Volume 9, Issue 21• December 12 , 2014

www.usuhs.edu

The Official USU Newsletter
On the cover

The official John P. Murtha Cancer Center 

logo. Read about the signing of a new 

agreement between the Uniformed Services 

University and the center on page 5.

Sharon Holland

Deputy Vice President for External 

Affairs and Managing Editor

Gwendolyn Smalls

Chief, Media Affairs

Master Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson

NCOIC of VPE and Deputy Chief, 

Media Affairs

Christopher Austin

Writer - Editor 

MC3 Laura Bailey

Writer and Photographer, Layout 

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 is published 

biweekly on Mondays. The deadline 

for submissions is at 4 p.m. 

Tuesday prior to the publication 

date. Submissions can be sent to 

christopher.austin@usuhs.edu or by 

calling 301-295-3338.

2 the pulse September 2, 2014

New Junior, Senior Employees of the Quarter

by Gwendolyn R. Smalls, chief, Media Affairs 

Sandra Hofmann and Patricia 

Grant were selected as the 

Junior and Senior Employees of 

the Quarter at the Uniformed 

Services University, respectively. 

Their nominations were based 

on each employee’s commitment 

to excellence of service to the 

university.

Hofmann, who has been a 

program support assistant in 

the F. Edward Hébert School of 

Medicine for the past four years, 

is responsible for administrative 

duties for USU third- and fourthyear student rotations at the 

Washington DC VA Medical 

Center and Washington Hospital 

Center.

“At both sites, where other DCarea medical students rotate, USU 

stands out from other medical 

schools for its well-organized, 

proactive approach to clerkship 

execution,” said Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) 

Todd Gleeson, associate clerkship 

director, Department of Medicine. 

“This is all attributable to Mrs. 

Hofmann’s constant attention and 

inspired work. Her presence as the 

“face of USUHS” to the DC VAMC 

and WHC secures the presence 

of USU students at both sites,” he 

added.

Similar accolades were echoed 

for Patricia Grant, a program 

administrative specialist in the 

Department of Microbiology and 

Immunology and the Emerging 

Infectious Diseases Graduate 

Program.

In his nomination, Dr. 

Christopher C. Broder lauded 

Grant for her continuous 

outstanding, efficient and proactive 

service. She is responsible for a 

myriad of tasks for the department 

to include room scheduling, 

overseeing travel for faculty as 

well as visiting seminar and class 

instructors. Grant also manages 

the EID program budget and 

oversees all allocations and 

expenditures while consulting with 

Broder.

“Ms. Grant has always been 

able to continue this outstanding 

performance because of her 

ability to multitask, maintain her 

own schedules and records of the 

academic year and also because of 

her dedication and superior work 

ethic,” said Broder. “Ms. Grant is 

one of the most pleasant, goodnatured, conscientious, dedicated 

and efficient fellow employees that 

I have known during my tenure at 

USU.”

Photos by Thomas Balfour

Sandra Hofmann Patricia Grant 
to leave the hospital.” 

In addition, ADI offers the 

Incubator Program, which looks to 

give up-and-coming choreographers 

the means to start their careers.

 “I’m impressed by the Dance 

Institute,” Air Force Tech Sgt. Davina 

Esparza said. “My brother is autistic 

and having a way for him to vent 

through dance helps. I want to help 

give that to him.”

 “Most of the time I just give my 

donations to my airmen, but it’s 

nice to come out and see the actual 

charities,” she continued.

 Other charities present included 

Christian Services Charities, A Wider 

Circle, and Hope Connection.

 Giving Tuesday is part of a series 

of events that began in October hosted 

by the USU’s CFC team. Past events 

include a costume contest, a bake sale, and a donation 

competition between the service branches called Penny 

Wars. Each event is meant to raise awareness and money 

for the campaign while helping to build the community.

 “People are getting involved, people are helping 

out,” Robinson said. “People who aren’t keyworkers are 

volunteering to do things.”

