Volume 10, Issue 4 n March 2, 2015

www.usuhs.edu

The Official USU Newsletter

Learning to Care for Those in Harm’s Way
Sharon Holland

Deputy Vice President for External 

Affairs and Managing Editor

Master Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson

NCOIC of VPE and Deputy Chief, 

Media Affairs

Christopher Austin

Editor/Layout Design

MC3 Laura Bailey

Writer and Photographer

Production

Editorial content is edited, prepared 

and provided by the USU Office of 

External Affairs unless otherwise 

indicated. The Pulse staff may 

include or exclude articles based 

upon news value, impact on the 

university and space availability.

Submissions

The Pulse is published 

biweekly on Mondays. The deadline 

for submissions is at 4 p.m. 

Tuesday prior to the publication 

date. Submissions can be sent to 

christopher.austin@usuhs.edu or by 

calling 301-295-3338.

2 the pulse March 2, 2015

(Courtesy Photo)

On the cover

Volunteers from USU’s Family Medicine 

Interest Group and the community conduct 

surveys on the area homeless, Jan. 29, similar 

to FMIG efforts shown in this 2012 photo. 

Learn more on pg. 7.

Dr. W.E. Moerner, a co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, presents his work to 

faculty and students at a seminar in Sanford Auditorium on Feb. 6. 

(photo by Army Sgt. Jeffrey Dillon)

Dr. William E. Moerner, one 

of the winners of the 2014 Nobel 

Peace Prize in Chemistry, visited 

Uniformed Services University to 

give a talk on his work in super-resolution microscopy on Feb. 6 in the 

Jay P. Sanford Auditorium.

The seminar focused on Moerner’s research into observing individual molecules by using fluorescence proteins to build 3D images 

from observations over a period of 

time. 

“This is why we’re all excited 

about this area of science Light microscopy can’t do anything better 

than this,” Moerner said during the 

seminar. “There’s a great future for 

using these methods to look inside 

these very small organisms to try to 

understand what sort of structures 

that they are and what kinds of organization there might be.”

“I thought it was very interesting applications of basic science,” 

said Navy Ensign Tony Romero, a 

fourth-year medical student. “I like 

how he took us all the way through 

the subject. It’s a rare thing to be 

able to listen to.”

“I have a fascination with microscopy. I’m going into pathology, 

but I’m limited by simple light microscopes,” said Navy Ensign Todd 

Lilje, a fourth-year student. “He’s a 

well-spoken man and able to break 

it down into generalities that I’m 

able to appreciate.”

Moerner is the Harry S. Mosher 

Professor of Chemistry at Sanford 

University.

2014 Nobel Prize Co-Recipient in 

Chemistry Gives Lecture at USU

by Christopher Austin, editor/ layout design
3 the pulse March 2, 2015

USU Postdoctoral Association “Doing Great Things” 

by Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Laura Bailey, writer and photographer

The Uniformed Services University Postdoctoral Association (PDA) 

members work alongside staff and 

faculty and play an increasingly 

active role in the community, but 

many may not realize it, according 

to Dr. Miranda Gray, a postdoctoral 

fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at USU 

and president of the USU PDA. 

Board members of the USU PDA 

serve postdoctoral fellows within 

the USU community and help guide 

the organization forward. Their 

mission is to promote career development, networking and scientific 

and social interactions among fellows. 

A grant writing workshop run 

by Dr. Frank Shewmaker, an assistant professor in the Department 

of Pharmacology at USU and the 

faculty advisor of the USU PDA, as 

well as a new grant database available on the USU website offers tips 

on grant writing and examples of 

successfully routed grants for postdoctoral fellows and other university researchers. 

“Dr. Erica Raterman, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of 

Microbiology and Immunology at 

USU, and Dr. Linda Miallau, a research assistant professor in the 

Department of Biochemistry and 

Molecular Biology, worked closely 

with Dr. Susan Rasmussen, director 

of the Office of Program Development at USU, and Army Col. (Dr.) 

Mark Kortepeter, associate dean of 

Research in USU’s School of Medicine, to develop the grant database, 

and we help to manage any additions to the database,” Gray said. “A 

lot of work went into that project, 

but a lot of people don’t know that 

the PDA helped with it.” 

