USU Newsletter 

VOLUME 2,ISSUE 9 WWW.USUHS.MIL MAY 14, 2007 

In This Issue 

Letter from the USU President.......2 

Research Week Events......................3 

Integration............................................4 

Dr. Anthony Fauci .............................5 

CDP Opening.......................................5 

LRC Forum.............................................6 

SOM Students’ Wilderness Race.....6 

USU Briefs...............................................7 

Student Quotes....................................7 

USU Calendar of Events.............Back 

Congratulations 2007 Graduates 
USU Newsletter 

Editorial Staff 

Carol R. Scheman 

Vice President for 

External Affairs and 

Managing Editor 

Tech. Sgt. 

André Nicholson 

Editor 

Mass Communications 

Specialist 

Seaman 

Raul Zamora 

Staff Writer 

 

Mass Communications 

Specialist 

Seaman 

Jeffrey Hopkins 

Staff Writer 

 

Sharon Willis 

Contributing Writer 

Marla Wright 

Webmaster 

Publishing 

USU Duplicating Office

Production: 

Editorial content is 

edited, prepared and 

provided by the USU 

Office of External Affairs unless otherwise 

indicated. The Newsletter staff may include 

or exclude articles 

based upon news 

value, impact on the 

university and space 

availability. 

Submissions: 

The USU Newsletter 

will be published biweekly on Mondays 

and deadline for submission is Friday at 4 

p.m. Submissions can 

be sent to usunewsletter@usuhs.mil or call 

301-295-3925. 

PAGE 2 

USU President Announces New Brigade 

Commander, Addresses Week of Activities 

Dear Colleagues, 

 Throughout the past few months the university’s 

Brigade Commander Search Committee has put in 

much effort to select our next commander. I am 

pleased to announce to the USU community the 

selection of COL Jack Wempe, MC, USA as the new 

Brigade Commander. 

 Colonel Wempe is currently commander, U.S. 

Army Medical Department Activity and director of 

Health Services, Fort Drum, NY. During his tenure at 

Fort Drum, Colonel Wempe has been responsible for 

total health care benefits for the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) community and surrounding 

areas. In addition, he is responsible for leading more 

than 600 soldiers, civilians, and contractors in seven 

clinics and facilities. 

 Prior to commanding the hospital at Fort Drum, 

Colonel Wempe was commander, Kirk U.S. Army 

Health Clinic and director of Health Services, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., from July 2003 to June 

2005. He was also the division surgeon, 1st Infantry 

Division. Colonel Wempe is a DVM and MD, holds a 

Ph.D. in Pathobiology with an emphasis on Microbiology, and has Master Degrees in Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Comparative Pathology and Public 

Health. 

 Colonel Wempe not only comes to us with excellent credentials, but with great recommendations 

from some well-respected senior Army Officers. MG 

Ben Freakley, USA, Commanding General of the 

10th Mountain Division said, “Colonel Wempe is a 

brilliant trainer, mentor and coach; a role model for 

career-oriented military health professionals to emulate.” In describing Colonel Wempe, MG George 

Weightman, USA said, “To my knowledge, we have 

never had a leader with his unique academic and 

assignment qualifications...he will serve you well and 

bring tremendous talent and a very diverse experience level to the great staff of our prestigious university." 

 In his role as the USU Brigade Commander Colonel Wempe will serve as the senior military officer of 

the university and senior military advisor to the university president. He will have the responsibility for 

command of all the uniformed services at USU. We 

are fortunate to have him accept this position; 

please join me in welcoming him. 

 I am grateful for the work of each member of the 

selection committee chaired by Acting Dean of the 

Graduate School of Nursing William T. Bester. I also 

wish to take this opportunity to recognize the great 

leadership and support of LTC John Maurer who 

ably led the Brigade during this period of transition. 

We are all grateful to him for his many contributions 

to the university. 

