Volume 6, Issue 10 n May 31, 2011

www.usuhs.mil

The Official USU Newsletter
On the cover

Air Force Col. (Dr.) Kraig Vandewalle, 

professor, Air Force Postgraduate Dental 

School, USU Postgraduate Dental College, 

extracts an unrestorable tooth during 

a recent humanitarian mission to the 

Dominican Republic. (See story 

page 7)

Courtesy Photo

Sharon Willis

Deputy Vice President for External 

Affairs and Managing Editor

Ken Frager

Public Affairs Specialist

Staff Sgt. Matthew Rosine

Production Editor

MC1 Chad Hallford

Writer

Christine Creenan-Jones

Contributing Writer

Lori Fields

Layout and Design

Production

Editorial content is edited, prepared 

and provided by the USU 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 will be published 

bi-weekly on Mondays. The 

deadline for submissions is at 4 p.m. 

Tuesday prior to the publication 

date. Submissions can be sent to 

usunewsletter@usuhs.mil or by 

calling 301-295-0895.

2 the pulse May 31, 2011

GSN faculty, students earn high honors

Bibb named among 100 Extraordinary Nurses for 2011

by Ken Frager

It’s has been a busy Spring for recognition at the USU’s Graduate School of 

Nursing. Aside from the annual awards 

presented during the commencement 

exercises, there were awards from 

several external organizations honoring the efforts of faculty and students. 

According to Dr. Marguerite LittletonKearney, associate dean for Research 

in the GSN, “There were so many 

awards recently that we heard about, 

but we also know these are just the tip 

of the iceberg and that there are many 

we haven’t given appropriate recognition yet.” 

Several USU nurse anesthesia 

students were awarded the Dean 

Hayden Student Research Grant from 

the American Association of Nurse 

Anesthetists (AANA) Foundation for 

their obstructive sleep apnea study that 

will be conducted at at National Naval 

Medical Center. Congratulations to 

Lt. Cmdr. Robert Roadfuss, Lt. Martin 

Boese, Capt. Keith Denneny and Capt. 

Ryan Ransom.

GSN students, faculty and former 

faculty also were recognized at the 

Navy Wide Research Competition held 

recently. One of the research projects 

conducted by USU community members 

at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth 

won the Navy Wide Research Competition in the staff category. The project was 

titled “The effect of intraoperative intravenous lidocaine infusion on the reduction of postoperative pain and return 

of bowel function in patients undergoing minor laparoscopic gynecological 

procedures.” This project was conducted 

under the outstanding leadership of 

both USU’s current research director at 

Portsmouth, Cmdr. Chris Oudekerk, 

and former research director Cdr. 

Greg Nezat. 

Another project conducted at 

Naval Hospital Jacksonville, under 

the leadership of Cdr. Brent Bushey, 

placed second in the Navy Wide 

Competition in their category 

after previously winning the Navy 

Medicine-East competition. The 

research was presented by recent USU 

graduate Lt. Kevin Michel.

Lt. Cmdr. Jason McGuire (the GSN’s 

newest faculty member) placed third 

in the Navy Wide Competition in his 

category after previously winning the 

Navy Medicine-West competition. 

Dr. Sandra Bibb was selected as 

one of the 2011 “100 Extra-Ordinary 

Nurses in the Washington Metropolitan 

Area.” This is the 20th celebration of 

this recognition sponsored annually by 

Sigma Theta Tau International Honor 

Society, Gamma Beta Chapter, Howard 

University. Recipients of this award 

Courtesy Photo USU faculty takes first place in Navy Wide Research competition

Continued to page 3
The Official USU Newsletter 3

are selected on the basis of established 

criteria that address excellence and 

extraordinary achievements in clinical 

practice, education, research, administration, publication or community 

service. The award was presented May 

2, 2011 at Howard University.

GSN Class of 2009 alumni Lt. Cmdr. 