 “The bake sale was a blast!” she continued. “Who 

would have known that food would attract so many 

people?”

“Or even that we had so many bakers in the university,” 

Kalili added.

 “A lot of people who are not even CFC keyworkers 

turned out and brought in baked goods,” Robinson said. 

“Some people offered to even bring in dog biscuits!”

 The CFC is working to raise $135,000 this year, of 

which they have already raised $55,000. Donations have 

accumulated from the previously mentioned events, but 

there are a variety of ways that community members 

can donate both online and through paper submissions. 

Any questions should be directed to your department 

keyworker. For a list of keyworkers, visit www.usuhs.edu/

CFC/keyworkers.html. 

 The closing event for the CFC will be Dec. 15 in the 

Hall of Flags from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and all of the USU 

community is invited. Refreshments will be served with 

University President Charles Rice in attendance.

The Uniformed Services University 

Combined Federal Campaign provided 

an opportunity for students, staff and 

faculty to meet the charities that were 

benefitting from their donations at 

Giving Tuesday, located in the Hall of 

Flags in Hall B on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

Community members walked among 

some of the 22,000 charities that rely 

on CFC assistance. Campaign Manager 

Army Master Sgt. Celecia Kalili mingled 

with the crowd along with Deputy 

Campaign Manager Laquetta Robinson 

and other campaign staff to encourage 

USU members to meet with the charities 

that their money helps support.

 “We appreciate [the community 

support] but we know the people who 

are receiving, I guess you could say the 

end-users, definitely appreciate it much 

more,” Robinson said.

United Cerebral Palsy, a charity focused on advancing 

the independence and productivity of those with the 

disease, was one of the charities present.

 “It’s a good turnout,” Michele Levy of the UPC said. 

“I’m excited to see so many people dedicated to changing 

lives. Every person makes a difference.”

 Local charities that attended included Bethesda Cares, 

a community outreach program that services the Lower 

Montgomery County area homeless. The organization 

also works with USU staff and first- and second-year 

medical students to provide medical services to those in 

need. The organization provides shelter as well as followup care for any situations that might arise while staying in 

the shelter.

 “Our goal is to work with the homeless community 

so that we are accepted and that they know that they can 

come to us for help,” said Susan Kirk, a Bethesda Cares 

volunteer. “It’s a great opportunity for students looking to 

get involved.”

 “One of our faculty is a doctor who works with them 

and has always talked about them,” Army Sgt. Ian Spears 

said. “It’s interesting to learn more about them.”

 Another charity present at the event was the American 

Dance Institute, which provides dance classes and holds 

performances for the Washington area.

 “We offer classes from age 4 to adult, and college 

scholarships for those without the means to attend on their 

own,” School Director Erin Du said. “We also perform an 

annual mini-Nutcracker at NIH for those who are unable 

3 the pulse September 2, 2014

Giving Tuesday Brings Charities to USU

by Christopher Austin, writer-editor

Photo by MC3 Laura Bailey

Uniformed Services University faculty, staff 

and students participate in the USU charity 

drive during Giving Tuesday on campus, Dec. 

3, 2014. 
4 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

at Duke, and both programs hope 

to improve their methods after 

comparing the results in these parallel 

populations. The multi-faceted 

program at USU is emerging as 

a cornerstone of the commitment 

to developing the nation’s future 

military medical leaders. 

While most components will be 

shared as universal experiences for 

future physicians, advanced practice 

nurses, and graduate dental students, 

a smaller number of students are 

offered the opportunity to spend 

up to three months in concentrated 

research and education projects as 

Navy Ensign Lyndsey 

Kiss, a fourth-year 

medical student, had no 

idea how quickly she 

would be propelled to 

lead at a national level 

while fulfilling her work 

as a senior capstone 

student in the Department 

of Military and 

Emergency Medicine’s 

Leadership Development 

curriculum. 