National Nurses Week 

 It is also my pleasure to take this opportunity to 

recognize the outstanding accomplishments of our 

Graduate School of Nursing. The nation celebrated 

National Nurses Week last week, May 6-12 with the 

theme: Nursing: A Profession and a Passion. Dean 

Bester put it best when he 

said, “I can't think of a 

place that better exemplifies those words than right 

here at the Graduate 

School of Nursing. The 

professionalism that you all 

display each and every day 

here at the GSN reflects 

extremely well on both the 

profession of Nursing and 

on the University. Training, 

educating and mentoring 

the next generation of 

nursing clinical experts, nursing leaders, nursing 

scholars and nursing researchers is something that 

each of you should be extremely proud of doing. 

And the fact is that each day I witness your involvement in our profession, and specifically your involvement with the students, being carried out in a very 

passionate and dedicated way.” 

 Each of you display exactly what nursing is all 

about – caring, compassion, commitment, focus, 

clinical expertise and a strong desire to do whatever 

is needed to care for the patients and students entrusted to your care. I congratulate each of you on 

your many accomplishments during this past year 

and I wish you all the best as we prepare to graduate one group of students and receive yet another. 

This profession and the university are very fortunate 

to have each of you as part of the team. 

Research Week, USU Board of Regents Spring 

Meeting, Commencement 

 As most of you are well aware today marks the 

start of Research Week. This year’s event, Celebrating Excellence in Research, reflects the complementary roles that nursing, public health, behavioral 

science, basic science and medicine play in health 

promotion and disease prevention. Dr. Anthony 

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy 

and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of 

Health, will deliver the plenary address May 16 on 

HIV/AIDS: Much Accomplished, Much to Do. Dr. 

Fauci is a pioneer in the field of human immunoregulation and was recently awarded the 2007 

George M. Kober Medal of the Association of American Physicians (AAP) for his outstanding contributions to academic medicine. 

 Also among the invited speakers is Stanley Maloy, 

Ph.D., professor and dean, College of Sciences, and 

associate director, Center for Microbial Sciences, San 

Diego State University, Calif., who will present the 

Bullard Lecture. 

 This annual three-day event incorporates Graduate School of Nursing and Graduate School of Medicine Student Colloquia by highlighting research inSee PRESIDENT, page 3 

USU President 

Charles Rice, M.D. 
PAGE 3 

Featured Events May 11-19 

Congratulations Graduates 

 The 2007 Commencement ceremony will take place May 19 at 

11 a.m. at Daughters of American Revolution Constitution Hall. 

Transportation for students and faculty will leave from the USU 

flag poles May 19 at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Faculty that have rented 

regalia must pick it up today through Thursday, May 17 by COB in 

the MDL, Room A-2030. Tickets to Commencement will be in the 

regalia packet. Any questions please contact Carrie Hibler at 295-

3791 or in room B-1009. 

Welcome “Friends of USU” 

 “Friends of USU” will host a special screening of the film Fighting for Life produced by Academy Award Winner Terry Sanders

May 17 at 7 p.m. in Sanford Auditorium. www.friendsofusu.org/

Welcome Board of Regents 

 USU Board of Regents will meet May 17 for working sessions. 

The meeting of record will take place Friday, May 18 followed by 

the President’s Reception in the James A. Zimble Learning Resource Center. 

Welcome Back Class of 1982 

 The School of Medicine class of 1982 celebrated their 25th reunion May 11 and 12. 

Center for Deployment Psychology Opening Celebration 

 The Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at USU will celebrate its opening with a lunch reception May 17 at 12:45 p.m. 

http://deploymentpsych.org/ 

Research Week Activities 

May 14 - 16 

Monday, May 14, 2007 

Career Development Symposium 

Graduate School of Nursing Colloquium 

Research Week Symposia 

Symposium A: The 14th CASH Deployed in Support of OEF VII

Symposium B: Cellular Response to Radiation Injury

Symposium C: Conducting Research in the Iraq Theater of Operation: Challenges and Possibilities

Symposium D: New Directions in Radiation Biology 

GSN Awards Ceremony and Reception 

 

Tuesday May 15, 2007

Henry Wu Symposium: Chou-Zen Giam, Ph.D., Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Activation of the Anaphase Promoting 