Julie Conrardy, Lt. Cmdr. Sandra 

Myers and Maj. Beth Brenek, won the 

2011 AORN Journal Writers Contest 

award in the research category for 

their scholarly project publication: 

“Conrardy, J., Myers, S., & Brenek, 

B. (2010). Review of the literature to 

determine the state of the science for 

implementation of the joint commission universal protocol recommendations. AORN Journal, 92(2):194-207.” 

The presentation of this award took 

place during the 58th AORN Congress 

in Philadelphia recently, where more 

than 10,000 perioperative nurses were 

in attendance from around the world. 

This is the third year a GSN student 

group received this award (2011, 2010, 

2008). The 2009 AORN National 

Research Excellence Award also went to 

a USU group for their research poster. 

Additionally, several perioperative clinical nurse specialist alumni 

were selected to present 90-minute 

podium presentations: 

• Cmdr. Vivian Devine—Creating a 

New Culture: When Large Organizations Merge

• Lt. Cmdr. BradLee Goeckner—

Threats to Safe Medication Use in 

Ambulatory Surgery

• Lt. Cmdr. BradLee Goeckner—

Hot Topics: Medication Safety in 

Perioperative Care - The Nurses Role

Several perioperative clinical nurse 

specialist alumni also were selected to 

present posters during the Congress:

Photo by Thomas Balfour

Artino receives national literacy in research award

by Ken Frager

USU President Charles L. Rice (left) congratulates Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Tony Artino, Jr. 

(Center), for receiving the 2011 RADM Charles R. Loar Award. Navy Cmdr. Glen Diehl, 

(Right) accepted the award for Artino at the ACHE meeting in Chicago recently.

Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Tony Artino 

Jr., assistant professor in the 

USU Department of Preventive 

Medicine and Biometrics, was 

• Maj. Denise Moultrie—Customer 

Service Focused Approach for the 

Perioperative Team

• Maj. Gregory Lara—Implementing a 

Surgical Safety Checklist

• Lt. Cmdr. Sandra Myers—Aseptic 

Technique in Afghanistan 

Maj. Moultrie’s poster won the clinical 

excellence award, beating out more 

than 215 posters selected for presentation at this year’s AORN Congress.

Dr. Littleton-Kearney also said 

that while the individual awards are 

important, it is the people behind 

the recognition that should be 

credited for making things happen. 

Among those is Cmdr. John Maye, 

who recently accepted the directorship of the Tri-Service Nursing 

Research Program. “We will miss 

his research leadership at USU, but 

congratulate him on an outstanding 

opportunity that keeps him close to 

the USU.”

recently awarded the 2011 RADM 

Charles R. Loar award for excellence in professional and technical 

writing in healthcare leadership and 

administration. Dr. Artino’s paper, 

“Performance in medical school 

and internship: Does self-reported 

clinical experience matter?,” focused 

on whether medical school admissions committees often look favorably upon applicants who report 

previous clinical experience. Dr. 

Artino’s survey results suggested that 

applicants who self-report previous 

clinical experience may not be better 

candidates for medical school. 

RADM Loar was director, Navy 

Medical Service Corps and assistant 

chief, Healthcare Operations, Bureau 

of Medicine and Surgery, responsible for all Navy Medical facilities 

worldwide. He also had the distinction of being the first fellow in the 

American College of Healthcare 

Executives (ACHE) in the Navy. The 

award, presented at the annual ACHE 

meeting, was established by the Lewis 

E. Angelo Professional Symposium to 

Promote Literacy Excellence.

Continued from page 2

GSN honors...
4 the pulse May 31, 2011

AFRRI Turns Half a Century Old

by Col. Mark A. Melanson, AFRRI Director

On May 12, 2011 the Armed 

Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI) officially celebrated its 

“Golden Jubilee.” 

Born under the ominous cloud of 

the Cold War between the United 

States and her allies, and the Soviet 

Union, AFRRI was established to 

conduct important research into the 

biological effects of ionizing radiation 

and its impact upon military operations. Its original mission was “to 

conduct scientific research in the field 

of radiobiology and related matters 

that are essential to the medical 

support of the United States military 

services, to national welfare, and to the 

well-being of mankind.” 

