cancer.

In another breakthrough, CPDR 

researchers unraveled new aspects of 

the male hormone (androgen) receptor 

regulation in prostate cancer. The 

groundbreaking data led to the discovery 

of a completely new mechanism of 

regulation of the androgen receptor 

by the NEDD4 binding protein called 

PMEPA1. CPDR discovered the protein 

as a prostate-abundant and androgenregulated gene. 

The center, established in 1991, integrates 

the efforts of faculty and staff from USU, 

Walter Reed Medical Center, Armed 

Forces Institute of Pathology and eight 

other DoD medical centers.
23

Developing Teaching Skills

Steven Durning

Professor of Medicine and Pathology

Steven Durning, M.D., professor of medicine and pathology 

at the USU Department of Medicine, is collaborating with 

Th.J. (Olle) Ten Cate, Ph.D., University Medical Center, 

Utrecht, the Netherlands, and other colleagues to study the 

benefits and challenges of peer-teaching in medical school. 

Durning, Cate and others believe that training future physicians 

for their role as teachers should be introduced and practiced 

in medical school because most physicians receive little or no 

formal training to develop their teaching skills at universities or 

during residency training. 

The researchers noted that formal systems of peer-teaching seem 

to be less prevalent in medical school than in other advanceddegree graduate programs. In order to evaluate the effectiveness 

of peer-teaching, the researchers administered a survey at their 

respective institutions. 

The survey, completed by students who participated as either 

student or teacher, revealed some strengths and weaknesses at 

both locations. Evidence from the survey led the researchers 

to devise 12 rationales that support the use of peer-teaching. 

After studying the survey, experts offered remedies for further 

extending the roles of educators and modifying academic 

medical culture. 

Center for the Study 

Of Traumatic Stress

Uniquely positioned as the nation’s 

premier center for addressing a wide scope 

of trauma exposure from the consequences 

of combat and public health threats, USU’s 

Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress 

bridges military and disaster psychiatry as it 

integrates disaster mental and public health.

The center, a reservoir of medical literature 

and training materials related to public 

health, produces fact sheets and research 

literature to support the nation’s military 

servicemembers and their families. The 

center’s fact sheet series “Courage to Care” 

addresses suicide warning signs, risk factors 

and the barriers to care

often felt by those in need.

The center 

educates 

families and 

friends of 

servicemembers, 

provides a valuable 

resource for 

servicemembers and 

helps reduce job-related 

stress by improving 

operational effectiveness 

and performance within 

the military.

Infectious Disease Clinical 

Research Program

A study published in the June 2009 issue of 

Military Medicine recommended that the 

Military Health System place a continued 

emphasis on infection control, suggesting 

that military hospitals and treatment 

facilities may be vulnerable to multi-drug 

resistant (MDR) bacteria. 

A team of doctors from USU, the 

Infectious Disease Clinical Research 

Program affiliated with the University, and 

Brooke Army Medical Center conducted 

the study. The scientists discovered 
24

indications that certain bacteria are 

developing drug resistances and may be 

able to survive in military hospitals. 

USU alumnus Army Lieutenant 

Colonel Clinton Murray, M.D., was the 

lead author of the collaborative study. 

Murray’s team found that MDR bacteria 

infected combat casualties from both 

Iraq and Afghanistan and suggested that 

newer infection-control strategies might 

be needed. The study also revealed the 

difficulty of pinpointing the origin of an 

infection because of the complex military 

medical evacuation process, ferrying a 

patient to as many as five health care 

facilities, each with varying infectioncontrol strategies and priorities.

Cancer Research

The Military Health System also 

is charged with caring for tens of 

thousands of military family members. 

To that end, the armed forces operate 

extensive, world-renowned cancer 

research programs, along with initiatives 

to investigate heart disease, diabetes and 

other health concerns.

A recent study–published in the journal 

Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers 

and Prevention and sponsored by the 

Defense Department and National 

Cancer Institute–indicated that activeduty military personnel might have 

lower risks of developing certain kinds 

of cancer, compared to the public. 

These findings became known after a 

group of researchers from the Military 

Health System, led by USU scientist 

Dr. Kangmin Zhu, and the National 

Institutes of Health examined cancer 

rates of members of the armed forces and 

the general U.S. population.