Three students from 

the Class of 2015, 

including Kiss, Navy 

Ensign Jessica Winters, 

and Army 2nd Lt. 

John Green, worked in 

collaboration with the 

Duke University Feagin 

Leadership Program 

throughout this past 

summer to pilot the 

curriculum. At the 

recent AAMC Medical 

Education Meeting in 

Chicago, Kiss presented 

an overview of the 

curriculum and focused 

on the development of 

new assessment tools to 

evaluate USU students’ 

progress and military 

leadership training. She also teamed 

with medical students from Duke 

to run a leadership curriculum 

development exercise and administer 

a research survey among the medical 

school faculty who participated in 

their workshop.

“I believe strongly in what USU 

represents and felt privileged to have 

the opportunity to share this with 

other distinguished medical educators 

and leaders,” said Kiss.

The new USU leadership 

development curriculum will be 

contrasted with application of similar 

evaluations in a civilian environment 

part of the School of 

Medicine’s Capstone 

Program. These actually 

fulfill dual purposes, 

allowing the students 

to develop their own 

skills in building 

and assessing new 

curriculum elements, 

while simultaneously 

expanding the capacity 

and breadth of the 

overall program.

 “We chose 

students who clearly 

demonstrated the 

capability and 

enthusiasm to pilot these 

critical projects,” said 

Army Col. (Dr.) Francis 

O’Connor, Military and 

Emergency Medicine 

department chair. 

“We are very proud of 

Lyndsey’s presentation 

at AAMC in Chicago, 

as well as the research 

projects she, Jessica 

and John are involved 

in as our leadership 

program continues to 

move forward. The 

MEM leadership effort, 

directed by our new 

vice chair, ret. Lt. Gen (Dr.) Eric 

Schoomaker, and led by Dr. Neil 

Grunberg, is very exciting for our 

USU community. Lyndsey’s success 

is the first of many good things to 

come,” O’Connor said. “Developing 

leaders is one of the five mission 

domains of strategic framework for 

the school. Empowering students 

to research and design meaningful 

leadership evaluation tools is just 

one of the many things that sets the 

Hébert School of Medicine at USU 

apart and allows us to lead from the 

front as ‘America’s Medical School.”

USU Student Leads AAMC Education Workshop

by Martin Ottolini, MD, Capstone Program director, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, USU 

Courtesy photo

Ens. Lindsey Kiss
5 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

University Signs Collaborative Agreement to Further Cancer Research 

The Uniformed Services University 

signed an agreement to further 

collaboration with the Walter Reed 

National Military Medical Center’s 

John P. Murtha Cancer Center and 

the National Cancer Institute at a 

ceremony celebrating the second 

anniversary of the MCC, Dec. 3.

 “WRNMMC, NCI, and USU are 

all unique in capability and expertise, 

but united against the common foe 

of cancer,” stated Army Col. (Dr.) 

Craig Shriver, director of the cancer 

center and chief of the general surgery 

service at WRNMMC. “By leveraging 

the assets of these three federal health 

organizations, we are increasing the 

research and clinical capabilities for 

the military and civilian patients, while 

decreasing costs to the government.”

 The document signed during the 

ceremony by the three federal entities 

will reflect their past and present 

accomplishments, and increase their 

future partnership against cancer, 

said Shriver. Additionally, this 

collaboration will continue enhancing 

the readiness of the military, its 

families, and beneficiaries.

 Named for the U.S. Pennsylvania 

congressman who was a lifelong 

supporter of America’s armed forces, 

the MCC’s main elements include 

Medical Oncology, the Center for 

Prostate Disease Research, the 

Gynecological Cancer Center of 

Excellence, Breast Care and Imaging 

Center, Surgical Oncology, and 

Pediatric Hematology, and Oncology. 

Among their many achievements, the 

Breast Care Center became the first in 

the DoD to achieve full accreditation.

