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CONTENTS

Message From the President

Mission

Education

Research & Consultation

Future

Leadership

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USU 2011 REPORT 1

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences’ (USU) 

efforts to support the Military Health System expand each year, 

reflecting our commitment to address the Services’ needs 

wherever and whenever we can.

While it’s not possible to share every triumph or write about each 

breakthrough happening on this campus in a few dozen pages, 

the 2011 Annual Report does highlight some of the year’s most 

significant accomplishments with a special focus on USU’s centers, 

a cornerstone of this great university.

Our programs deserve special recognition because they transform world health in so many 

positive ways. Right now, hundreds of multidisciplinary professionals are shaping science, curing 

diseases, mending physical and mental wounds, reaching out to communities in need, developing 

partnerships, and teaching lessons across the globe for a better, safer and healthier world. 

Many of these vast accomplishments are showcased in this report, including a look at ways the 

National Capital Area Medical Simulation Center and the National Center for Disaster Medicine 

and Public Health are using cutting-edge methods for training and educating providers.

This report also highlights some of USU’s diverse research, from the novel posttraumatic stress 

research happening at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress to looking at traumatic brain 

injury with new purviews at the Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine.

The University’s Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI) is an important focal 

piece of this year’s report as well. The institute, one of only a few radiobiology research centers 

in the United States, demonstrated its value, after a triad disaster—earthquake, tsunami and 

nuclear disaster—struck the northern coast of Japan, causing many deaths and widespread 

damage. Experts from AFRRI deployed to Japan and brought with them significant knowledge 

and expertise.

So many other important things happen at USU every day. Our centers and corridors are filled 

with creative thinkers and doers, eager to make a difference in the world and push military 

medicine to new heights. Turn the pages, learn about some of them here, and discover the 

unique and special learning environment that is USU. 

 

 

 Charles L. Rice, M.D. 
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MISSION

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) is the nation’s federal 

health sciences university and is committed to excellence in military medicine and public 

health during peace and war. We provide the nation with health professionals dedicated to 

career service in the Department of Defense and the U.S. Public Health Service and with 

scientists who serve the common good. 

We serve the uniformed services and the nation as an outstanding academic health 

sciences center with a worldwide perspective for education, research, service and 

consultation. We are unique in relating these activities to military medicine, disaster 

medicine and military medical readiness.
USU 2011 REPORT 3

EDUCATION

USU 2011 REPORT

F

rom the School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Nursing to 

the Postgraduate Dental College and graduate programs, the education 

offered at USU prepares students for the unique situations that await 

them once their education is complete.

All of the schools continually look for ways to build on the University’s 

commitment to educational excellence. In 2011, the School of Medicine 

overhauled its curriculum to add new modules that include hands-on clinical 

training with real patients, while the Graduate School of Nursing prepared 

to launch its first class of Doctor of Nursing Practice students. Students in 

USU’s Graduate Education programs learn the fundamentals of biomedical 

science so they can move health care in new directions while officers in the 

Postgraduate Dental College gain advanced skills at satellite campuses across 

the nation. 

USU’s broadened scope is helping ensure a healthier force today and 

tomorrow for the benefit of our nation.
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EDUCATION

USU’s School of Medicine uses a custom curriculum to teach students unique skills that can be harnessed 

in hospitals and battlefields, on ships and planes, and every other place servicemembers go. As a result, 

the physicians who graduate from this University are ready to take on the biggest challenges of military 

medicine and public health.

Innovative challenges at USU, through field exercises, specialized coursework and unique summer operational 

experiences—complemented by classroom learning, research and clinical rotations—builds USU students’ 

knowledge and confidence. This formula has led to world-class patient care, scientific discovery, policy

and leadership.

cabin and the plane’s life-support equipment wasn’t up 

to par either,” Bruzzini said.

Bruzzini—educated and trained by USU and the military 

to practice medicine in tough situations like this—

began supplementing Tom’s oxygen and monitoring his 

blood pressure. 

Their hands-on approach worked. Tom’s vital signs began 

improving, but he was still experiencing chest pain. Once 

it was safe, Bruzzini gave Tom two doses of nitroglycerine 

to help regulate his blood pressure and pulse. 

Bruzzini continued 

monitoring Tom until 

the plane landed in 

Georgia and local 

paramedics took over. 

“I didn’t expect any of 

this to happen when 

I boarded my flight 

that morning, but I’m 

happy I had the right 

kind of training to 

help,” he said. “I’ve had 

many great instructors 

who taught me to 

never let an imperfect 

situation stop me 

from practicing good 

medicine.”

A Flight for Life

University alumnus, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Dan 

Bruzzini, M.D. (SoM ‘94), demonstrated how effective a 

USU education can be in challenging situations when he 

boarded Delta Flight 750 on Sept. 1 in Biloxi, Miss. Halfway 

through the trip, Bruzzini’s attention was diverted from 

his book to the midsection of the massive Airbus 320.

“Is there a doctor onboard?” a flight attendant asked. 

Bruzzini, a neonatologist by trade, quickly stepped up.

“I volunteered and so did a paramedic sitting in front of 

me,” he said. Bruzzini soon discovered a dire situation. 

An elderly passenger 

named Tom, on the 

way to his grandson’s 

wedding, was fighting 

for life. His pulse was 

irregular and his skin 

was turning blue. He 

was disoriented and 

his vision was gone. 

Barely holding on, 

Tom was having 

a massive heart 

attack—35,000 feet 

in the air. 

“Conditions were 

bad. There wasn’t 

much space to move 

around inside the 

“I’m happy I had the right kind of training to help.”

U
USU 2011 REPORT 5

in a very personal, 

meaningful way,” Shank said.

The school has also shifted 

from using discipline-based 

courses to integrated 

modules, a more synthesized 

approach for teaching 

medicine. 

“The use of integrated 

modules will help our 

students understand military 

medicine from many different angles, because it couples 

knowledge of the basic and clinical sciences with the 

practical aspects of operational medicine,” said Air Force 

Colonel Arnyce Pock, M.D., director of the Office of 

Curriculum Reform. “This strong foundation cultivates 

better healers and problem solvers in the end.”

In With the New

Ensign Christopher Shank, a first-year medical 

student, felt like a doctor from the very beginning 

of the 2011-2012 school year. Less than a month into 

the program, the young officer from New York was 

already interviewing patients, visiting their homes and 

completing physical examinations.

These assignments—once reserved for more advanced 

students—are now being introduced much earlier 

because the School of Medicine is using a brand-new 

curriculum for the Class of 2015 called “Molecules to 

Military Medicine.” 

Although hugely successful, the original program 

was recently transformed to give students a more 

comprehensive experience, starting the moment they 

step foot on campus.

“These hands-on experiences have been really valuable, 

because they help contextualize my classroom instruction 

The University attracts a diverse group of students with 

unique experiences, including Ensign Sean Simmons, 

who traveled a very unusual course to USU’s School of 

Medicine. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 

Annapolis, Md., Simmons spent most of his Navy career 

on ships. By age 23 he was leading a 40-man division on 

the guided missile destroyer, USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54).

“It was challenging work but it was incredibly rewarding, 

too. I felt like I could accomplish anything in the Navy,” 

Simmons said.

A few years later he left “ship work” to try out for the 

Navy SEALS—a specially trained group of sailors who 

carry out some of America’s most important and 

dangerous missions. 

However, the program was tough and unforgiving. 

Simmons had difficulty managing his leadership 

responsibilities in the cold and “rang out” during 

winter “Hell Week.” 