“They’re going to be submitting 

this summer during the next deadline, so that’s a big deal, especially if 

they get funded,” said Gray. 

Research funding means more 

funds flowing into the university –

an added benefit of having the database, she added. 

According to Gray, a career seminar series lecture held Feb. 19 and 

another scheduled for Mar. 17 are 

the culminations of hard work by 

members of the USU PDA. 

Originally, the USU PDA helped 

Dr. Edward Mitre, the series founder, run the program. With the 

support of Dr. Mitre, the series 

slowly transitioned to being completely run by the USU PDA members. Starting in April, a graduate 

student will also begin helping.

Raterman, who is responsible 

for arranging the speakers for the 

series and advertising these events 

said students, postdoctoral fellows 

and senior scientists in the biomedical sciences who are considering a 

career outside of academia are the 

most direct beneficiaries of the career seminar series. 

Some topics may be of interest 

to the wider community as well, 

particularly if they are interested 

in work being done at neighboring 

institutions. 

“For instance, a speaker late 

last year who works in support of 

the NASA Space Biology program 

shared information on the process 

for selecting which biological experiments get sent into space on 

NASA missions to the International 

Space Station and on how USUHS 

researchers can apply for NASA 

funding,” said Raterman. 

She continued, “Our February 

speaker, Dr. Joseph Larsen, was 

the acting deputy director of the 

Division of CBRN Medical Countermeasures at BARDA, an agency responsible for developing plans for 

response to public health emergencies. I think his talk was of interest 

to the entire USUHS medical community.“In general, our goal is to 

expose the USUHS community to 

diverse career paths in the biomedical sciences by inviting speakers 

with careers in government, industry, nonprofit organizations, consulting and journalism.” 

Members of the Uniformed Services University Postdoctoral Association pose for a photograph at 

USU, Feb. 10, 2015. (photo by MC3 Laura Bailey)

continued on pg. 4
The USU PDA leaves no stone 

unturned as they seek out more 

ways to be proactive. 

A symposium during Research 

Days is one example of many initiatives brought to life, but we want 

to do more, said Gray. Community 

outreach is a key initiative the USU 

PDA wants to see bolstered. 

“We’re here to be scientists, but 

at this point in our careers – because we’re still considered trainees 

– it’s good for us to have other types 

of experiences,” Gray said. “We do 

community outreach which is probably one of the more important 

things that we do.”

The Montgomery County Science 

Fair, scheduled for March, has several USU fellows already signed up 

as judges.

“We’ve gone through all this 

training, and we have all this experience, and we want to give back,” 

said Gray. “I think doing the science 

fairs is an opportunity for an actual 

scientist to go in there and talk to 

these kids and say, yes, you can actually grow up to be a scientist.” 

The USU PDA fellows also participate in food drives and soup 

kitchens for the homeless, she said. 

The efforts and dedication of the 

USU PDA members, whether on or 

off campus, reflect the high standards of the university. 

“Nothing’s a selfless act,” said 

Gray. “This has obviously been 

a good experience for us. We are 

picking up skills by being involved, 

but it’s more about making people 

aware that we are really doing a lot 

of great things, not just for the PDA 

itself, but the university as a whole.” 

If you would like more information about the USU PDA or have 

interest in joining the association, 

please visit the website at: https://

sites.google.com/site/usuhspostdoctoralassociation/home.

4 the pulse March 2, 2015

Continued From “Doing Great Things” on pg. 3 

CHAMP/HPRC Partners with USADA to Launch New Supplement Safety Resource

USU/US Anti-Doping Agency press release

The Consortium for Health and 

Military Performance’s Human 

Performance Resource Center 

(HPRC) at the Uniformed Services 

University and the U.S. Anti-Doping 

Agency (USADA) announced an 

important new partnership created 

to provide robust educational 

resources designed to help service 

members understand and navigate 

the potential dangers associated 

with dietary supplements. 