“Approximately 30 to 40 percent 

of care delivered at the WRNMMC 

is associated with cancer screening, 

prevention, or the cure of patients with 

cancer, Shriver said. “All departments 

are involved, from radiology to 

internal medicine. These people are the 

best and highly trained.”

Cancer strikes military members at 

least as often as civilians, and for some 

cancers, it is striking at younger ages, 

Shriver stated. Complex, rare cancers 

must be treated at a specialty center 

and for the military that is the MCC.

The partnership with nearby NCI 

and USU brings added benefit. 

 “There are many faculty members 

at the university, the medical school, 

by Christopher Austin, writer-editor

and the nursing school who have 

significant expertise in cancer research 

– pre-clinical and clinical studies that 

can be and are applied to topics in 

cancer research,” said Dr. Mary Lou 

Cutler, PhD, director of the Molecular 

and Cellular Biology program at USU.

 “The cancer center brings together 

superb clinicians and basic researchers 

to address the unanswered questions 

in combatting cancers of all types, 

and thus provides the next generation 

the hope that many cancers can be 

prevented and those that cannot be 

prevented can be successfully treated,” 

said University President (Dr.) Charles 

Rice of USU during the ceremony. 

“I am proud of our partnership with 

Walter Reed-Bethesda, the National 

Cancer Institute, and the NIH Clinical 

Center in this important effort and 

am grateful to the Congress for its 

sustained support.”

 Rice was joined by Brig. Gen. 

(Dr.) Jeffrey Clark, director of the 

WRNMMC, and Dr. Harold Varmus, 

director of the NCI, in signing the 

agreement. 

New Leaders Selected to Lead Graduate Education

by Sharon Holland, managing editor 

(From left to right), R. David Cruess, Dr. 

Greg Mueller, Ryan Johnson, and Dr. 

Brian Cox. Cruess, Mueller and Cox are the 

newest additions to the Uniformed Services 

University's F. Edward Hébert School of 

Medicine Graduate Education Office. Johnson 

is president of the USU graduate student 

council. 

Dr. Art Kellermann, dean of 

USU’s F. Edward Hébert School of 

Medicine, recently announced the 

appointment of Dr. Gregory Muller, 

professor of Anatomy, Physiology 

and Genetics, as the new Associate 

 photo by Thomas Balfour

Dean for Graduate Education.

Mueller had been serving as the 

acting associate dean since Spring 

2014, following the departure of Dr. 

Eleanor Metcalf from the position. 

Kellermann also appointed Dr. 

Brian Cox, professor and former chair 

of the Department of Pharmacology, 

and Dr. David Cruess, professor 

and principal vice chair of the 

Department of Preventive Medicine 

and Biometrics, as assistant deans in 

the Graduate Education Office. 

“Working together, these three have 

managed several challenging issues, 

and advocated for our graduate 

students,” said Kellermann. “They 

are the ideal individuals to lead GEO 

on an ongoing basis.”

Kellermann also established a 

position for an assistant dean for 

Graduate Student Affairs which will 

be filled through an internal search.

“The work of GEO is central to the 

mission of the School of Medicine 

and the university we serve. Our 

research is well aligned to address the 

needs of the MHS, the health security 

of the United States, and global 

health. The high quality of this work 

is increasingly recognized by the 

DoD, the NIH, and other sponsors,” 

said Kellermann. “I am confident 

that Drs. Mueller, Cox and Cruess, 

and a fourth colleague to be named, 

will take graduate education at USU 

to new heights of excellence and 

achievement.”
6 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

Soldiers at Elevated Risk for Suicide

Courtesy Article

Soldiers hospitalized with a psychiatric disorder have a 

significantly elevated risk for suicide in the year following 

hospital discharge, according to findings published in 

JAMA Psychiatry, Nov. 12, 2014. Although this has long 

been known in the civilian sector, it has never before been 

studied in the military population. 