But his drive was still there. Later, as an ROTC instructor 

at the University of Pennsylvania, he made the “radical” 

decision to trade his Navy commission for an Army 

enlistment.

Fourteen months later, Simmons had completed all six 

legs of the Army’s rigorous Special Forces Qualification 

Course. He served back-to-back tours in Iraq and 

Afghanistan, in direct action missions and training 

commandos for combat.

For Simmons, four years in the trenches was enough. 

He re-commissioned into the Navy and later enrolled 

at USU. He quickly discovered a strong interest in both 

emergency and family medicine—two boots-on-theground disciplines.

“I can stay operational in both of these fields, and I want 

to be out there with the troops,” he said. “They are who 

I’ll always be.”

Soldier Sets Sail On Navy Career, Again

EDUCATION
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EDUCATION

University students get real-world training in a riskfree environment at the National Capital Area Medical 

Simulation Center (SimCenter). This 30,000-square-foot 

facility is one of the 

country’s most advanced 

medical simulation 

centers. Here, learners 

are able to practice 

important surgical and 

clinical skills without reallife consequences. 

The SimCenter also has 

an 8,000-square-foot 

virtual reality theater 

designed to train teams 

of learners in stressful 

situations such as 

combat, mass casualities 

and humanitarian 

disasters. In this theater, 

learners provide care 

National Capital Area Medical Simulation Center

and lead teams in realistic practice for the frontline care 

USU alumni are trained to provide in dangerous places. 

This can happen in a simulated field hospital or in the 

trenches, with sound 

machines creating a 

whir of bullets and 

grenades whizzing and 

exploding nearby.

Virtual medical 

environments and 

administrative areas 

complete the SimCenter. 

These spaces support 

several programs at the 

University, including 

haptic and visual 

perception research, 3-D 

imaging technology and 

task trainers designed 

to create environments 

that feel and look real.

Things go wrong in operating rooms every day. Doctors’ 

blades slip, poor communication leads to complications, 

patients receive too much anesthesia—the list is endless. 

These results can also be deadly, except on Army 

Lieutenant Colonel Shad Deering’s, M.D., tables at 

the National Capital Area Medical Simulation Center 

(SimCenter) in Silver Spring, Md. In his operating rooms, 

everyone gets second and third chances.

A flat line or too much bleeding here simply means 

the University’s up-and-coming medical students 

need more practice. With the push of a button and 

a little reprogramming, patients at the SimCenter—

computerized mannequins and specialized task trainers—

are ready for round two. 

“Our simulators respond to treatment the way real 

patients do, except there are no serious consequences 

if things go awry,” said Deering, who came onboard 

recently as the center’s new director of the human patient 

simulator division. “That’s why the SimCenter is a good 

place to make mistakes and learn from them, so we can 

perform better in hospitals—where it matters most.”

It’s also a place to learn important fundamentals like 

surgical technique and teamwork in multidisciplinary 

settings. Honing these skills, under the watchful eyes 

of seasoned instructors like Deering, a USU alumnus 

himself, has proven long-term benefits.

“Simulation education is a very dynamic, hands-on way 

of learning important concepts. It can also lead to better, 

safer patient care, according to recent data,” he said. 

“Training students with this technology, therefore, is not 

only an effective learning modality, but it’s also the right 

thing to do.”

Second Chance at Life: SimCenter Offers Unique Training Environment
USU 2011 REPORT 7

Carving New Paths

Like the students she teaches at USU, 

retired Rear Admiral Carol Romano, Ph.D., 

associate dean for academic affairs for 

the Graduate School of Nursing (GSN), 

spent most of her career in uniform. 

As chief nurse, acting deputy surgeon 

general and chief of staff for the U.S. 

Public Health Service, Romano had many 

opportunities to work closely with USU’s 

leadership. She was impressed by the 

University’s mission early on and quickly 

developed a strong appreciation for the 

unique lessons taught on the campus.

Romano joined the University’s senior 

faculty shortly after retiring from the 

Public Health Service. Now, one of her 

biggest responsibilities is spearheading 

a major transformation to grow several 

master’s-level nursing programs into an even more 

rigorous Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.

“The University will matriculate its first class of DNP 

students in 2012,” she said. “They’ll receive advanced 

training in the clinical aspects of military nursing, health 

policy, informatics, population health, health economics 

and systems leadership.”

Developing the new curriculum has been a long and 

exacting process. Romano organized a survey of 1995-

2009 alumni to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of 

nursing education at USU. 

“According to survey responders, the GSN has prepared 

good nurse corps leaders who have left our programs 

ready to hit the ground running,” she said. “Graduates 

also referenced the quality of our faculty in their 

responses, calling them ‘caring,’ ‘helpful,’ ‘dedicated’ 

and ‘experienced.’

“We learned a lot about ourselves from GSN alumni. We’re 

excited to roll out a DNP curriculum with the GSN faculty 

informed by our alumni experiences,” she said. “Our 

faculty and graduates are the real experts, after all, and 

part of the reason why I came to USU in the first place.”

“Our faculty and graduates are real experts.”

Nurses have always played a very personal role in military health care. In most cases, they spend more 

time treating wounded warriors than anyone else in the hospital’s wards. They’re also important first 

responders for our military—caring for patients in dangerous locations. 

For this reason, many patients consider nurses the cornerstones of quality care in the Military Health System. 

Especially in today’s complex world, increasingly, nurses are expected to take on bigger, more important roles. 

The University’s Graduate School of Nursing provides the advanced education needed to carry out this crucial 

work. Nurses learn these higher-order, military-unique skills while earning a master’s or doctorate degree—so 

they can make an even larger difference in base hospitals, research facilities, classrooms and other locations to 

assist servicemembers in need.

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EDUCATION
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EDUCATION

In a League of His Own

Major Jarold “Tom” Johnston, a Graduate School of 

Nursing student in the doctorate program and the Army’s 

only male midwife and lactation consultant, has been the 

go-to guy for thousands of new mothers and fathers with 

questions about pregnancy, labor and baby care for the 

past six years. 

Still, Johnston does not consider himself unique or 

a pioneer. He’s just doing a job he loves and helping 

military families in the process.

“Midwifery wasn’t my first choice, and I even considered 

turning the assignment down,” he said. “But, I’m glad I 

didn’t, because I love my work.” 

Johnston attends uncomplicated births and teaches 

new parents all sorts of useful skills, including proper 

breastfeeding techniques. He admits several of his 

patients are surprised to learn he’s a board-certified 

lactation consultant, but it does not take long for most 

women to look past his gender.

“It’s a perception thing more than anything else. There 

are plenty of male gynecologists, after all, and their 

work is just as sensitive and personal as mine,” he said. 

“People accept them, no questions asked, because in the 

end, most people just want a competent, professional 

caregiver—woman or man.”

Whether intentional or not, Johnston has moved nursing 

boundaries for the Army by integrating a field as old 

as time. Now, he is hoping to move ground in a new 

discipline. At the University, Johnston is combining his 

love for midwifery and human lactation with cell biology.

“If you understand how cells work, you understand how 

life works,” he said.

Dean Hinshaw Achieves Academy 

Of Nursing ‘Legend’ Status

Ada Sue Hinshaw, Ph.D., dean of USU’s Graduate 

School of Nursing, was selected as a “Living Legend” 

by the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). 

Annually since 1994, AAN has named “Living Legends” 

to recognize extraordinary lifetime achievement. 

Living Legends must have been an active or 

emeritus fellow for at least 15 years and have made 

extraordinary and sustained contributions to nursing 

and health care throughout their career. They also 

must continue to influence the profession.