The newly-launched Operation 

Supplement Safety (OPSS) HighRisk Supplement List provides 

warriors with information about 

dietary supplements that may 

pose a greater risk of containing 

substances such as stimulants, 

unapproved drugs, steroids, or 

other hormone-like substances that 

may potentially cause a positive 

drug test and/or pose a significant 

health risk.

The new resource is accessible 

through the OPSS online family 

at HPRC-ONLINE.ORG/OPSS. 

Warriors, family members, and 

healthcare providers will have 

access to the OPSS High-Risk 

Supplement List, which includes 

products that have been evaluated 

by expert scientists at HPRC and 

USADA as posing a possible antidoping or health risk. Reviewing 

the information on the OPSS HighRisk Supplement List is the first 

step a service member should take 

when deciding whether or not to 

use a dietary supplement. 

The OPSS website provides many 

other educational materials for 

warriors to review before making 

an informed decision.

“Many dietary supplements 

contain ingredients that are banned 

in the military, like controlled 

anabolic steroids, and this list 

reveals many of these products,” 

said Dr. Arthur Kellermann, Dean 

of the F. Edward Hébert School of 

Medicine at USU. “USADA has a 

similar website to help athletes, 

and USU’s partnership with them 

allows us to help do the same for 

service members. We believe this 

will send a positive message that we 

want to help our service members 

make safe choices.”

“USADA is proud to assist our 

American service members by 

providing them information they 

need to stay healthy and drug free. 

We respect and appreciate the work 

they do and are thrilled to partner 

with the Human Performance 

Resource Center to assist support 

and protect our service men and 

women,” said Dr. Amy Eichner, 

Special Science Advisor to USADA.
5 the pulse March 2, 2015

The Uniformed Services University’s Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine’s 

Disaster Preparedness Program 

(DPP) was among the agenda items 

briefed to the National Security 

Council and President Obama in 

January.

CDHAM’s DPP success in working with the Liberian government 

to develop an Ebola response plan 

was briefed to senior leaders at the 

White House.

“[DPP] is not specifically health 

focused, it’s all disaster preparedness and planning efforts,” said Air 

Force Maj. (Dr.) Geoffrey Oravec, 

the principal investigator with the 

DPP. 

“The nature of the program is 

really focused on working with the 

partner nations through a sustained 

engagement model over a period 

of several years to help build their 

capacity to plan for and respond to 

disasters,” he continued.

The program is implemented 

on behalf of U.S. Africa Command 

(AFRICOM) to help improve disaster response in African countries by 

working with the civilian and government sectors to build up the capacity in partner nations to handle 

disasters.

“In terms of disaster preparedness, it’s more than just training 

people and building things. It’s also 

getting policies in place. Sometimes 

it can be very beneficial for those 

governments to have AFRICOM 

presence there to help them do 

that,” said Oravec.

While the main focus of the DPP 

has been pandemics in recent years, 

the program works with nations to 

devise different plans for whatever 

the countries need help preparing 

for whether it is earthquakes, floods 

or other disasters. 

The relationships that the DPP 

was able to forge with ministry 

members in African nations led to 

Liberia reaching out to AFRICOM 

and CDHAM before the Ebola disaster was declared and Operation 

United Assistance was stood up by 

the President Obama, according to 

Oravec. 

“Because CDHAM had worked 

with seven West African nations for 

two to five years before the Ebola epidemic, they turned to us and asked 

for help,” said retired Air Force Col. 

(Dr.) Charles Beadling, the director 

of CDHAM. “They knew us – and 

trusted us – something most of the 

other organizations responding did 

not have.”

The DPP works with partner nations by assessing a country’s disaster management capabilities and 

providing plans and exercises to 

help better improve the country’s 

ability to respond to a disaster. 

In addition to preparing other 

countries to better handle disasters, the DPP also helps protect the 

U.S. by ensuring emergencies like 

pandemics are controlled within 

their countries of origin, according 

to Oravec. 

“The importance of health as an 

engagement tool for security cooperation is widely accepted now, as 

evidenced by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, 

Dr. Jonathan Woodson, making 

Global Health Engagement the sixth 

pillar in his strategy for the Military 

Health System,” Beadling said. “We 

are just beginning to appreciate the 

strategic value of sustained engagements with partner nations – and 

the relationships made possible 

from sustained engagements.”