The study used data from the Army Study to Assess 

Risk and Resilience in Service members, the largest study 

of mental health risk and resilience ever conducted among 

U.S. Army personnel. Robert J. Ursano, MD, chair of 

the Department of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services 

University, Murray B. Stein, MD, MPH, professor of 

Psychiatry and Family and Preventive Medicine at the 

University of California, San Diego, both co-principal 

investigators for Army STARRS, and a team of Army 

STARRS researchers looked at data from the 12 months 

following a hospital discharge for more than 40,000 

regular Army soldiers (excluding National Guard and 

Reserve) who served on active duty from 2004 through 

2009. 

The Army’s suicide rate began increasing in 2004, 

exceeded the rate among U.S. civilians (adjusted to 

match the sex and age distribution of the Army) in 2009, 

and has remained high through 2014. This study of 

administrative data shows that 40,820 soldiers (0.8 percent 

of all regular Army soldiers who served from 2004-2009) 

were hospitalized with a psychiatric disorder. Suicides 

occurring in this group during the year after a hospital 

discharge accounted for 12 percent of all Army suicides 

during this period.

“The application of big data methods to target soldiers 

at high risk of rare, but important, outcomes like suicide 

is an exciting development because it gives us a way 

forward in focusing prevention efforts on an ongoing 

basis,” said Ursano. 

Researchers also found that it was possible to identify 

smaller, higher-risk groups within this at-risk population. 

Analyzing soldiers’ characteristics and experiences prior 

to and during hospitalization, researchers identified the 

5 percent of soldiers with the highest predicted risk of 

suicide after leaving the hospital. This top 5 percent 

accounted for 52.9 percent of the post-hospital suicides. 

Soldiers in this top 5 percent also accounted for a 

greater proportion of accident deaths, suicide attempts, 

and re-hospitalizations, compared to other previously 

hospitalized soldiers. 

The researchers report that within this group of 

hospitalized soldiers, those at higher risk of suicide 

include: 1) males, 2) those who enlisted at an older 

age, 3) those with a history of criminal offenses during 

Army service, 4) those who had prior suicidal thoughts 

or actions, 5) and those with disorders diagnosed during 

hospitalization and aspects of prior psychiatric treatment. 

However, researchers found that many different factors 

contributed to predicting suicide risk in this group, both 

individually and in combination. This fact underscores 

the complexity of assessing suicide risk and the added 

value of developing new approaches to better predict very 

challenging events. 

Researchers concluded that the high concentration of 

suicide risk among this study group, and particularly 

the smaller highest-risk groups, might justify targeting 

expanded post-hospital interventions for such individuals. 

Researchers continue to develop and refine computer 

models to help the Army predict suicide risk among 

soldiers and prevent self-harm.

courtesy photo

Dr. Robert J. Ursano 
7 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

Pediatric Specialists of 

Virginia announced that Dr. 

Leon E. Moores, a 1990 

graduate of USU’s F. Edward 

Hébert School of Medicine, 

assumed duties as its first 

Chief Executive Officer. 

Dr. Leon Moores 

USU Graduate Named CEO 

by PSV Communications

Photo courtesy of PSV Communications

by Stacie Crozier, American Dental Association 

Bringing a spirit of 

cooperation to postgraduate 

dental education, treatment 

and research, officers 

from the U.S. Army, 

Navy and Air Force 

Dental Corps welcomed 

leaders from the American 

Dental Association and 

the Canadian Dental 

Association to Fort Sam 

Houston, Oct. 8, for a tour 

of some of the fort’s key 

dental operations.

ADA President Charles 

Dental Officers Showcase Education, Research, Treatment at Ft. Sam Houston courtesy photo 

education and continuing 

education programs they 

offer.

Then they proceeded 

to the BAMC Oral and 

Maxillofacial Surgery 

Dental Clinic, where 

staff led them through 

the reception and patient 

treatment areas that log 

some 19,000 patient visits a 

year. They also toured two 

fully equipped operating 

and recovery rooms that are 

used for about 500 general 

anesthesia cases a year. 