Hinshaw has been a leader in the Academy since her 

initial induction as an AAN Fellow in 1978. She was 

elected to serve as AAN president in 2001.
USU 2011 REPORT 9

EDUCATION

Three years ago, USU entered new academic territory

when the graduate programs added a Health Administration 

and Policy (MHAP) master’s degree to its catalog. The 

two-year program expanded the University’s mostly 

clinical footprint into the policy and economics end of 

medicine for the first time. 

“MHAP graduates will have several important responsibilities,” 

said Navy Commander Glen Diehl, Ph.D., the program 

director. “They’ll manage hospitals, establish new policies 

and carry out countless other behind-the-scenes 

responsibilities to keep things running smoothly.”

This broadened scope supports an important part of 

military medicine. At the helm of hospital leadership 

teams, administrators affect almost every operational 

aspect of military medicine, from overseeing all levels of 

personnel to balancing the hospital’s budget.

“The program’s faculty—seasoned experts with lots of 

hands-on experience in hospital administration and 

policy—have set the bar really high, because they know 

how important it is to have strong leaders supporting 

America’s wounded warriors at a decision-making level,” 

Diehl said. 

A combination of conventional and more creative 

teaching methods prepare MHAP students for this 

work. After laying a solid foundation, professors give 

their students, who are Navy and Air Force officers, the 

opportunity to guide classroom instruction through 

open forum talks. Legislative role-playing exercises 

transform ensigns and captains into senators and 

A New Kind of Education: Master’s in Health Care Administration and Policy

presidents, teaching important lessons about the 

symbiotic relationship between health and government. 

Students must also complete a year-long residency 

before graduation. 

“Students are immersed in settings where they can really 

learn the nuts and bolts of administration and policy 

for 12 months,” Diehl said. “So they can leave USU with 

both the knowledge and experience to make a powerful 

difference for America’s troops at treatment facilities 

around the world.” 

T oday’s graduate students are discovering new ways to shape tomorrow’s health care through stimulating, 

thought-provoking work in USU’s classrooms and laboratories.

Students in each program learn fundamental science and conduct original research, building a 

foundation of knowledge that leads to breakthroughs in many areas of biomedical science, from 

neuroscience to infectious diseases.

Researchers who have graduated from USU have already made innumerable contributions to modern medicine, 

including for deadly diseases such as Ebola, Nipah and Hendra viruses, and identifying possible biomarkers for 

hidden injuries such as posttraumatic stress disorder. 

Current students are also making huge strides. Many are presently working alongside leading scientists, both on 

campus and at premier research facilities such as the National Institutes of Health. 

This work is paving the way for major innovations and improved systems of care. It also brings credence to 

the quality of scholarship in USU’s graduate education programs, which have been recognized as some of the 

nation’s very best.

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EDUCATION

One of USU’s early pathfinders, Eleanor (Lee) S. Metcalf, 

Ph.D., associate dean of Graduate Education, arrived 

at the University in 1977, and her passion for her job, 

especially her roles as teacher and mentor for USU’s 

budding scientists, remains undiminished.

“If I can get across to students that they need to develop 

several basic skills to become good scientists, I think I’ve 

done my job,” Metcalf said. “Not only do they need to 

learn how to conduct the experiments, they need to learn 

critical thinking skills in order to design interpretable 

experiments. They also need to learn how to write, 

present their data and read the literature.”

Metcalf’s family’s background drew her to the science 

bench early on. Her father, a professor at The Johns 

Hopkins University, and her mother, a chemist, “talked 

science” with Metcalf every day. This foundation helped 

cultivate a deep-rooted fascination for the “living” 

disciplines of science. 

An immunologist by 

training, Metcalf has spent 

much of her research 

career investigating 

the pathogenesis of 

salmonella infections 

and diseases. 

Her work is lauded in the 

scientific community. 

In 2011, Metcalf and 

Scotty Merrell, Ph.D., 

a USU professor of 

microbiology and 

immunology, published a 

paper in Infection and Immunity. They were also awarded a 

provisional patent for several salmonella strains described 

in the paper—some of which Metcalf hopes could be 

used as vaccines.

Inspired Leadership

Elliott is 

completing her 

thesis project in 

the laboratory of 

Marian TanofskyKraff, Ph.D. Her 

dissertation 

project is a 

feasibility study 

assessing a new 

intervention 

involving parent 

training in the 

prevention of 

pediatric obesity. 

Kerry Whittaker, 

left, a sixth-year 

student in the 

Medical and 

Clinical Psychology Program, also received a Henry 

M. Jackson fellowship. She is completing a project in 

the multidisciplinary field of cardiovascular behavioral 

medicine in the laboratory of David Krantz, Ph.D.

She is focusing on the relationship between positive 

psychosocial factors and improved cardiovascular health. 

The Henry M. Jackson 

Foundation for the 

Advancement of Military 

Medicine, Inc. (HJF) 

awarded fellowships to 

three outstanding USU 

doctoral students for the 

2011-2012 academic year. 

Jeremy Gilbreath, 

center, a fourth-year 

graduate student in the 

Emerging Infectious 

Diseases Program who 

is investigating the 

structure and function 

of the ferric uptake 

regulator protein, Fur, 

received the Val G. 

Hemming Fellowship. He 

works in the laboratory of Scotty Merrell, Ph.D., focusing 

on the regulatory mechanisms of the gastric bacterial 

pathogen Helicobacter pylori. 

Camden Elliott, right, a fifth-year student in the Medical 

and Clinical Psychology Program at USU, received one of 

two Henry M. Jackson fellowships. 

HJF Names Three Fellowship Winners
USU 2011 REPORT 11

The University has always focused on total wellness for servicemembers. This includes developing 

sophisticated programs for teaching advanced practice military dentistry—an art that melds innovation 

and science at USU’s Postgraduate Dental College.

The college—formed by Army, Navy and Air Force schools—combines education, research and 

dynamic residency opportunities to cultivate excellent clinicians ready to serve a mobile force—at home and 

abroad, during war and peace.

Programs vary by school, but several options are available for USU students wishing to specialize in advanced 

fields such as comprehensive dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, endodontics, 

and orofacial pain.

Officers in these programs learn many diverse skills, from mastering surgical techniques for perfecting a warrior’s 

smile to creating facial implants for wounded servicemembers to discovering new methods for diagnosing, 

treating and preventing diseases.

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EDUCATION

Navy Lieutenant Commander William Wilson, 

D.D.S., has treated hundreds of injuries over the 

years. His patients— many of them wounded in 

combat—have lost teeth, eyes, ears and other 

body parts. But Wilson helps make them whole 

again through both an art and science that took 

years for him to master.

The Navy officer is part of a growing field called 

maxillofacial prosthetics—a discipline where 

dentists like Wilson use blocks of silicone, tubes 

of paint and other supplies to create realistic 

facial implants. 

Though often tedious, Wilson is passionate 

about his craft and enjoys teaching University 

students this art at the Naval Postgraduate Dental 

School in Bethesda, Md., where he is chair of the 

Maxillofacial Prosthetics Department.

“Maxillofacial prosthetics is a fascinating 

subspecialty,” he said. “Experts in this field work 

hard to improve lives and restore confidence to 

some of America’s greatest heroes. Educating the 

new generation to take on this challenge has been 

very rewarding for me, because I’m passing on 

important skills to help mend our fighting force.” 

His work creates a higher quality of life for 

servicemembers while putting a new face on 

modern dental medicine.