Early research focused on the effects 

of radiation on the nuclear battlefield 

to our troops and this research still 

continues. Today AFRRI’s research 

programs include Radiation Biodosimetry, Radiation Medical Countermeasures, Radiation and Combined 

Injuries, Internal Radiological 

Contamination and Metal Toxicity, 

and Late Radiation Effects.

Currently, AFRRI is actively 

involved in support of Operation 

Tomodachi, the U.S. response to 

the tsunami and resulting nuclear 

reactor accidents in Japan. First, 

the AFRRI Medical Radiobiology 

Advisory Team marked its first-ever 

deployment in direct support of 

the Commander, U.S. Forces Japan 

and was one of the first Defense 

Department teams to arrive in Japan. 

Second, AFRRI has been tasked to 

lead the DoD effort to develop a 

comprehensive strategy to assess and 

effectively communicate the risks 

to U.S. military personnel and their 

families stationed in Japan during 

the nuclear crisis. 

Now is a very exciting time for 

AFRRI. We are in the middle of a 

yearlong celebration of AFRRI’s 

Golden Jubilee. This commemoration includes different scientific 

symposia along with a 50th Birthday 

Banquet held May 12. 

Renovations of the Institute’s 

laboratories and supporting 

infrastructure steadily continue. 

Additionally, AFRRI has expanded 

its applied research portfolio to 

include basic research in radiation effects on health. Finally, plans 

are underway to finish the establishment of a doctoral program in 

radiobiology that will bring in both 

new faculty and students to the 

Uniformed Services University. 

So, please join me in wishing AFRRI 

a very happy 50th Birthday and sincere 

hopes for another half a century of 

scientific leadership and excellence. 

Photo by MC1 Chad Hallford

Dr. Thomas S. Tenforde, President, National Council on Radiation Protection 

and Measurements, (left) receives a plaque recognizing his role as keynote speaker 

for AFRRI’s Formal Establishment banquet, from AFRRI director Army Col. Mark Melanson.

Some of AFRRI’s Significant Accomplishments

Discovery of cytokines and vitamin E as radiation medical countermeasures

Development of the Medical Effects of Nuclear Weapons Course 

(Now the Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation (MEIR) Course)

Establishment of the Medical Radiobiology Advisory Team (MRAT)

Discovery of the enhanced lethality of radiation and combined injuries

Establishment of the “killing dose curves” for anthrax spores in response 

to the anthrax terrorist attacks of 2001

Development of the Biodosimetry Assessment Tool (BAT)
The Official USU Newsletter 5

HPRC Health Tips

The Human Performance 

Resource Center Health Tips is a 

new column intended to provide the 

USU community with information to 

help develop and maintain a healthy 

lifestyle. Check out the HPRC website 

at: http://humanperformancere

sourcecenter.org.

Pistachios: A heart-healthy snack

If you are nuts about nuts, the 

good news is that pistachios are 

good for you, even if you are trying 

to lose weight.

Pistachios contain the “good 

fat”—unsaturated (polyunsaturated 

and monounsaturated)—which can 

help blood cholesterol levels and 

decrease risk of heart disease. They 

are also a good source of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. 

Getting too little or too much 

sleep may make the brain 

age faster

The importance of getting 

the right amount of sleep was 

recently stressed by a study that 

showed getting either less than 

six or more than eight hours 

actually aged brain function.

A recent article published in 

Sleep journal and highlighted 

in Science Daily demonstrated 

that getting more or less than 

six to eight hours of sleep can 

negatively impact memory, 

vocabulary, reasoning, and 

mental state. The effects of either 

resulted in adding the equivalent 

of four to seven years in age to 

brain function. 

USU students reach finals of 

professional society challenge

by MC1 Chad Hallford

A group of USU students 

participated in Doctor’s 

Dilemma, a “Jeopardystyle” contest sponsored 

by the Maryland chapter 

of the American College 

of Physicians, which took 

place in Baltimore recently.