USU Program Success Briefed to White House

by Christopher Austin, editor/ layout design

An ad hoc Cabinet meeting led by Liberian Minister of Internal Affairs, the Honorable Morris M. 

Dukuly in Monrovia, Liberia, April 2014.

(Courtesy Photo)
Before going to school on Jan. 

29, students from Uniformed Services University’s ventured out into 

the freezing streets of Bethesda at 

4 a.m. to seek out area homeless to 

conduct a survey that will hopefully 

lead to housing.

More than 20 members of the 

USU Family Medicine Interest 

Group worked with Bethesda Cares, 

a non-profit that works to provide 

food and housing to area homeless, 

to perform a health assessment survey for the homeless in the area.

The FMIG is an association at 

USU that promotes career development and community service for 

students. They work with Bethesda 

Cares, a non-profit that works to 

provide housing for area homeless.

“We walked through alleys and 

around dumpsters. We looked in 

cars to see if people were in there,” 

said Army 2nd Lt. Tiffany Chang, a 

first-year student at the F. Edward 

Hebert School of Medicine at USU. 

“When we did find them, we would 

ask questions like, ‘how long have 

you been homeless? When was the 

last time you were in the hospital? 

When was the last time you were in 

a home? How are you getting money to live?’”

“When the homeless people are 

placed in homes, they send out 

medical students in groups of two 

or three to assess their health,” 

Chang said. “We take their vitals, 

check up on their 

wellbeing and just 

make sure they’re 

living in a clean 

environment.

“You hear Montgomery County is 

such a rich area. 

You don’t realize 

how many people are homeless,” 

Chang said. “It’s 

really humbling to know not only 

are there many volunteers who 

want to help get these people into 

homes, there are all these homeless 

people who have been through a lot 

to be where they are.”

“The Family Medicine Interest 

Group is an essential element of 

our departmental mission,” said 

Navy Capt. (Dr.) Mark Stephens, 

professor and chair of the Family Medicine Department at USU. 

“The FMIG focuses on community 

service, education and officer development. The Bethesda Cares initiative is an outstanding example of 

an opportunity for our students to 

engage in meaningful community 

service.” 

6 the pulse March 2, 2015

The Jan. 2015 team of USU students and area volunteers who went out in the early morning to conduct a survey with 

area homeless to help Bethesda Cares .

(Courtesy Photo)

USU Students Aid Area Homeless

by Christopher Austin, editor/ layout design

Clinical and basic science experts from around the world will 

convene for the 10th Annual Amygdala, Stress and PTSD Conference, sponsored by the Uniformed 

Services University of the Health 

Sciences Center for the Study of 

Traumatic Stress, in collaboration 

with the USU Departments of Psychiatry and Family Medicine, the 

USU Neuroscience Program, and 

the Walter Reed National Military 

Medical Center Department of Psychiatry, Apr. 21.

This year’s conference theme is 

“Of Mice and Man” and will focus 

on the biological basis of stress, fear 

and post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Featured speakers include: 

Dwight Berles, Ph.D., The Johns 

Hopkins School of Medicine, “Dynamic Behavior of Oligodendrocytes and their Progenitors in the 

Adult Brain;” Harvey Pollard, 

M.D., Ph.D., Uniformed Services 

University of the Health Sciences, 

“Big Data Meets the Brain;” Abigail 

Marsh, Ph.D., Georgetown University, “Empathy on a Sliding Scale: 

Is Altruism the Inverse of Psychopathy?”; Jacek Debiec, M.D., Ph.D., 

University of Michigan, “The Neurobiology of the Intergenerational 

Social Transmission of Emotional 

Trauma;” and Daniel Stein, M.D., 

Ph.D., University of Cape Town, 

South Africa, “Trauma and PTSD in 

South Africa.” 

The event is free and open to the 

public; however, registration is required. To learn more and to register before the Apr. 14 deadline, 

please visit: www.amygdalaptsdconference.org. 