Art, Science Combine to Restore Dignity to Wounded Warriors
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Readiness Training Exercises, deliver medical and dental 

care to underserved populations around the world while 

providing unique training to medical and dental providers. 

In 2011, the residents and staff of the program joined 

medical providers for two-week missions in Haiti and 

the Dominican Republic directed by the U.S. Southern 

Command. During a mission to the Dominican Republic, 

the six-member dental team (three dental officers and 

three enlisted technicians) completed more than 1,100 

dental procedures on more than 800 dental patients at 

three sites. 

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EDUCATION

General Dentistry Residents Provide Humanitarian Care

As part of the military-unique curriculum, residents and 

staff of the two-year Advanced Education in General 

Dentistry residency program at Lackland Air Force Base in 

Texas have been actively involved in humanitarian missions. 

The program is designed to prepare general dentists to 

comprehensively treat patients and is part of the newly 

accredited Air Force Postgraduate Dental School.

The Postgraduate Dental School is a unique collaboration 

between USU and the 59th Medical Wing at Wilford Hall 

Medical Center, part of the San Antonio Military Medical 

Center. The humanitarian missions, called Medical 

Open Wide: A Look Inside USU’s Newest School

The Postgraduate Dental College 

added a new Army school in 2011 

that offers students a Master 

of Science in Oral Biology with 

a focus on comprehensive 

dentistry, a military-unique 

specialty that increases clinical 

skills and knowledge across many 

spectrums of oral health care. 

Like all USU programs, the new 

dental curriculum weaves strong 

didactic and clinical threads 

with robust research requirements and military readiness. 

Army Colonel Robert Manga, D.M.D., oversees the new 

school, which has comprehensive dentistry programs 

in North Carolina, Texas and Hawaii. 

Although distance separates all three Army teaching 

sites, they are united by a shared mission to help 

servicemembers through advanced practice dentistry. 

Manga, a comprehensive dentist himself and experienced 

officer, understands the weight and honor of this duty.

“My job is wonderful, because I help soldiers feel better,” 

he said. “Restoring a person’s smile is a priceless feeling. 

I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Overseas Experience Offers Students Unique Perspectives

Students at USU’s Postgraduate Dental College leave 

campus to practice advanced dentistry at top-notch 

facilities during their residencies. They also have 

opportunities to help underserved communities on 

humanitarian missions. As part of his coursework, Army 

Captain Alex Smith, a student in the comprehensive 

dentistry program at the Army Postgraduate Dental 

School in Hawaii, deployed to Papua New Guinea. While 

there, Smith cared for local residents by performing basic 

oral procedures, including tooth extractions.

Smith’s experience abroad is good preparation for life 

after graduation. USU alumni travel extensively and must 

be able to practice in challenging places.
USU 2011 REPORT 13

EDUCATION

Several programs at USU were ranked among the nation’s 

very best in a recent issue of U.S. News & World Report. 

Among those lauded, the Graduate School of Nursing’s 

anesthesia program placed fifth of more than 100 

institutions surveyed. Several factors contributed to 

this impressive overall rating, including peer reviews and 

expert analysis of the program’s curriculum, faculty and 

student bodies. 

“The military has a long history of producing some of 

the best nurse anesthetists in the country, and USU 

plays a vital role in training many of these providers 

to care for our nation’s finest,” said Navy Commander 

Robert Hawkins, director of USU’s Nurse Anesthesia 

Program. “The success of our nurse anesthesia program 

is due in large measure to the 

outstanding support we receive 

from both the University 

administration and the federal 

uniformed services.”

Medical research, primary 

care and nursing at USU also 

scored high on the annual 

survey of graduate schools. 

The year’s broad showing—

up from the previous 

surveys—highlights the 

wide breadth and depth of the nationally recognized 

scholarship available at the University.

Prestigious National Survey Recognizes Several USU Programs

Nearly one million servicemembers 

and veterans attend public and 

private universities and community 

colleges across the country each year. 

Many of these students use campus 

health care facilities for their primary 

care. In these cases, the intersection 

of military culture and campus life 

requires special awareness and 

planning to appropriately support 

this unique student population.

Ted Bonar, Psy.D, chief of Continuing 

Education Programs at the Center for 

Deployment Psychology, spearheads 

the mission to ensure these places are 

well-prepared to serve veterans and 

servicemembers. His creation and 

delivery of the day-long University 

Counseling Center Core Competency 

Program, or UC4, addresses the 

deployment cycle, its stressors, 

community reintegration dynamics, 

posttraumatic stress disorder 

and cognitive-behavioral health 

treatments in university settings. Along with compelling 

material and lectures, Bonar facilitates a group exercise 

where participants craft veteran-friendly action plans for 

academic environments.

Center Helps Dispel Myths of Student Veterans

“In UC4, we try to dispel 

stereotypes and myths of student 

veterans. We get to have an 

expanded conversation about what 

coming back to campus is really 

like for those who have served,” 

Bonar said. “We talk about the 

good and the bad, their resilience 

and strengths, as well as their 

vulnerabilities. This is a program 

that is designed to make people 

open their eyes.”

The need and demand for UC4 

is growing by leaps and bounds. 

Since its launch in May 2010, the 

program has been presented 

at 26 host universities for more 

than 800 clinical counselors 

from 175 institutions. More than 

500 nonclinical personnel from 

departments such as financial 

aid, student affairs and academic 

advising have also attended 

Bonar’s course. Close to 100,000 

servicemembers and veterans attend the various 

campuses where UC4 has been taught, including Virginia 

Tech, San Diego State University, Indiana University and 

the University of Texas at San Antonio. 
14 WWW.USUHS.MIL

throughout their six-mile journey across Antietam’s 

storied fields. The march stops briefly at key points along 

the trail—Sunken Road, Burnside Bridge and Dunker 

Church—because battle tactics at these sites helped 

change the outcome of America’s deadliest war.

Operation Kerkesner 

Although USU is a 

competitive university 

with a solid academic 

base, most individuals 

pursue studies at the 

University because 

they have a strong 

calling to serve their 

country. They want to 

heal warriors as Army, 

Navy, Air Force or Public 

Health Service nurses 

and physicians.

Learning the complex 

tenets of uniformed 

service and medicine 

simultaneously, however, 

is a difficult undertaking, 

especially for students 

with no military 

experience, but the University expertly weaves principles 

from both professions into one dynamic curriculum. 

Operation Kerkesner, a five-day learning experience, 

melds both worlds through innovative, hands-on teaching 

that focuses on decision making in a field setting. Firstyear medical students learn skills like proper techniques 

for hand-to-hand-training, small squad movement and 

Antietam Road March

First-year students travel each spring to visit the 

Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Md., for 

an up-close look at Civil War medicine—the origin of 

modern-military triage. 

Their textbooks come alive at the site of the bloodiest 

one-day battle in American history, as USU instructors 

and Civil War historians in period costume bring form to 

important medical lessons from the past.

The road march includes a first-hand look at how Army 

surgeon Jonathan Letterman developed a three-stage 

casualty management system for treating badly injured 

soldiers. Variations of this lifesaving method are still being 

used on today’s battlefields in Afghanistan.

Other lessons from Antietam, such as the importance of 

clean, healthy living conditions in military camps, have 

important contemporary applications for USU students, 

many of whom will likely go on to manage and lead 

medical teams and facilities after graduation.

Developing a sophisticated understanding of contagious 

diseases gives students the skills necessary to prevent the 

spread of deadly 

infections—a 

prolific killer 

during the Civil 

War—in the 

modern military 

hospitals they will 

one day command. 