“Cancer risk may be affected by multiple 

factors. It is known that certain behaviors 

or exposures, such as tobacco smoking, 

alcohol consumption, poor diet, obesity, 

radiation and certain chemicals, are 

associated with cancer,” said Zhu, 

a researcher at the U.S. Military 

Cancer Institute. 

Although it is unclear why certain 

groups of military personnel 

demonstrated different rates, the 

research team speculated that differing 

cancer frequencies between military

and civilian populations are most 

likely caused by greater access to 

medical care and higher rates of 

cancer screening in the military. 
2525

Armed Forces Radiobiology 

Research Institute

Three scientists from USU and the Armed 

Forces Radiobiology Research Institute 

(AFRRI) created an award-winning 

research poster that explains how foreign 

objects embedded in the human body can 

cause harm.

Navy Commander Michelle Kane; John 

Kalinich, Ph.D., research biochemist and 

program adviser of Internal Contamination 

and Metal Toxicity Program at AFRRI; 

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

FACSM, professor and acting director, 

Ph.D. programs, Graduate School of 

Nursing, USU; and the Department of 

Veteran Affairs, co-authored a research 

poster titled, “Weapons-Grade Tungsten 

Alloy as a Potential Cytotoxin.” The 

scientists received the Best Research Award 

at the annual conference of the Association 

of Military Surgeons of the United States 

held in San Antonio. 

The research explains a method used to 

determine the effects on muscle that has 

been induced with metal. The standard 

procedure to assess the long-term health 

effects has a two-year life span and can 

be costly and time consuming. The work 

presented on the poster describes a method 

to estimate the potential adverse health 

effects in days rather than years. 

Reaching Across Boundaries

Regina Armstrong

Director, Center for Neuroscience 

and Regenerative Medicine

Regina Armstrong, Ph.D., (pictured back row, second from 

right) seeks innovative ways to improve the health of wounded 

servicemembers by reaching across the traditional boundaries of 

science. She relies on the expertise of a multidisciplinary team of 

clinicians and researchers to transform the current understanding 

of traumatic brain injury.

The center’s cooperative research environment aims to quickly 

move concepts into medical applications by harnessing the 

strengths of more than 200 scientists. The team is not only 

diverse in specialties, but also diverse in its affiliations with top 

scientific institutions.

The center maintains a strong partnership with laboratories 

throughout the National Capital Region, including the National 

Institutes of Health, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, National 

Naval Medical Center and Defense Centers of Excellence for 

Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Armstrong brings a wealth of experience to the center. She 

is a professor and former director of the USU Neuroscience 

Graduate Program, served as director of the Translational 

Research Program of the Defense Brain and Spinal Cord Injury 

Program, and is a member of the Committee on Neuroscience 

Departments and Programs for the Society for Neuroscience. 

“If you want to make advances in science, you have to 

cross disciplines and bring different approaches together,” 

Armstrong said.
26

Construction of a new national 

military medical center adjacent to 

the University provides USU with 

outstanding opportunities to enhance 

military medicine. The Walter Reed 

National Military Medical Center 

will house an integrated, advanced 

medical facility for all services, with 

USU serving as its health sciences 

education core.

The medical center will also bring new 

research opportunities that will build on 

the University’s collaborative approach 

to improving military medicine. Two 

current research initiatives reflect that 

commitment as USU scientists work 

to address signature health issues of 

Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation 

Enduring Freedom: suicide prevention 

and traumatic brain injury.

In 2009, the Defense Department 

announced a $50 million cooperative 

agreement with USU, the Army, National 

Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and 

three other leading universities–Harvard, 

Columbia and the University of 

Michigan–to research suicide risk 

among U.S. servicemen and women. 

Robert Ursano, M.D., director of the 

Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress 

and chairman of USU’s Department of 

Psychiatry, is leading an interdisciplinary 

team to carry out the NIMH research–

the largest study of suicide and mental 

health among military personnel 

ever undertaken.

The study is a direct response to the 

Army’s request to NIMH to enlist the 

most promising scientific approaches for 

addressing the rising suicide rate among 

soldiers. The suicide rate among Army 

personnel has risen substantially since the 

beginning of the current conflicts in Iraq 

and Afghanistan. 

Although planned for five years, the 

study is designed to quickly identify 

potential risk factors that could inform 

the continuing research project and the 

Army’s ongoing efforts to prevent suicide 

among its personnel.