Complex and the I-kappa B Kinases by HTLV-1 Tax: Chromosome 

Instability, Senescence, and Adult T-cell Leukemia 

Bullard Lecture: Stanley Maloy, Ph.D., Dean, College of Sciences, 

San Diego State University, San Diego, Calif., Of Mice and Men: 

How Pathogens Target a Host 

www.bio.sdsu.edu/faculty/maloy.htm

Reception and Poster Viewing 

Wednesday May 16, 2007

Plenary Speaker: Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, Md., HIV/

AIDS: Much Accomplished, Much to Do 

www3.niaid.nih.gov/about/directors/biography/ 

James Leonard Symposium: Shiv Srivastava, PhD 

Professor and Co-Director, Center for Prostate Disease Research, 

Department of Surgery, ETS–Related Gene (ERG) Alterations: A 

Common Feature of the Prostate Cancer Genome 

Postdoctoral Fellows Symposium

Research Day Symposia

Symposium A: Infectious Diseases Affecting Military Personnel and 

Related Research Efforts 

Symposium B: Therapeutic Intervention in Ischemia/ReperfusionInduced Cellular Injury 

Symposium C: The Psychological Impact of Combat Exposure 

University Research Awards Banquet

terests and accomplishments of graduate students in both fields. 

The Faculty Senate Research Day includes poster presentations, 

distinguished guest speakers and panel discussions to share research achievements, foster collaborations and stimulate intellectual exchange. 

 Also, two highly anticipated lectures will be given by Chou-Zen 

Giam, from Microbiology and Immunology, the Henry C. Wu 

Award of Excellence awardee and Shiv Srivastava from the Center 

for Prostate Disease Research, the James J. Leonard Award for 

Excellence awardee. 

 Other significant events during the week include the Board of 

Regents quarterly meeting and a lunch reception to celebrate the 

opening of the Center for Deployment Psychology. 

 In addition, “Friends of USU” will host a special screening of the 

film Fighting for Life in Sanford Auditorium, May 17. The feature 

film, produced by an Academy Award-winning team, is a story 

about military medicine and includes USU-educated doctors and 

nurses currently serving on the front lines and around the world. 

 The week culminates as the students from the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Graduate Education programs and 

Graduate School of Nursing receive their degrees during USU's 

28th Commencement ceremony May 19 at the Daughters of the 

American Revolution, Constitution Hall, District of Columbia. This 

year's commencement speaker is Vice Admiral Donald Arthur, 35th

Surgeon General of the Navy and Chief of the Navy’s Bureau of 

Medicine and Surgery. 

 One of the highlights of the year and for me as a university 

president is to present degrees to the graduates, so I look forward 

to our 28th Commencement Exercise. It is with great pride that I 

say congratulations to our School of Medicine, Graduate Education Programs, and Graduate School of Nursing 2007 graduates 

and your families. 

 In addition, the university will recognize three Board of Regents 

medal recipients and the Carol Johns award winner, Dr. Neil 

Grunberg. We will also honor Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr. who 

recently stood down as Assistant Secretary of Defense, Health 

Affairs and will be joined by Dr. Winkenwerder's successor, Dr. S. 

Ward Casscells. 

 I invite everyone to attend the many activities taking place during Research Week. As colleagues and constituents of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, we should feel a 

great deal of satisfaction in knowing the university continues to 

lead the nation with its considerable accomplishments in the fields 

of research and education. 

 For details about Research Week go to: 

http://usuresearchday.hjf.org/ and commencement information is 

available at www.usuhs.mil/commencement/. 

PRESIDENT, continued from page 2 

Research Week and Events 
 Military healthcare practitioners and our patients 

have long envisioned a fully coordinated and integrated military 

health system in the National Capital Area (NCA). That vision was 

greatly advanced by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 

directives of 2005 which dictated that Walter Reed Army Medical 

Center must realign its assets with other medical and educational 

facilities in the NCA. The current campus in Northwest Washington 

will close, and the world renowned healthcare services provided by 

that facility will be redistributed between a new 120 bed community hospital at Ft. Belvoir and an expanded and renovated National 

Naval Medical Center. This new tertiary care medical center will be 

renamed Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at Bethesda. 