University students 

also get an insider’s 

look at powerful 

military strategy 

EDUCATION
USU 2011 REPORT 15

leadership while also 

learning basic triage 

principles and tactical 

combat casualty care in 

operational environments. 

As a result, students have 

more skills and confidence 

at the end of Operation 

Kerkesner. They can start 

IVs quickly in the field, 

pitch their own tents, 

navigate unknown terrain 

with only a map and 

compass to guide them, evacuate wounded warriors, 

and lead platoons to victory before their first year at 

USU concludes.

Operation Bushmaster

At some point in their military careers, USU graduates 

may deploy to countries torn apart by war or natural 

disaster. Work challenges take on new meaning during 

these times when unpredictable obstacles disrupt 

ordinary practice in powerful ways. 

Still, generations of USU nurses and physicians have 

excelled in dire situations because the University’s 

entire curriculum is rich with military-specific skills. 

However, some of the most meaningful instruction takes 

place during Operation Bushmaster, the culminating 

experience for 

the Military and 

Contingency 

Medicine 

course. 

The University’s 

faculty, many of 

them seasoned 

military officers 

with extensive 

deployment 

experience, 

end the course 

by creating a 

realistic warzone 

on a forest-bed-turned-mock-battlefield in central 

Pennsylvania.

University students must prove they have what it takes to 

be leaders and healers in tough times, amid the simulated 

chaos of dwindling medical supplies, gruesome war 

injuries and life-threatening conditions. 

EDUCATION

Like a real deployment zone, students must staff a 

battalion aid station at Operation Bushmaster and receive 

casualties day and night for 72 hours. 

Faculty members evaluate students’ performance in 

various military medical roles during Bushmaster. To the 

instructors, solid leadership skills are just as important 

as technical know-how, because the next time these 

graduating students deploy, it will be for real.
16 WWW.USUHS.MIL

How can I be a good officer? What is PTSD? When should 

I use a tourniquet? 

Faculty members on USU’s campus answer these and other 

military-unique questions in their classrooms every day. 

University students lean on this valuable knowledge—a 

convergence of medical know-how and military 

experience—to keep them moving at a cutting-edge pace.

Recognizing the greater responsibility that USU 

instructors shoulder, Drs. Brian Reamy and Sandra Bibb, 

deans of faculty affairs, have become faculty advocates.

Well-suited for these newly created jobs, both leaders 

have a multidimensional understanding of the University, 

having lived what they now teach in the School of 

Medicine and Graduate School of Nursing, respectively.

“As an Air Force doctor, I always saw USU as the center 

of military medical education, because faculty members 

here pass down the unique values of our uniformed corps,” 

Reamy said. “It would be impossible to gain the same 

experience at another university, from different instructors.”

Reamy and Bibb help bring teaching innovations to 

the forefront by organizing several thought-provoking 

professional development seminars throughout 

the academic year. During these sessions, leading 

experts share some of academia’s most progressive 

advancements with the learning community.

Faculty Advocates

Teaching at USU is a nostalgic experience for Army Major 

Thomas Rawlings, assistant director of the Perioperative 

Clinical Nurse Specialist (PCNS) program in the Graduate 

School of Nursing. Known for his personal approach in 

Personalized Education

the classroom, he is also a PCNS graduate from the Class 

of 2006, the second group to complete the nation’s only 

perioperative nursing program.

In the classroom, Rawlings draws important lessons 

from his professional experiences to give students an 

insider’s look at perioperative nursing in the military. He 

has travelled the globe extensively, healing warriors in 

operating rooms at major military hospitals and forward 

operating bases in the field.

While deployed, Rawlings cared for thousands of 

badly injured detainees and supervised a 15-person 

multidisciplinary medical team at the 31st Combat 

Support Hospital in Baghdad. He saved many lives and 

earned a Bronze Star Medal in Iraq for exceptional 

military service in the process.

“I gained a lot of confidence while studying at USU. The 

entire program was helpful, but the operational readiness 

and leadership aspects were particularly relevant,” he said. 

“I’ve used these skills many times throughout my military 

career and now I’m teaching them to USU’s up-andcoming leaders.”

EDUCATION
USU 2011 REPORT 17

Researchers at USU are developing defenses against the physical 

and psychological effects of war, confronting the difficulties of 

diagnosing and treating posttraumatic stress, improving natural 

disaster education, and developing vaccines against diseases that 

threaten the lives and health of servicemembers.

University scientists, researchers and professors are among the most 

respected in their fields. They are conducting groundbreaking research in 

military-relevant areas in laboratories on and off campus.

USU 2011 REPORT

RESEARCH & 

CONSULTATION
18 WWW.USUHS.MIL

RESEARCH

Protecting Horses—and Humans—From the Deadly Hendra Virus

Australia is battling a disease that threatens humans and 

livestock alike—the Hendra virus. But thanks to more 

than a decade of work by Christopher C. Broder, Ph.D., 

and his USU research team, the South Pacific nation is 

poised to win that fight.

The team has created a 

horse vaccine to prevent 

the virus and a monoclonal 

antibody to treat Hendra 

infections. “The vaccine is 

extremely safe and we have 

shown it to be remarkably 

effective in preventing 

Hendra infection and 

infection by its close relative 

Nipah virus,” said Broder, 

professor and director of 

the University’s Emerging 

Infectious Diseases 

Graduate Program.

A member of the paramyxovirus family, a highly infectious 

agent that emerged from flying foxes, the Hendra virus 

has killed four people and more than 40 horses since its 

emergence in 1994. A horse vaccine is crucial to break 

the cycle of Hendra 

virus because the cycle 

starts in flying foxes 

and spreads to horses 

and then to people.

To develop this 

important vaccine, 

USU worked in close 

collaboration with 

the Commonwealth 

Scientific and Industrial 

Research Organisation 

in Australia and HJF. 

The National Institutes 

of Health funds 

the research.

Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine

The University’s Center for Neuroscience and 

Regenerative Medicine (CNRM) was established as a 

federal intramural research program to study traumatic 

brain injury (TBI) and psychological health in combat 

casualties. During the past four years, the center has 

become a catalyst for groundbreaking discovery, largely 

because it crosses disciplines, research departments and 

boundaries to move science forward.

More than 200 

investigators from USU, 

the National Institutes 

of Health, Walter 

Reed National Military 

Medical Center, Naval 

Medical Research Center, 

Armed Forces Institute 

of Pathology and 

other federal agencies 

collaborate within the 

CNRM on wide-ranging 

TBI projects, from 

diagnostics and imaging 

to rehabilitation and 

evaluation programs. 

The center’s broad expertise has led to many advances 

across the TBI spectrum, and a new brain repository 

created by the CNRM is leveraging these gains further. 

The repository is an important research tool for 

understanding how TBI affects the brain and ways to 

mitigate or repair this damage.

The center’s broad expertise has led to many advances 

across the TBI spectrum. Daniel Perl, M.D., director of 

CNRM’s Neuropathology Core, has established a stateof-the-art laboratory that will include a new brain tissue 

repository. The repository will be dedicated to research 

on the acute and long-term effects of TBI among 

military personnel, and is an important research tool 

for understanding how TBI affects the brain and ways to 

mitigate or repair this damage.

“This will be the only brain repository of military 

traumatic brain injury serving the research community. 