More than half of American schools 

have undertaken major revisions of 

their curricula in the last decade. The 

USU School of Medicine will revise its 

curriculum for the class entering in 2011. 

Alison O’Brien, Ph.D, chair, Department 

of Microbiology and Immunology, and 

Louis Pangaro, M.D., chair, Department 

of Medicine, were appointed to lead this 

comprehensive effort. 

The school’s dean has requested that 

the curriculum include a tighter linkage 

between basic and clinical sciences in 

all four years of medical school and that 

clinical clerkships (during which students 

work closely with hospital faculty in 

caring for patients) begin before the third 

year of medical school. Additionally, the 

dean has urged that careful attention 

be paid to assessing students’ growing 

competence during all four years. 

The venture has been named “Molecules 

to Military Medicine,” reflecting the 

nature of the proposed changes in the 

curriculum and its foundation in the 

unique environment of the military. 

The comprehensive curricular reform 

effort at USU will have faculty and 

students work with patients, leaders of 

graduate education and the leaders of 

the Military Health System to identify 

outcomes that will be important in the 

coming decades.
27

President

Charles L. Rice, M.D.

Senior Vice President

Dale C. Smith, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President for University Programs 

(Southern Region)

Patrick D. Sculley, D.D.S., M.A.

MG, DC, USA (Ret)

Vice President for Distributed Learning/

Acting Vice President for External Affairs

William Bester, R.N., M.S.N., NEA-BC

BG, AN, USA (Ret)

Vice President for Research

Steven G. Kaminsky, Ph.D.

Vice President for Finance and Administration

Stephen C. Rice, M.S., FACHE

CAPT, MSC, USN (Ret)

Vice President for International Agreements 

and Affiliations

Jeffrey L. Longacre, M.D.

COL, MC, USA (Ret)

Chief of Staff

Stephen J. Henske, M.H.A.

CAPT, MSC, USN (Ret)

General Counsel

John E. Baker, J.D., LL.M.

COL, JA, USA (Ret)

Brigade Commander

John M. Wempe, M.D., D.V.M., Ph.D.

COL, MC, USA

Assistant to the President for Special Projects

Mary A. Dix, M.S.

Faculty Senate President

Neil E. Grunberg, Ph.D.

Director, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research 

Institute

Patricia K. Lillis-Hearne, M.D.

COL, MC, USA

Director, United States Military Cancer Institute

John Potter, M.D.

Graduate School of Nursing

Dean

Ada Sue Hinshaw, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Bruce A. Schoneboom, Ph.D., CRNA

COL, AN, USA

Commandant

Assistant Dean for Student Affairs

Kandace J. Wolf, B.S.N., M.N.

LTC, AN, USA

Associate Dean for Research

Marguerite Littleton-Kearney, Ph.D.

Assistant Dean for Administration, Finance 

and Technology

Ernest L. Hepler, Jr., Ph.D.

COL, MSC, USA (Ret)

Department of Health, Injury and Disease 

Management

Chair: Diane Padden, Ph.D., CRNP

Department of Health Systems, Risk and 

Contingency Management

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

CAPT, NC, USN (Ret)

Doctoral Program in Nursing Science

Acting Director: Christine Kasper, Ph.D., R.N., 

FAAN, FACSM

Family Nurse Practitioner Program

Director: Diane Seibert, Ph.D., CRNP

Nurse Anesthesia Program

Director: Adrienne G. Hartgerink, M.S.N., CRNA

Lt Col, USAF, NC (Ret)

Perioperative Clinical Nurse Specialist Program

Director: Linda J. Wanzer, M.S.N., CNOR

COL, AN, USA (Ret)

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner 

Program

Director: Robert R. Arnold, M.S.N., R.N., PsyCNS

MAJ, AN, USA
28

F. Edward Hébert School 

of Medicine

Dean

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

CAPT, MC, USA (Ret)

Vice Dean

John E. McManigle, M.D.

Col, USAF, MC (Ret)

Commandant

Patricia L. McKay, M.D.

CDR, MC, USN 

Associate Dean for Graduate Education

Eleanor S. Metcalf, Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Student Affairs

Richard M. MacDonald, M.D.

COL, MC, USA (Ret)

Associate Dean for Simulation Education

Joseph V. Lopreiato, M.D.

CAPT, MC, USN (Ret)

Associate Dean for Medical Education

Donna M. Waechter, Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Faculty

Brian V. Reamy, M.D.