University to Host 10th Annual Amygdala, Stress and PTSD Conference: ‘Of Mice and Man’

by Sharon Holland, deputy vice president for external affairs/ managing editor
Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Christopher Bunt, assistant professor in 

the Uniformed Services University 

Department of Family Medicine, 

served on one of the Advanced 

Cardiac Life Support Contingency 

teams during President Obama’s 

State of the Union address on Jan. 

20, 2014. 

 “I’m happy I did it. It’s an opportunity I don’t think you get on the 

civilian side,” Bunt said. “Taking 

advantage of these opportunities is 

part of the reason I joined the military.” 

The purpose of the support team 

was to provide stabilizing care to 

any of the public officials who attended the event should something 

occur; ranging from a simple accident to a major biological attack. 

Bunt was notified he had been 

chosen for the ACLS team three 

weeks before the event and accepted. In addition to his background 

check, he was also given a briefing 

and fitted for a hazmat suit to protect against biological and chemical 

agents. The operation was organized by the U.S. Capitol Police and 

ran from the mid-afternoon to late 

night.

“The day itself was like many 

other military activities – sitting 

around waiting to see if something’s 

going to happen,” Bunt said. “Fortunately, nothing happened.”

Caregivers on the ACLS teams 

were required to be active-duty 

military medical professionals with 

ACLS certification. 

There were two teams stationed 

near the Capitol building. Both were 

made up of a doctor, a nurse and 

two technicians. Both teams were 

composed of individuals across the 

different services. 

“We were prepared to handle 

folks with advanced traumatic life 

support, ATLS kits, some automatic external defibrillators, mid-range 

first aid, and some stabilization actions and had a small clinical space 

to work in,” he said.

“I enjoyed the opportunity. I enjoyed being there to represent USU 

and get an opportunity to interact 

with folks that I wouldn’t normally 

interact with on a day-to-day basis,” Bunt said.

7 the pulse March 2, 2015

USU Faculty Serves on State of the Union Contingency Team

by Christopher Austin, editor/ layout design

Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Christopher Bunt, 

assistant professor in the USU Department of 

Family Medicine is fitted for his hazmat suit in 

preparation for his role on one of the Advanced 

Cardiac Life Support Contingency Teams.

(Courtesy Photo)

To encourage better food choices 

and eating habits for warfighters, 

the Defense Department is debuting its healthy eating program ”Go 

For Green” on all military installations this year. Managed by the 

Uniformed Services University of 

the Health Sciences Human Performance Resource Center, 

“Go For Green” uses a color-coded labeling system to make healthier food selections easier. Katie Kirkpatrick, a nutritionist with HPRC, 

said the program will go a long way 

towards improving the quality of 

life for warfighters.

The ”Go for Green” program 

provides education for diners, 

promotes the selection of healthy 

choices at military dining facilities, 

and gives guidance when warfighters shop for groceries, prepare and 

cook food, and dine at restaurants. 

It also encourages dining facilities 

to serve more nutrient-dense green 

foods, such as kale, spinach and collard greens. ”Go for Green” will also 

heighten warfighters’ awareness of 

foods promoting readiness, good 

health, recovery and enhanced performance in the workplace.

“Location, placement and accessibility of food can have an impact 

on consumer choices,” Kirkpatrick 

said. “Through this program, we 

want to make green foods more visible and appealing so that warfighters and their families will not only 

eat healthier, but also make healthier life choices.”

“Go for Green” is based on the 

dietary guidelines for American 

military dietary reference intakes, 

nutrition standards and education, 

and the Department of Defense 

Food Service Program. The program is also derived from the United States Department of Agriculture’s “My Plate” program. 

Service Members Encouraged to ‘Go For Green’ to Improve Health

by Health.mil Staff

(Courtesy Image)
Final Frame

8 the pulse March 2, 2015

Sgt. Eva Ilias, a supply non-commissioned officer in the department of operations for Military and Emergency Medicine at the Uniformed Services 

University, participates as a role player during the Active Shooter Exercise at the Navy Exchange on the Naval Support Activity Bethesda, Feb. 10, 

2015. Ilias portrayed the active shooter. “Active Shooter” is part of the annual Navy-wide Solid Curtain Citadel Shield Exercise.

(photo by MC3 Laura Bailey)