We need to characterize the nature of the effects on 

the brain for high explosives such as IEDs [improvised 

explosive devices]. It is only through the knowledge 

gained studying these cases that we will be able to come 

up with rational approaches to diagnoses, treatment and 

prevention,” Perl said.
USU 2011 REPORT 19

RESEARCH

Diagnosing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is 

difficult. Servicemembers do not always report their 

symptoms or make the proper connections between 

emotional trauma and the body’s response to extreme 

stress, especially since negative physical reactions often 

occur weeks, months or even years later.

In these unreported cases, clinicians have little recourse, 

because there are no effective laboratory tests for 

identifying PTSD. But Army Colonel David Benedek, M.D., 

“If biomarkers are identified, physicians will be able 

to definitively diagnose PTSD through blood and 

saliva samples, instead of using more ambiguous 

symptom checklists and patient self-reports,” he said. 

“Furthermore, biomarkers will help us detect the PTSD 

earlier so treatment can begin sooner and troops may 

begin to heal faster.”

The disorder affects thousands of people each year, 

and susceptibility increases for people with combat 

experience—exactly the population Benedek is evaluating 

at Ft. Bragg, a major deployment hub in North Carolina.

“Military members willingly go into harm’s way to 

protect our country, so it’s our job as uniformed medical 

professionals to find better, more innovative ways to help 

them feel better when they return home emotionally or 

physically injured,” he said.

Part of this effort includes identifying biomarkers for 

resilience. Trauma affects people differently, even 

servicemembers in the same platoon who share similar 

frontline experiences.

“Some people develop PTSD, others don’t,” Benedek 

said. “If we know what keeps some people healthy, 

perhaps then, we can prevent the PTSD from occurring 

in the first place.” 

Center for the Study of

Traumatic Stress 

Traumatic events can have profound effects 

on servicemembers and their families. Suicide, 

depression, posttraumatic stress disorder and 

other psychological injuries and behavioral health 

risks are prevalent in military populations. The 

University’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress 

is shedding new light on the body’s response to 

trauma through translational research.

The center is especially focused on the effects of 

war, natural disaster, terrorism and public health 

threats—the kinds of traumatic events impacting 

soldiers today. The center is also working on 

developing pharmacological interventions to help 

prevent and treat psychological wounds—important 

measures for a healthier fighting force.

Understanding PTSD

and Lei Zhang, M.D., researchers at USU’s Center for the 

Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS), are working to improve 

screening standards by identifying potential biomarkers 

for PTSD in the DoD-funded Traumatic Stress and 

Biomarkers in a Military Population Study. 

Benedek, Zhang and their CSTS co-investigators 

found a measurable difference in p11 mRNA protein 

levels between soldiers reporting PTSD symptoms and 

blood samples from patients with other disorders—a 

distinction that could lead to a major breakthrough in 

diagnostic assessment.
20 WWW.USUHS.MIL

RESEARCH

biomarker for prostate cancer, with a high degree 

of specificity. Moreover, the antibody was also used 

to identify the presence of ERG proteins with an 

unprecedented 99.9 percent accuracy rate.

This novel discovery, combined with CPDR’s many 

research projects, is moving new boundaries across the 

prostate cancer spectrum, from earlier diagnostics to 

better first-stage treatments.

Center for Prostate Disease Research

Since 1991, USU’s Center for Prostate Disease Research 

has shaped the way medical professionals identify 

and treat prostate cancer, a complex disease affecting 

thousands of men around the world.

In fact, the CPDR was the first group to publish findings 

that demonstrated African-American males have higher 

prostate-specific antigen levels, a potential sign of prostate 

cancer. This research led to optimized PSA screening 

guidelines for African-Americans, which were published 

in the New England Journal of Medicine and featured on 

several major networks, including ABC News and CNN.

Around the same time, researchers at the center were 

also defining the role p53—a tumor-suppressing gene—

played in prostate cancer progression and gene therapy 

strategies. This important breakthrough was followed up 

with the creation of the Multidisciplinary Prostate Cancer 

Clinic at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the 

Defense Department’s first Prostate Cancer Quality 

of Life Study for military beneficiaries.

Current research at the CPDR continues shedding light 

on prostate cancer. The center’s team has developed 

an antibody that detects ERG proteins, a promising 

The Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program (IDCRP)

was established in 2005 through an interagency 

agreement between the National Institute of Allergy 

and Infectious Diseases and USU. The program is a 

compilation of multiple clinical research sites at 10 major 

military treatment facilities, from Germany to Hawaii. 

Team members work across the vast IDCRP research 

network to study HIV and other infectious diseases 

affecting military troops. 

Currently, the IDCRP has more than 60 research projects 

under way, including a novel investigation into the 

long-term outcomes of war-related trauma infections in 

servicemembers 

from Operations 

Iraqi Freedom and 

Enduring Freedom 

and overseas travelrelated infections 

that occur in 

DoD travelers. 

The program’s 

network also 

Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program

created a respiratory disease consortium to study H1N1, a 

dangerous virus that reached pandemic status in 2009. 

Other recent IDCRP successes include a study on latent 

tuberculosis infection that informed testing policy for 

new Army recruits; HIV data collected by the center 

was used in a modern revision of the U.S. government’s 

disability ratings for HIV-infected individuals; and IDCRP 

protocols on skin and soft-tissue infection prevention 

strategies (hygiene-based and vaccine) were instrumental 

for identifying a military requirement for a Staphylococcus 

aureus vaccine.

This work and other IDCRP achievements resulted in 

a highly favorable review from an external scientific 

committee that found, “The IDCRP is an excellent, wellmanaged program addressing important health threats 

to military preparedness, the nation’s biodefense and 

the broader spectrum of infectious diseases. Since its 

inception, the IDCRP has made impressive beginning 

strides in developing the infrastructure and network to 

conduct clinical research, which has allowed the execution 

of high-quality, programmatically relevant protocols.”
USU 2011 REPORT 21

CONSULTATION

Experts at USU’s Center for Disaster and Humanitarian 

Assistance Medicine (CDHAM) frequently travel to foreign 

countries to help international communities overcome 

health care problems through outreach, education and 

community service. During the past 13 years, CDHAM has 

achieved a global footprint with important consultation 

happening across the globe, from the Philippines to 

Ghana to the United States and beyond.

Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine

The Pandemic Response Program was one of CDHAM’s 

largest and most collaborative projects under way in 

2011. The program, developed in partnership with U.S. 

Africa Command and the U.S. Agency for International 

Development, assists military forces in African partner 

nations develop pandemic disaster response plans. Team 

members provide training, legal support and technical 

assistance and conduct baseline reviews. They also help 

identify and purchase 

equipment needed 

to move emergency 

planning forward. 

So far, the program has 

been highly successful. 

Benin, Kenya, Rwanda, 

Tanzania and Uganda 

have completed 

pandemic disaster 

response plans. CDHAM 

will work with Burkina 

Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, 

Senegal and Togo on 

similar projects in 

2012 to ensure a more 

heightened global 

security. 

Finding ways to improve or optimize human performance 

is important to USU and the military, because achieving 

one’s personal best leads to greater success for all types 

of military operations. This understanding led to the 

creation of USU’s Human Performance Resource Center 

in 2006. 

The center promotes wellness by collecting and 

sharing current information about human performance 

optimization (HPO), from physical fitness and nutrition 

Human Performance Resource Center

to environment and mind tactics. Staff members—

who include nutritionists, fitness scientists, education 

specialists, researchers, medical technicians and many 

other multidisciplinary experts—work collaboratively to 

showcase contemporary, evidence-based HPO findings.