Nancy Hansen, a certified 

clinical anaplastologist, 

showed them examples 

of craniofacial prostheses 

the clinic fabricates for 

wounded warriors.

Army, Air Force and 

Navy officers showcased 

some of the innovative 

research underway at 

the Institute for Surgical 

Research. Visitors learned 

about the U.S. Air Force 

Dental Evaluation and 

Norman and his wife, 

Sharon, President-elect 

Maxine Feinberg and her 

husband, John Wynne, 

Executive Director 

Kathleen O’Loughlin and 

her husband, Stephen, 

and Dr. Marshall Gallant 

of the VA Medical Center 

in Orlando, Fla., joined 

several leaders from 

the Canadian Dental 

Association and the 

Canadian Forces Dental 

Services for the four-hour 

tour on the day before 

the opening of ADA 

2014-America’s Dental 

Meeting.

Col. Arthur C. Scott, 

chief of the Office of 

Army Dental Corps, led 

the delegation welcoming 

the visitors at Brooke 

Army Medical Center. The 

group heard presentations 

by representatives of each 

branch’s postgraduate 

education on the array 

of postgraduate dental 

Col. Arthur C. Scott, chief, 

Office of the Dental Corps, 

second from left, and Col. Donn 

Grimes, DENCOM commander, 

right, present the Army Dental 

Corps Medallion to Dr. Gary 

MacDonald, president, Canadian 

Dental Association, left, and Dr. 

Charles Norman, ADA president, 

second from right, during a tour 

at Fort Sam Houston.

 Moores is a practicing 

pediatric neurosurgeon 

and the Medical Director 

of Pediatric Neurosciences 

for the Inova Health 

System. He has spent the 

majority of his career in a 

combination of clinical and 

leadership positions from 

Infantry lieutenant in the 

82nd Airborne Division to 

chief of Neurosurgery at 

Walter Reed, chief of the 

Department of Surgery 

at Walter Reed, deputy 

commander for Integration 

at the National Naval 

Medical Center during 

the Walter Reed/Bethesda 

merger, and commander 

of the Fort Meade Medical 

Activity – a healthcare 

system comprised of 14 

facilities across a four 

state region. Moores has 

deployed twice to combat 

zones to care for our 

Nation’s service members 

in battle abroad.

 “It’s truly an honor 

to take on the role of 

CEO at PSV. We are a 

growing organization with 

talented physicians and 

staff who are dedicated to 

the mission of providing 

superb specialty care to our 

region’s children. 

Moores is a Fellow of 

the American College 

of Surgeons and the 

American Association of 

Neurological Surgeons, a 

Professor of Neurosurgery 

at the Virginia 

Commonwealth University 

School of Medicine, a 

Professor of Surgery and 

Pediatrics at the USU 

School of Medicine, and 

the recipient of honor 

leadership awards from 

West Point, the US Army 

Infantry Officer Basic 

Course, the USU, and the 

Eisenhower School for 

National Security.

Consultation Service 

and its role in materials 

evaluation, equipment 

evaluation, facility 

standards and design and 

infection control and safety. 

Other projects highlighted 

included development of 

antimicrobial peptides for 

use in chewing gum to 

control caries, and studies 

on biofilm, drug delivery 

and bone regeneration. 

Several research projects 

involve cooperative work 

among military branches.

At the conclusion 

of the tour, Col. Scott 

presented an Army 

Dental Corps Medallion 

to Dr. Norman and to Dr. 

Gary MacDonald, CDA 

president. 

Crozier S. Dental corps officers 

showcase education, research, 

treatment at Fort Sam Houston. 

ADA News Convention 

Daily;124(2):4. Copyright © 2014 

American Dental Association. All 

rights reserved. Reproduced with 

permission.
8 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

Lt. Cmdr. Pratik Ray joined the 

Uniformed Services University 

of the Health Sciences as its new 

Brigade Chaplain this past fall. A 

Navy Veteran, Ray said he hopes to 

offer confidential and non-judgmental 

direction to the university’s members.