This directive will change the physical structure of numerous medical facilities in the NCA. More importantly, the realignment affords 

military medicine an unprecedented opportunity to create a new 

integrated Multi-Service healthcare delivery system unlike anything 

existing in the Military Health System. Our new organizational 

structure has the potential to become a model for efficient joint 

operations for all military medicine and rival premier national 

healthcare institutions across the country. 

 This lofty goal is clearly outlined in our shared vision as penned 

by the original four NCA Flags, the Commanders of the nine NCA 

Medical Commands, and the Uniformed Services University (USU): 

 We envision and are committed to one integrated health system 

which leverages the assets of all DoD health care treatment facilities 

in the National Capital Area (NCA). The tri-service Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at Bethesda will be a worldwide military referral center and together with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) will represent the core of this 

integrated health system. All tri-service facilities in the NCA and 

USUHS will serve as a premier academic medical system focused on 

delivering the highest quality care, distinguished health professional education, and exemplary clinical and translational research.

 This vision statement emphasizes our commitment to an integrated health system that is devoted to quality care, education, and 

research. We are now faced with two separate but interdependent 

tasks that will challenge not only our resources but also our ability 

to blend our cultural differences. The two Medical Centers, Walter 

Reed Army Medical Center and National Navy Medical Center must 

begin to function as one long before the doors are opened at the 

new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at Bethesda after 

2011. Functional integration of the two Medical Centers, which 

was initiated under the direction of the Office of Integration (OI), 

will be continued by the Deputy Commanders for Integration (DCIs) 

at both of these two premier institutions. They will manage a cooperative and smooth transition to a truly integrated organization that 

meets the needs of all three Services. 

 Our second task is to mold an efficient and effective integrated 

healthcare delivery system throughout the entire NCA. This system 

reinforces the interdependence between specialized care delivered 

at the Medical Centers and a robust primary care base in the entire 

market. The OI and the Multi-Service Market Office (MSMO) will 

partner to lead this integration effort for the nine independent 

medical commands and USU. 

 We must continue to build on our previous successes. The Integration Steering Committee (ISC) made up of clinical and administrative leaders in all three Service medical systems, has been very 

successful with a number of notable achievements. The ISC created 

a selection process for the new integrated departmental and service 

chiefs that ensured selection of the best qualified candidates. Oversight of this process has been transferred to the DCIs for future selections. The ISC has established both public and secured integration web sites to keep all NCA staff and beneficiaries informed 

about the integration progress. The newly selected orthopaedic 

residency program director has submitted a formal proposal to the 

American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requesting approval for the new integrated orthopaedic training program. Tentative approval has been granted and the new program 

should begin in July 2007. The Nursing Sub-committee has outlined a standardized approach to nursing care for both MEDCENs 

and other NCA medical treatment facilities (MTFs). In addition, they 

have established a standardized scope of practice for Navy Corpsmen, Army Medics, and Air Force Medical Technicians. The Research Sub-committee has developed a unified format with standardized forms for the submission of all research protocols. The 

Information Services have dramatically improved e-mail access for 

all area healthcare professionals by revitalizing the Web Based Outlook via government computers and CAC card access. 

 We propose that the ISC will continue to work on market issues 

to improve the efficiency of the whole integrated healthcare system 

in the NCA. The Clinical Sub-committee plans to facilitate the implementation of Centralized Credentials Quality Assurance System 

(CCQAS) at all MTFs in the NCA. We are supportive of using the 

NCA as a pilot project to standardize the privileging process across 

all three Services. This will facilitate the transfer of clinicians and 

providers between the MTFs and USU. 