The center translates and disseminates this information 

to warfighters, commanders, medical personnel and 

researchers to improve all aspects of military health 

and performance.
22 WWW.USUHS.MIL

CONSULTATION

Dozens of American military teams deployed to Japan 

in 2011 after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake and powerful 

tsunami struck the country’s northern coast. Thousands 

were killed, entire cities were destroyed and two nuclear 

plants in Fukushima were badly damaged, raising global 

concerns over possible radiation leaks.

Experts from the University’s Armed Forces Radiobiology 

Research Institute (AFRRI) were among those called to 

help. The team helped manage the nuclear end of the 

triad disaster by advising top-ranking military officials and 

Japanese leaders about the various aspects of radiation 

safety and health. 

Navy Ensign Lee Alleman and Air Force Captain Brian 

Livingston, lead figures on AFRRI’s response team, 

provided hands-on guidance. They measured the 

radiation levels in military aircraft and vehicles used 

during humanitarian missions near the Fukushima 

nuclear plants. 

Alleman and Livingston collaborated with a team of 

multidisciplinary professionals from the institute and 

other government agencies to safeguard the military’s 

equipment and prevent further radiation contamination 

in Japan. 

“Our reachback is incredible at AFRRI,” Alleman said. 

“We are the only agency in the world with such broad 

knowledge in so many different areas of radiobiology, 

from dosimetry to countermeasure development to 

emergency preparedness and beyond.”

Unique Radiobiology Expertise

The National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public 

Health (NCDMPH) was established in 2008 and has been 

leading the way in education, training and research in disaster 

medicine and public health preparedness ever since.

Now in its third year of existence, NCDMPH has launched 

a number of well-received projects aimed at improving 

specific areas of disaster education and training, including 

humanitarian assistance knowledge, the disaster health 

workforce and pediatric disaster preparedness.

In 2011, NCDMPH hosted the Pediatric Disaster 

Preparedness Curriculum Development Conference. The 

resulting report has gained significant coverage among 

the pediatric preparedness community. 

The center has also been heavily involved in assessing 

and improving the disaster knowledge of medical 

personnel participating in the U.S. Southern Command’s 

National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health

Operation Continuing Promise, 

a goodwill humanitarian and 

civic assistance mission to 

foreign countries. 

The center also spearheaded the 

Workforce Project, a comprehensive 

assessment of the individuals who 

comprise the domestic natural 

disaster workforce.This initiative 

helped shed light on the complexity of disaster missions 

from a personnel perspective.

“These three initiatives allow us to address the fundamental 

tenets of our mission—whose education we are 

coordinating, what are the competencies needed by that

workforce and what does the response team need to know,”

said Kenneth Schor, M.D., acting director of NCDMPH.
USU 2011 REPORT 23

FUTURE

USU 2011 REPORT

Although grounded in tradition, the academic programs at USU shift in 

response to innovations in education and changes in learner’s needs. 

Outmoded teaching methods quickly fall by the wayside as faculty 

members continually seek better ways to inspire their students.

The University has always been a focal point for military medical education, 

and this focus will continue guiding its leadership and purpose in the future. 

Methodologies may change with time, but USU’s unique mission will remain 

the same: equipping graduates with the expertise and confidence to provide 

specialized, first-class care to our nation’s servicemen and women.
WWW.USUHS.MIL

shape and a flagship campus was needed to accommodate 

USU’s vision. 

The Board of Regents appointed a site-selection 

committee that chose 100 acres of wooded land on the 

grounds of the National Naval Medical Center. The central 

location near a military medical center and the National 

Institutes of Health continues to encourage collaboration 

with renowned scientists in top laboratories. 

The University has evolved significantly since the charter 

class of 29 officers graduated in 1980, and now includes 

a Graduate School of Nursing and Postgraduate Dental 

College. Nearly 5,000 physicians and hundreds of health 

care professionals and scientists have earned degrees 

from USU’s graduate education programs, Graduate 

School of Nursing and the Postgraduate Dental College. 

And University faculty and research staff have procured 

more than 500 patents or pending patents to spread 

research results and advance medicine. 

From modest beginnings, the University has 

become a center of excellence in education 

and training, consultation, and research. 

Between 1999 and 2009, USU had the 

largest growth in federally funded research 

of any university in the nation.

As USU celebrates its 40th anniversary in 

2012, much has changed, but its mission 

of educating health care professionals 

dedicated to career service in the 

Department of Defense and U.S. Public 

Health Service remains as vital as ever.

24

USU

After 40 Years, Still Educating Our Nation’s Finest

In 1972, Congress approved the Health Professions 

Revitalization Act establishing the Uniformed Services 

University of the Health Sciences. Forty years later, 

this important medical university continues to meet its 

founding mission of providing educational excellence 

in military medicine and public health. The school 

has earned a reputation as an outstanding academic 

health sciences center with a worldwide perspective on 

education, research, service and consultation.

Though many recognized the need for a military medical 

school with the dwindling medical corps resulting after 

World War II, Louisiana Congressman F. Edward Hébert 

spent years leading the effort to create the University. 

When the idea received favorable attention from 

powerful decision makers, legislation was drafted to 

create the nation’s first federal medical university.

Founding members set high standards to ensure the 

University would be a center of academic 

and scientific excellence. Faculty and 

students would be competitively chosen, the 

curriculum would be grounded in educational 

and scientific rigor, the learning environment 

would harness collegiality and peer review, 

and above all else, USU would commit itself 

to high standards of medical professionalism.

Shortly after USU’s founding, President 

Richard Nixon appointed 15 members of 

the Board of Regents and Army Colonel 

Anthony Curreri, M.D., became the first 

president of the University in 1974. The 

University’s mission quickly began taking 
USU 2011 REPORT 25

Partnering in the Fight Against Cancer

Creation of the new cancer collaboration at Walter Reed 

began with an extensive analysis of current capabilities. 

A group of military medical experts met to identify the 

differences between the current state of patient-focused 

cancer services and resources in the National Capital Region 

and those required for a world-class 

cancer center within the Walter Reed 

National Military Medical Center.

In addition to research and treatment, 

education will also play an integral 

part in the center. Officials 

anticipate educational outreach to 

patients and their families, as well 

as mentorships and internships for 

physicians and researchers.

The center stretches across almost 

an entire floor of a newly constructed building on the base. 

By centralizing several military cancer programs in one 

location, officials believe they will better integrate clinical 

services to allow for improved patient treatment.

“Cancer care services are a barometer of the clinical health 

of the Walter Reed facility,” Shriver said. “The provision of 

better care and research will positively affect the entire 

medical center.”

With the creation of the Walter Reed National Military 

Medical Center adjacent to the USU campus, the 

University sees extraordinary clinical and research 

opportunities in the years ahead.

One of the most significant is the establishment of the 

Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Bethesda, Md., 

base. Several military cancer research and clinical care 

efforts have coalesced at the site, including USU’s Center 

for Prostate Disease Research, Clinical Breast Care Project 

and Gynecologic Cancer Center of Excellence.

“The center represents a merging of research capabilities,” 

said Army Colonel Craig Shriver, M.D., interim director and 

professor, USU Department of Surgery. The endeavor will 

“accelerate progress against cancer through collaboration.”

“Our vision is to conduct innovative research and 

state-of-the-art clinical care for the military and its 

beneficiaries,” he added.

The program will strive to be designated as a comprehensive 

cancer center by the National Cancer Institute. Only 41 

facilities in the U.S. have earned the coveted designation, 

which recognizes facilities for their clinical and scientific 

excellence. Shriver anticipates the designation will require 

about seven to eight years to complete.
26 WWW.USUHS.MIL

LEADERSHIP

USU Leadership

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 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

Robert Thompson

COL, USA (Ret)

General Counsel

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

COL, JA, USA (Ret)

Brigade Commander

Tanis Batsel Stewart, M.D., M.P.H.