The students competed 

against eight other teams 

from hospitals in the 

Baltimore area, finishing 

in the final round, or in 

the top three teams. ACP’s 

national medical Jeopardystyle competition, ACP Doctor’s 

DilemmaTM, is held each year at the 

scientific Internal Medicine meeting. 

Up to 40 teams of residents from 

around the nation compete for the 

title of national champion.

USU team members included Navy 

Ensigns Jason Weiner and Joe Spinelli 

and Air Force 2nd Lts. Faith Murray and 

Jacob Berry. The team operated under 

the guidance of coordinators, Navy 

Ensign Jacqueline Edwards (Fircher) and 

Air Force 2nd Lt. Lavanya Viswanathan.

Courtesy Photo 

The Governor of the Maryland ACP Chapter, Dr. Dobbin 

Chow (center) posed with several team members of the 

USU team, including Jacob Berry, Faith Murray, Jason 

Weiner and Lavanya Viswanathan.

External Affairs Profile: 

In support of the Board of Regents

by MC1 Chad Hallford

The USU Board of Regents is 

comprised of nine civilian members 

appointed by the Secretary of Defense 

and six ex-officio members, including the four Surgeons General of the 

Uniformed Services. As advisors to the 

University leadership, Regents advocate 

for excellence in education, research 

and responsible public service. 

USU is accredited by 17 professional organizations and most educational oversight bodies require a Board 

of Regents to attain and maintain 

accreditation. By law, the Board meets 

quarterly and is charged with ensuring that the University’s policies remain 

in tune with the highest standards of 

academia. For each meeting there are 

tremendous administrative needs to be 

met to ensure proper procedures are 

followed, and that the time donated by 

Board Members is used wisely. These 

administrative functions are provided 

primarily by the Office of the Vice 

President for External Affairs. 

Jan Taylor, a 12-year USU employee, 

provides most of this support. Each 

meeting Mrs. Taylor notifies Regents, 

the University and the public; prepares 

reference materials and meeting 

agendas; and prepares the meeting’s 

formal minutes. Recordkeeping and 

serving as an efficient liaison for the 

members and to the Pentagon also fall 

under her purview.

“It’s an honor to work with the 

extremely talented and generous 

members of the Board who have 

accomplished so much in their 

respective careers,” said Mrs. Taylor. 

“Additionally, knowing that the 

work I support enhances the education of USU students also adds to the 

meaningfulness of my job.”
6 the pulse May 31, 2011

Against the Odds, 

at the Top of the Heap

by Ken Frager

In true USU fashion, a group of 

first- and second-year students, along 

with a bit of faculty assistance, ran 

away with the 2011 Naval Support 

Activity MWR Spring Football 

Championship recently. And they did 

it in their first year as a team.

“Our team had to grow together, 

we had to learn to overcome how 

other teams would take advantage of 

our female players and overall lack of 

size,” said Lt. Edward Jones, a graduate student and assistant professor 

in Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics. “This was a joint-service team, 

playing with men and women (the 

only team in the league with female 

players) and really showed what 

makes this university special. Going 

into the playoffs we were not favored 

to win at all. We proved that brains 

over brawn is a true statement!”

The league schedule had each of 

the six teams playing each other at 

least once during the regular season, 

followed by a double-elimination 

playoff round. “We beat each of the 

teams at least once, including the 

best team from NNMC that had gone 

undefeated in the regular season.”

The team’s nearly 4 feet tall 

championship trophy will be on 

display in the trophy case on the 

second floor of C building, by the 

elevators near the conference room 

rear entrance.

Photo by Ken Frager

USU’s championship team displays the 2011 Naval Support Activity MWR Spring 

Football trophy

The Clerkship Directors in Internal 

Medicine (CDIM), part of the Alliance 

for Academic Internal Medicine, has 

named Navy Capt. (Dr.) Gerald (Dodd) 

Denton to its leadership council. Denton 

is clerkship director and associate professor of Medicine in the Department of 

Internal Medicine at the USU F. Edward 

Hébert School of Medicine. Last year he 

received the CDIM Charles H. Griffith, 

III, MD, Educational Research Award, 

which is presented annually to a CDIM 

member who has contributed greatly to 

educational research. 