 The MSMO in coordination with the Administrative Subcommittee is reinvestigating the possibility of implementing common contracting vehicles with multiple MTFs. A single nursing contract, a common laundry contract, and a unified sole source contract are high on their list of potential advances. The Nursing Subcommittee plans to implement the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing Guidelines as the standard of practice in all clinics 

within 60 days of selection of the new integrated service and department chiefs. Following the selection of a chief of the Integrated 

Clinical Investigation Department, steps will be taken to create a 

single administrative review process so that protocols may be more 

easily and efficiently approved at all involved MTFs. 

 The Health Care Operation Sub-committee is close to establishing linked call centers throughout the NCA. This will improve patient access and ensure more efficient use of all clinic resources. 

USU, in cooperation with our clinical services, is preparing a major 

National Institutes of Health grant application to address state-ofthe-art translational research at the new Medical Center. This research will enable healthcare personnel to provide cutting edge 

treatments more efficiently and rapidly to our beneficiaries. The 

Health Professions Education Committee will continue to address 

integrated training programs. It will also champion the establishment of a central web based medical library system with an expanded variety of information resources based at USU. A single 

user interface will improve and standardize access to the entire 

resource collection at all MTFs in the NCA. 

 Integration cannot occur in a vacuum. Functional integration of 

the MEDCENs and the development of an integrated healthcare 

delivery system must be coordinated. The appropriate roles for 

education and research must be collectively agreed upon. This can 

only be accomplished by constant communication and cooperation 

between the MEDCENs, the University, and the rest of the market. 

We will include Health Net, our purchased care partner, and Veteran’s Affairs in future planning to ensure a smooth transition of 

care with each of these entities. 

 Our Organizational Development Practitioners (ODPs) will continue to assist us in understanding our cultural differences and 

guide this important transformation. For example, they will contribPAGE 4 

Market Level 

Integration 

Courtesy of the 

BRAC/Integration Flag 

Officers 

See INTEGRATION, page 5 
PAGE 5 

ute to a reciprocal feedback loop between the MTFs and the leaders of the integration process, so that decisions can be data driven. 

In order to support clarity, understanding and effective decision 

making, the ODPs will facilitate meetings between the Services at 

multiple levels. They will continue to educate the NCA about the 

process of change through monthly articles in the available media. 

Market wide distribution of the monthly Office of Integration Newsletter and the Integration Week in Review will enhance dissemination of accurate information. Weekly meetings between the DCIs, 

MSMO and OI will insure effective planning, coordination and cooperation on all integration issues. 

 We have an unprecedented opportunity to change the face of 

military medicine in the NCA. With your support and cooperation, 

we will maximize our ability to offer the best care to our wounded 

heroes, both past and present, their deserving family members and 

our entire beneficiary population. This is the right thing to do. 

INTEGRATION, continued from page 4 

Leading HIV/AIDS Expert Dr. Anthony Fauci 

Addresses Plenary Session During Research Week 

 Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health 

(NIH) in Bethesda, MD, will speak on HIV/AIDS : Much Accomplished, Much to Do at the Uniformed Services University of the 

Health Sciences (USU) May 16 as part of the university’s annual 

Research Week. 

 Dr. Fauci has been instrumental in developing strategies for 

therapy and immune reconstitution in leading the world’s efforts 

in fundamental research on HIV/AIDS. He continues his research 

in pursuit of identifying the nature of the immunopathogenic 

mechanisms of HIV infection and the scope of the body's immune 

responses to the AIDS retrovirus. 

 Dr Fauci is one of the most-cited scientists in all disciplines 

throughout the world in and was the world's 10th most-cited 

HIV/AIDS researcher in the period 1996-2006. He recently received the 2007 George M. Kober Medal of the Association of 

American Physicians (AAP) for his outstanding contributions to 

academic medicine. The Kober Medal is named after George M. 

Kober, M.D., a pioneer in public health reform in the late 19th 

century and the early 20th century. It recognizes physicians acknowledged as leaders in internal medicine and is the highest 

honor of the Association of American Physicians. 