CAPT, MC, USN

Assistant to the President for Special Projects

Mary A. Dix, M.S.

Faculty Senate President

Tomoko Hooper, M.D., M.P.H.

Director, Armed Forces Radiobiology 

Research Institute

Mark Melanson, Ph.D.

COL, MSC, USA

F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine

Dean

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

CAPT, MC, USN (Ret)

Vice Dean

John E. McManigle, M.D.

Col, USAF, MC (Ret)

Commandant (Acting)

Lisa Pearse, M.D., M.P.H.

CDR, MC, USN

Associate Dean for Graduate Education

Eleanor S. Metcalf, Ph.D.

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 (Ret.)

Associate Dean for Recruitment and Admissions

Margaret Calloway, M.D.

CAPT, MC, USN

Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education

Jerri Curtis, M.D.

CAPT, MC, USN

Associate Dean for Clinical Research

Kent E. Kester, M.D.

COL, MC, USA

Departments of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics

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

CAPT, USPHS (Ret)

Department of Anesthesiology

Chair: Dale F. Szpisjak, M.D.

CAPT, MC, USN

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Chair: Teresa M. Dunn, Ph.D.

Department of Biomedical Informatics

Chair: Ronald Gimbel, Ph.D.

CDR, MSC, USN (Ret)

Department of Dermatology

Chair: Leonard B. Sperling, M.D.

COL, MC, USA (Ret)
USU 2011 REPORT 27

Department of Family Medicine

Interim Chair: Mark Stephens, M.D.

CAPT, MC, USN

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.

CAPT, MC, USA (Ret)

Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Chair: Alison D. O’Brien, Ph.D.

Department of Military and Emergency Medicine

Chair: Trueman Sharp, M.D.

CAPT, MC, USN

Department of Neurology

Interim Chair: Geoffrey Ling, M.D.

COL, MC, USA

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Interim Chair: Christopher Zahn, M.D.

Col, USAF, MC

Department of Pathology

Chair: Robert M. Friedman, M.D.

CAPT, MC, USN (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., M.B.A.

Department of Surgery

Interim Chair: Patricia McKay, M.D.

CAPT, MC, USN

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

Director: Sharon L. Juliano, Ph.D.

Graduate School of Nursing

Dean

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

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Carol Romano, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, FACMI

RADM, USPHS (Ret)

Associate Dean for Graduate School of 

Nursing Faculty Affairs

Sandra Bibb, DNSc, R.N.

CAPT, NC, USN (Ret)

Commandant and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs

Iluminada Chinneth, MN, FNP

LTC, AN, USA

Associate Dean for Research

Marguerite Littleton-Kearney, Ph.D, R.N., FAAN

Assistant Dean for Administration, Finance 

and Technology

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

COL, MSC, USA (Ret)

GSN All-Faculty Council President

Richard Prior, M.S.N., FNP-BC, FAAP

LTC, AN, USA

Pro-Tem GSN-All Faculty Council President

Donna Burge, Ph.D., BC-APRN, CNS

Doctoral Program in Nursing Science

Director: Penny F. Pierce, Ph.D., RN, FAAN

Col, USAF, NC (Ret)

Family Nursing Practitioner Program

Director: Diane Seibert, Ph.D., CRNP

Nurse Anesthesia Program

Director: Robert J. Hawkins, DNP, MBA, CRNA

CDR, NC, USN 

Perioperative Clinical Nurse Specialist Program

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

COL, AN, USA (Ret)

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program

Director: Pamela Herbig, PMHNP-BC

LCDR, NC, USN
28 WWW.USUHS.MIL

LEADERSHIP

Postgraduate Dental College

Executive Dean

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

MG (Ret), DC, USA

Army Postgraduate Dental School

Dean: Robert K. Manga, D.M.D.

COL, DC, USA

Comprehensive Dentistry-Fort Bragg

Director: George Barber, D.M.D.

COL, DC, USA

Comprehensive Dentistry-Fort Hood

Director: Michael R. Mansell, D.D.S.

MAJ, DC, USA

Comprehensive Dentistry-Schofield Barracks

Director: Dianne D. Pannes, D.D.S.

COL, DC, USA

Naval Postgraduate Dental School

Dean: Glenn A. Munro, III, D.D.S., M.B.A.

CAPT, DC, USN

Comprehensive Dentistry

Chair: Vlasta Miksch, D.D.S., M.S.

CAPT, DC, USN

Director: Evan A. Applequist, D.D.S., M.S.

CAPT, DC, USN

Endodontics

Chair/Director: Terry D. Webb, D.D.S.

CAPT, DC, USN

Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology

Chair/Director: Robert D. Foss, D.D.S., M.S.

CAPT, DC, USN

Orofacial Pain

Chair: Steve Hargitai, D.D.S., M.S.

CDR, DC, USN

Director: John F. Johnson, D.D.S.

CAPT, DC, USN

Periodontics

Chair: John H. Mumford, D.M.D., M.S.

CAPT, DC, USN

Director: John H. Wilson, D.D.S., M.S.

CDR, DC, USN

Prosthodontics

Chair: Kathleen S. Kenny, D.D.S., M.S.

CAPT, DC, USN

Director: Curtis Werking, D.D.S., M.S.

CAPT, DC, USN

Air Force Postgraduate Dental School

Dean: Thomas R. Schneid, D.M.D., M.S.

Col, USAF, DC

Comprehensive Dentistry

Chair/Director: Kraig S. Vandewalle, D.D.S., M.S.

Col, USAF, DC

Tri-Service Orthodontic Residency Program

Chair: Drew W. Fallis, D.D.S., M.S.

Col, USAF, DC

Director: Curtis M. Marsh, D.D.S., M.S.

Col, USAF, DC

Board of Regents

Chair

Ronald R. Blanck, D.O.

Members

Otis W. Brawley, M.D.

Sheila P. Burke, M.P.A.

Haile T. Debas, M.D.

Ronald H. Griffith, M.P.A.

GEN, USA, (Ret)

Michael M.E. Johns, M.D.

Lawrence S. Lewin, M.B.A.

Kenneth P. Moritsugu, M.D.

Gail R. Wilensky, Ph.D.

Ex-Officio Members

Jonathan Woodson, M.D. 

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs

Charles L. Rice, M.D.

Patricia D. Horoho, M.S.N.

LTG, AN, USA

Surgeon General of the United States Army

Matthew L. Nathan, M.D.

VADM, MC, USN

Surgeon General of the United States Navy 

Charles B. Green, M.D. 

Lt Gen, USAF, MC

Surgeon General of the United States Air Force

Regina M. Benjamin, M.D. 

VADM, USPHS

Surgeon General of the United States
USU 2011 REPORT

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. 

produced this publication.

About The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) is the nation’s federal health 

sciences university. USU students are primarily active-duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, 

Air Force and Public Health Service who have received specialized education in tropical and 

infectious diseases, preventive medicine, the neurosciences, disaster response and humanitarian 

assistance, and acute trauma care. A large percentage of the University’s more than 4,800 physician 

and 600 advanced practice nursing alumni are supporting operations around the world, offering 

their leadership and expertise. USU’s graduate programs in biomedical sciences and public health, 

committed to excellence in research, have awarded approximately 400 doctoral and more than 

900 masters degrees to date. For more information, visit www.usuhs.mil.
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20814

www.usuhs.mil