Also within the department of Internal Medicine, the USU residents at San 

Antonio’s Wilford Hall Medical Center 

(WHMC) selected Internal Medicine 

as the Best Teaching Department at 

San Antonio Military Medical CenterSouth! Air Force Maj. Temple Ratcliffe, 

who is billeted to USU but stationed in 

San Antonio, was selected as the Best 

Teacher, the only person in the history of 

the training program at WHMC to win 

the best teacher award for three consecutive years. In fact, winning it in 2010 

made him the first ever to win consecutive awards. Additionally, John Peterson 

received the Paul Brewster Award for 

the Best Clinic Attending and Bridget 

Fiechtner the Humanism Award, which 

will now always be in her name. 

Internal medicine 

residency honors

by Ken Frager

Photo by Ken Frager

Capt. (Dr.) Dodd Denton

Air Force faculty awarded Legion of Merit

Air Force Surgeon General Lt. Gen. (Dr.) 

Bruce Green visited USU recently to surprise 

Col. (Dr.) Arnyce Pock, Director, Office of 

Curriculum Reform, with a Legion of Merit 

award. According to Col. Pock, “It caught me 

completely off guard but I was so pleased.” 

The Legion of Merit was awarded as a 

reflection of Col. Pock’s five year tour at the 

Air Staff, where she served as the Director of 

the Air Force Medical Corps and as the Chief, 

Medical Plans, Programs and Integration.

Photo by Thomas Balfour
The Official USU Newsletter 7

USU Faculty Senate 

Education Day 2011

Tools for Transformation: How to be a better educator

Thursday 16 June 2011

For more information visit, www.usuhs.mil

General Dentistry Residents Provide Humanitarian Care

by USU Postgraduate Dental College, Col. Kraig S. Vandewalle, USAF, DC

As part of the military-unique 

curriculum, the residents and staff 

of the two-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD-2) 

residency program at Lackland Air 

Force Base, Texas, have been actively 

involved in humanitarian missions. 

The AEGD-2 residency program is 

designed to prepare general dentists 

to comprehensively treat patients and 

is part of the newly-accredited U.S. 

Air Force Postgraduate Dental School. 

The Postgraduate Dental School is 

a unique collaboration between the 

Uniformed Services University and 

the 59th Medical Wing at Wilford 

Hall Medical Center, a part of the San 

Antonio Military Medical Center. 

The humanitarian missions, called 

MEDRETEs (Medical Readiness Training Exercises), deliver medical and 

dental care to underserved populations 

around the world, while providing 

unique training to medical and dental 

providers. The missions often take 

place in remote areas of the country 

in harsh working conditions, typically 

without electricity or running water. 

Recently, the residents and staff 

of the AEGD-2 residency program 

joined medical providers for 

two-week missions in Haiti and the 

Dominican Republic directed by the 

U.S. Southern Command. During the 

most recent mission to the Dominican Republic, the six-member dental 

team (three dental officers and three 

enlisted technicians) completed more 

than1,100 dental procedures on more 

than 800 dental patients at three sites. 

The dental team served with other 

medical providers (e.g., family practitioners, dermatologists, optometrists, 

pharmacists) who provided medical 

exams, eye glasses, medications, and 

minor surgical procedures to more 

than 8,000 residents. 

“Although the heat was oppressive at times, delivering dental care 

to the Dominican residents was truly 

a rewarding experience,” stated Col. 

Kraig Vandewalle, the dental team 

commander. “The majority of dental 

care consisted of extractions of unrestorable teeth in patients with pain,” said 

Maj. Kurt Kobes, an AEGD-2 resident. 

“The US military creates goodwill with 

local countries, while providing valuable 

medical and dental training in the field.” 

Courtesy Photo

Hundreds of local residents wait in line for examination. 

“The staff of the AEGD-2 

residency program is committed 

to supporting future deployments 

to continually train general dental 

residents to manage nearly any 

dental condition in any environment,” added Col. Vandewalle.