 USU researchers are at the forefront of HIV/AIDS through, 

among other efforts, a multi-faceted research program on HIV 

vaccine development. University Research Week lectures on HIV/

AIDS include a symposium titled: Pre-clinical and Clinical HIV Research in the Department of Defense IDCRP HIV Research, with 

presentations by CAPT Gerald Quinnan, MC. USA, Progress in HIV 

Preventive Vaccine Development; Col Matt Dolan, MC, USAF, The 

Impact of Host Genetic Factors on HIV Disease Progression; and 

Nancy Crum-Cianflonel, Naval Medical Center San Diego, Translational Clinical Research: MRSA in the HIV-Infected Military Clinic 

Population. 

 University researchers are also active in infectious disease research as a part of DoD health promotion programs. A symposium 

titled: Infectious Diseases Affecting Military Personnel and Related 

Research Efforts, will include presentations by Dr. David Tribble, 

Wartime Infectious Disease Threats Affecting Military Personnel; 

MAJ Kim Moran, MC, USA, Multidrug Resistant Gram Negative 

Bacterial Would Infections; COL Naomi Aronson, MC, USA, Cutaneous Leishmaniasis; LCDR Mark Riddle, MC, USA, Diarrheal Disease; and LCDR Todd Gleeson, MC, USA, Q Fever. 

 The Center for Deployment Psychology 

(CDP) at the Uniformed Services University 

of the Health Sciences (USU) will celebrate 

its opening with a lunch reception on 

Thursday, May 17 at 12:45 p.m. 

 The CDP is an important tool in the Military Health System’s approach to dealing 

with the mental health aspects of deployment for troops and their families. The 

Center was created through efforts of the 

American Psychological Association (APA) 

and Congressman Bill Young (R., Fla.). 

Working closely with military behavioral 

health care providers and experts in the 

mental health community, they created the 

center and established it at the university 

with training sites across the country at ten 

DOD/APA accredited clinical psychology 

internships sites. 

 The center is part of USU’s mission to 

educate and train military and civilian 

health care professionals to “care for those 

in harm’s way.” This tri-service center is an 

innovative Department of Defense consortium specifically charged with increasing 

the expertise and number of military and 

civilian behavioral health care providers to 

provide high quality deployment-related 

services to military personnel and their 

families. 

 During a time of increasing mental 

health difficulties associated with or exacerbated by deployment, it is vital to develop a 

well trained cadre of psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers to treat members 

of the military community. 

 The CDP is developing and conducting 

behavioral health courses, instituting research, making recommendations and proposals that support deployment-related 

policy and program development, operations, and management and increasing the 

awareness of the deployment-related behavioral health needs of service members 

and their families. In the last three months 

alone, the CDP has trained more than 100 

mental health professionals across the 

country in various Military Health facilities 

to work with service members and their 

families. 

 Current training topics include treatments for post traumatic stress disorder, 

caring for the seriously medically injured 

personnel and family issues related to deployment. The center is developing additional training modules to assist military 

mental health care providers working in 

deployed situations and addressing some 

of the unique concerns of reservists and 

the National Guard. 

 CDP , Center for the Study of Traumatic 

Stress and other USU military medical education and research programs, will continue to collaborate and extend the knowledge base and treatment capacity of the 

Military Health System. 

USU Celebrates New Center to Educate Behavioral 

Health Specialist in Deployment Psychology 
Nine students from Uniformed Services University of the Health 

Sciences (USU) (3 teams of 3) drove down to Newport News Park, 

Va., March 30, 2007 for the Medical Wilderness Adventure Race 

(MEDWAR) that combines wilderness medicine with adventure 

racing to create unique events designed to teach and test wilderness survival and medicial skills. 

 The race took place March 31, and there were 6 scenarios, 12 

question checkpoints, and 6 canoe checkpoints on the course. 

Each scenario required some knowledge of basic medical skills 

and assessment. The questions required knowledge from a variety 

of educational levels (each USU team consisted of an MSI, II and 

III). Athletic ability required lots of running, canoeing, one person 

mountain biking and comfort on a tyrolean traverse. 