 “The most rewarding aspect 

of being a chaplain is the unique 

opportunity to provide a safe and 

confidential space for people to open 

up and discuss what is important 

to them without fear of judgment,” 

Chaplain Ray said in an email. “It 

could be faith, family, career issues—

whatever. I would like the students, 

faculty, and staff to know that I am 

here for them. I hope all will feel 

welcome to stop by my office any 

time or make an appointment to see 

me.”

 A native of St. Louis, Ray was set 

on his career path after his positive 

experience with the Navy chaplains 

while attending the Coast Guard 

Academy.

 “When I felt called to the 

ministry, I already had a link to the 

sea services through the 

Coast Guard Academy,” he 

said.” After I finished my 

education, I came back as a 

Navy chaplain.”

 Ray was commissioned in 

1997 in the Naval Reserve 

and transitioned to active 

duty in 1999. He has served 

both active and reserve duty 

on and off over the course 

of his 17-year career. He 

credits his most notable 

assignments as being six 

months of ministry at 

Recruit Training Command 

at Great Lakes, Ill., and two 

months of ministry aboard 

destroyers in the 5th Fleet.

 On board the ships, 

Ray taught classes on 

relationship management and 

communication along with his 

traditional religious services, 

attributing the close-quarters of the 

ship to being able to participate in 

“deck-plate” ministry.

 “Sometimes when you’re [on 

land], [the sailors] want to do their 

work, or go home, or study, or 

whatever. But when you’re out there 

and forward-deployed then you’re 

with the people all the time so you 

can catch them on downtime and 

share meals together.” Ray said. 

“When they have downtime and are 

away from home they’ll tell you 

about their families and experiences.”

In addition to his work in helping 

the military community, Ray has 

another crucial role at the university 

as a primary voting member of 

the Institutional Review Board, 

Infectious Diseases Institutional 

Review Board, and Institutional 

Animal Care and Use Committee.

“They’re heavily populated with 

scientists so I, and the previous 

chaplain, [are] the non-scientist 

members and provide the different 

perspective – the community 

perspective versus the ‘this-is-whatwe’re-getting-out-of-the-research’ 

perspective,” Ray said. 

 There are many opportunities Ray 

wants to take advantage of while 

working at the university, including 

being fully integrated into Operation 

Bushmaster and becoming a MyersBriggs trainer.

 Much like with his time on the 

destroyers, Ray hopes to be there for 

the students and staff as a confidential 

mentor.

 “Confidentiality for the chaplain 

is unique in that I’m not a mandatory 

reporter,” he said. “The chaplain 

stands outside of the chain of 

command, and outside of someone’s 

normal circle of peers, if they want 

to get a fresh perspective or sounding 

board and don’t want to share with 

their circle of peers. That would 

be my biggest role in a university 

setting.”

“I provide non-judgmental and 

confidential listening and direction. 

Some styles are more proclamational 

or are heavy-handed as you go and 

tell your counselor, your chaplain, or 

whoever, ‘Hey, I got these problems,’ 

and the chaplain says ‘okay, well you 

need to do A, B, C.’ My style’s more 

listening and reflecting so that the 

person can get to know themselves 

better and the solutions and ideas that 

they have are on the inside already.”

 Ray also brings experience in 

providing training topics such as 

suicide prevention, core values, 

family readiness and marriage 

enrichment.

His office is located in C-1099.

Meet Your New Brigade Chaplain

by Christopher Austin, writer-editor 

courtesy photo 

Lt. Cmdr. Pratik Ray
Final Frame

photo by Sgt. Jeffrey Dillon, Combat Documentary Specialist 

A medical simulator for opthalmology is on display during the Specialty Night at the Uniformed services University, Dec. 3. 

Above: Laura Lee, a service dog, particpates in the Combined Federal Campaign bake sale at the Uniformed Services University, Nov. 25. 

photo by MC3 Laura Bailey