Col, USAF, MC

Associate Dean for Recruitment and 

Admissions

Margaret Calloway, M.D.

CAPT (S), MC, USN

Interim Associate Dean for Graduate 

Medical Education

Jerri Curtis, M.D.

CAPT, MC, USN

Associate Dean for Clinical Research

Vacant

Department of Anatomy, Physiology and 

Genetics

Chair: Harvey B. Pollard, M.D., Ph.D.

CAPT, USPHS (Ret)

Department of Anesthesiology

Interim Chair: Cynthia H. Shields, M.D.

COL, MC, USA

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular 

Biology

Chair: Teresa M. Dunn, Ph.D.

Department of Biomedical Informatics

Interim Chair: Ronald Gimbel, Ph.D.

CDR, MSC, USN (Ret)

Department of Dermatology

Chair: Leonard B. Sperling, M.D.

COL, MC, USA (Ret)

Department of Family Medicine

Interim Chair: Brian Unwin, M.D.

COL, MC, USA

Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology

Chair: David S. Krantz, Ph.D.

Department of Medical History

Interim Chair: Trueman W. Sharp, M.D.

CAPT, MC, USN

Department of Medicine

Chair: Louis N. Pangaro, M.D.

COL, MC, USA (Ret)

Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Chair: Alison D. O’Brien, Ph.D.

Department of Military and Emergency 

Medicine

Chair: Trueman W. Sharp, M.D.

CAPT, MC, USN

Department of Neurology

Chair: William W. Campbell, Jr., M.D.

COL, MC, USA

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Acting Chair: Christopher Zahn, M.D.

Col, USAF, MC

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: Jeffrey M. Harmon, Ph.D.

Department of Preventive Medicine and 

Biometrics

Chair: Gerald V. Quinnan, Jr., M.D.

RADM, USPHS (Ret)

Department of Psychiatry

Chair: Robert J. Ursano, M.D.

Col, USAF, MC (Ret)

Department of Radiation Biology

Chair: Vacant

Department of Radiology and Radiological 

Sciences

Interim Chair: Vincent Ho, M.D.

Department of Surgery

Chair: David G. Burris, M.D.

COL, MC, USA

Doctoral Programs

Emerging Infectious Diseases Program

Director: Christopher C. Broder, Ph.D.

Molecular and Cell Biology Program

Director: Mary Lou Cutler, Ph.D.

Neuroscience Program

Interim Director: Sharon L. Juliano, Ph.D.

Board of Regents

Chair

Ronald R. Blanck, D.O.

Members

Otis W. Brawley, M.D.

Colleen Conway-Welch, Ph.D.

Haile T. Debas, M.D.

Michael M.E. Johns, M.D.

Charles C. Krulak, M.S.

Lawrence S. Lewin, M.B.A.

Kenneth P. Moritsugu, M.D.

Gail R. Wilensky, Ph.D.

Ex-Officio Members

Ellen P. Embrey

Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for 

Health Affairs

Charles L. Rice, M.D.

President, USU

LTG Eric B. Schoomaker, M.D., Ph.D., MC, USA

Surgeon General, United States Army

VADM Adam M. Robinson, MC, USN

Surgeon General, United States Navy

Lt Gen Charles B. Green, USAF, MC

Surgeon General, United States Air Force

VADM Regina M. Benjamin, USPHS

Surgeon General of the United States
About the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine produced this publication.

Located on the grounds of Bethesda’s 

National Naval Medical Center and across 

from the National Institutes of Health, USU 

is the nation’s federal school of medicine 

and graduate school of nursing. 

The University educates health care 

professionals dedicated to career service 

in the Department of Defense and the U.S. 

Public Health Service. Medical students 

are active-duty uniformed officers in the 

Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health 

Service who are being educated to deal 

with wartime casualties, natural disasters, 

emerging infectious diseases and other 

public health emergencies. 

Of the University’s nearly 4,400 physician 

alumni and more than 400 advanced 

practice nurses, the vast majority serve on 

active duty and are supporting operations 

in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, 

offering their leadership and expertise. 

The University also offers graduate 

programs that are open to civilian and 

military applicants in biomedical sciences 

and public health committed to excellence 

in didactic and research training. The 

University has awarded more than 

300 doctoral and 100 master’s 

degrees to date.