 The three teams took 7th, 8th and 13th place respectively out 

of 26 teams. This was a great experience, both for the athletic 

aspect, as well as the testing of our knowledge. It took our medical skills so far and our knowledge of the wilderness and made us 

apply it to "real world" scenarios. I think this should be an annual 

sponsored event by the Wilderness Medicine Interest Group at 

USU. 

PAGE 6 

Consult us First Photo by Janice Muller 

This month’s LRC Resource Forum highlighted First Consult for clinical work. First Consult is a web-based clinical information 

system that provides continuously updated guidance on the latest patient evaluation, diagnosis and management. It’s designed for rapid access at the point of care. Pictured above, Linda Spitzer, chief of Reference and Interlibrary Loan Services 

(left), Charles Kelley, deputy director, User Services, and Nancy Morell, reference librarian - user education specialist, assistant 

professor, Dept. Biomedical Informatics. 

Students put Medical 

Education to Use in 

Wilderness Adventure 

By Keren Arkin 

USPHS, MSII 

USU School of Medicine students participate in the Medical Wilderness Adventure Race. 

Courtesy photo 
Look Who’s Talking...What students had to say about USU.

 "I was impressed with the different 

programs the University had to offer. How many other schools have 

courses in tropical medicine? Even if 

I had to pay to go to school here, I 

still would." 

- ENS Obinna Ugochukwu, USN 

SOM Class of 2007 

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: 

 To honor and commemorate the distinguished service of Asian 

Pacific Americans, May is recognized as Asian Pacific American 

Heritage Month. This year’s theme is "Pursuing Excellence 

Through Leadership, Diversity and Unity." The USU Asian Pacific 

Heritage Month Program will be held on May 22 at 10 a.m. in the 

USU Dining Facility. The Keynote speaker will be RADM Moritsugu, USPHS, Acting Surgeon General. 

Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program: 

 The Navy Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program provides a 

path for Active Duty, Full-Time Support, and Active Duty Reserve 

enlisted Sailors in any rating, who already have some college 

credit, to obtain a baccalaureate degree in nursing and a commission in the Nurse Corps. For more info on this outstanding career 

opportunity, go to the official NAVADMIN at: 

http://www.npc.navy.mil/NR/rdonlyres/0B5656D8-3A7C-478BAE3C-4F6BB7227DEC/0/NAV07096.txt 

USU News Briefs 

 This former 

U.S. Navy Surgeon General 

was selected in 

1991 to be the 

University President. He had 

been a part of 

the US Navy for 

35 years. 

 He was born 

on Oct. 12, 

1933, in Philadelphia, Pa. But 

from infancy 

until he was a 

teenager he was 

reared in Little 

Rock, Ark. In his preschool years, he decided 

that he would be a doctor. His reasoning was 

that when he became a physician he could 

one day make his father and mother able to 

hear again. His parents, both hearing impaired, were themselves teachers of the deaf. 

At thirteen, he and his family returned to Philadelphia where he, an only child, spent precollege time involved in many activities. 

 In 1951, at the age of seventeen, Jim Zimble entered Franklin & Marshall College in 

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 60 miles from his 

home. Four years later he graduated with a 

Bachelor of Science degree. Also in 1955, he 

became a student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. After one year, he 

entered the Naval Reserve as an ensign and 

received, three years later, a Doctor of Medicine degree. 

 Beginning in 1959, Dr. Zimble interned for 

a year at the U.S. Naval Hospital at St. Albans, 

New York. He then trained in undersea medicine at the US Navy Deep Sea Diving, Submarine, & Nuclear Power Schools, and attended 

the Special Radiation Control & Health Physics 

course. As the submarine medical officer for 

commissioning crew of the USS John Marshall, 

he received his Submarine Medical Qualification. 

 Dr. Zimble returned to St. Albans in 1963 

for residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN). He completed this in 1966 

and was assigned, from 1966 to 1970, to the 

OB/GYN staff at the Naval Hospital at Camp 

Pendleton, California. 

 He received orders to report to the US Naval Hospital in Philadelphia and was on his 

way to this new assignment when on Aug. 1 

(1970), he was involved in a motor vehicle 

accident. This resulted in his being hospitalized 

for a year and a half. He vowed during this 

time that, if he sufficiently recovered, he would 

remain in the Navy and concentrate his skills 

in the arena where he felt he could do the 

most good. He did recover and his Navy career continued. After his ordeal, he reported to 

the hospital in Philadelphia and was on the 

staff until 1972. 

 Dr. Zimble then was sent to the Naval Hospital in Lemoore, California, where he was the 

Chief of OB/GYN and the Director of Clinical 

Service. He remained there from 1972 to 1976. 

From 1976 to 1978, he was assigned as Director of Clinical Services at the Naval Regional 

Medical Center in Long Beach, California. Following this, and until 1981, he was Commanding Officer of the Naval Regional Medical Center in Orlando, Florida. 

 In 1981, Jim Zimble was promoted to flag 

rank and was sent to be "The Medical Officer" 

(TMO) of the US Marine Corps. He was stationed at US Marine Corps Headquarters. In 

1983, RADM Zimble became Fleet Surgeon 

and Medical Advisor to Supreme Allied Command, Atlantic Fleet. There, he was responsible for the health of Navy and Marine Corps 

personnel and contingency and wartime planning of medical support to operational forces. 

 In 1986, RADM Zimble was appointed as 

the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for 

Strategic Planning & Medical Program Management in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense. Zimble was the Executive 

Secretary of the Department’s Advisory Committee on Graduate Medical Education. He 

was responsible for the oversight of the development of an integrated worldwide master 

plan for military medicine and the implementation of the Military Health Services System 

Sizing model. 

 In 1987, this "two star" was promoted to 

Vice Admiral and became Surgeon General of 

the Navy. 

 After serving as USU President for 13 years, 

Dr. Zimble retired from the university in August 2004. 

USU 

History 

James Zimble 

Fourth USU President 

1991-2004 

PAGE 7 

"Although I had the opportunity to attend a civilian university, USUHS was my first choice. Given 

the future of Tri-Service Military Medicine, I'm 

thankful to be completing my training and meeting such great people at MTFs from all branches of 

service. I'm certain that the camaraderie and faculty support I've encountered within the GSN program here at USUHS is unmatched by any other 

university." 

- LT Lina Badura, NC, USN, GSN student
USU Calendar of Events 

13 14 

USU 2007 Research 

Week, May 14-16: 

Celebrating Excellence in 

Research. 

15 

Wu Award Lecture 

9a.m.-10a.m. 

USU

Graduate Student 

Colloquium- The Bullard Lecture 

1p.m.-3p.m. 

Lecture Room E 

“Fighting for Life” 

Washington, D.C. 

Premier 

16 

James J. Leonard 

symposium– Leonard 

Award Lecture 

9a.m.-10a.m. 

Lecture Room E 

Plenary Speaker, 

Anthony S. Fauci, 

M.D., Director, National Institute of 

Allergy and Infectious 

Disease 

3:30p.m.-4:30p.m. 

Lecture Room E 

17 

USU 

Class of 2007 Graduation Awards 

Ceremony 

11:30a.m. 

Sanford Auditorium 

“Fighting for Life” USU 

Special Screening 

7 p.m 

Sanford Auditorium 

18 

USU Board of Regents 

meeting, followed by 

the President's Reception in the James A. 

Zimble Learning Resource Center 

19 

USU’s 28th Annual 

Commencement Exercises for the class of 

2007 

11a.m. 

National Society 

Daughters of the 

American Revolution 

Constitution Hall 

20 21 22 23 

USU Toastmasters 

Meeting 

Noon-1p.m. 

Small Conference 

Room 

24 25 26 

27 28 29 30 31 1 2 

3 4 5 

Town Hall meeting in 

the Cafeteria 

 3 p.m. 

6 

Administrative Officers/Departmental 

Representatives 

Meeting 

10:30 a.m. 

Lecture Room B 

7 8 9 

May

Jun

M

e

emorial

Day

Observed