Volume 6, Issue 19 n December 19, 2011

www.usuhs.mil

The Official USU Newsletter
Sharon Willis

Deputy Vice President for External 

Affairs and Managing Editor

Ken Frager

Public Affairs Specialist

Staff Sgt. Matthew Rosine

Production Editor

MC1 Chad Hallford

Writer

Christine Creenan-Jones

Contributing Writer

Anne Allnutt

Layout and Design

Production

Editorial content is edited, prepared 

and provided by the USU Office of 

External Affairs unless otherwise 

indicated. The Pulse staff may 

include or exclude articles based 

upon news value, impact on the 

university and space availability.

Submissions

The Pulse will be published 

bi-weekly on Mondays. The 

deadline for submissions is at 4 p.m. 

Tuesday prior to the publication 

date. Submissions can be sent to 

usunewsletter@usuhs.mil or by 

calling 301-295-0895.

2 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

On the cover

Air Force 2nd Lt. Ashley “Shorty” Solomon 

and Army 2nd Lt. Elizabeth Marx use friendly 

competition to improve their skills with 

laparoscopic surgical training equipment in 

the student lounge. (See story page 4)

Photo by Ken Frager

The 5th edition of the 

Military World Games, 

sponsored by the 

Conseil International 

du Sport Militaire 

(CISM), was held in 

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

in July. Almost 7,000 

athletes from nearly 

100 countries competed 

in 23 sports. Keeping 

these athletes safe from 

harm required expertise 

on and off the field-

-an effort led by USU’s 

Army Col. (Dr.) Kevin 

deWeber, a family 

physician and director 

of the sports medicine 

fellowship program.

“This was the first 

time a sports medicinetrained doctor led the 

U.S. medical delegation and I think we 

really made a difference. This was affirmation of the importance 

of primary care sports 

medicine as a specialty and the strength 

of our academic fellowship, which is 

in its 17th year at USU,” said deWeber. 

The U.S. delegation included approximately 225 people, including athletes, 

coaches, officials, and deWeber’s team 

of 13 medical professionals responsible 

for keeping them healthy.

Among those assisting Dr. deWeber 

from USU were Army Col. (Dr.) Francis 

O’Connor from the Consortium for 

Human and Military Performance, and 

Air Force Capt. (Dr.) Sean Martin, who 

recently completed his fellowship at 

USU in sports medicine.

“The toughest challenge was to 

hand-pick providers from around the 

country and ensure that the coaches 

and athletes were happy with whichever provider they were assigned,” 

said Dr. deWeber. While most of the 

From the Battlefield to the 

Field of Dreams

By Ken Frager

care the team provided was for sports 

injuries related to overuse, there were 

also cases of heat related injuries, some 

lacerations and contusions, and a 

severe allergic reaction.

“Fortunately we had experienced 

providers in the right places,” said Dr. 

deWeber. “We also had the benefit 

of very nice Brazilian facilities--

many of which will be used in the 

2016 Olympics--and three diagnostic 

ultrasound machines that we transported and placed in American clinics 

in each of the three athlete villages. 

On top of that, the hosts served high 

quality food for the athletes, so we 

didn’t have to worry as much about 

the GI disturbances we faced four 

years ago in India.”

The next games are set for 2015 in 

South Korea. 

Col. (Dr.) Kevin deWeber and Col. (Dr.) Fran 

O’Connor at the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 

Military World Games.

Courtesy photo
December 19, 2011 3

USU is an innovative place with strong ties 

and a commitment to the community. Still, few 

people in the community, outside of military 

medicine, know about the important work being 

done on this campus or the contributions being 

made on a daily basis...for now, anyway.

Anne Dimke, the new Community and 

Government Affairs Officer at USU, has been 

reaching out to local groups for several months 

now. She’s telling them about the people, 

programs and research that make this university 

a special place and the direct or indirect impact 

they have locally and regionally.

“USU has only recently become more vocal 

about our mission, in part because of the 

increased interest from the community, but 

also because the contributions made locally 

and regionally have taken on greater relevance,” 

said Dimke.

Dimke satisfies their curiosity by meeting 

with local business leaders, social groups and 

planning committees on a weekly basis. Her 

conversations run the gamut – from USU’s 

novel discoveries for understanding and treating 

traumatic brain injuries to practicing frontline 

medicine in deployment zones like Afghanistan. 

She also takes the opportunity to remind her 

audiences that the breakthroughs made on the 

battlefields might also lead to improvements in 

the way their children and grandchildren might 

receive care.

“So far, the community response has been 

overwhelmingly positive because our work 

at USU is so near and dear to many people’s 

hearts,” she said. “Many of USU’s neighbors 

have strong military ties, and they would 

probably be pleased to know that there is a university close by that is producing the physicians and other 

medical professionals who care for their friends, neighbors and family members who serve in uniform. And, as 

is commonly found, these same breakthroughs in care that 

are first honed on the battlefields, ultimately find their 

way into civilian medicine. Take the issue of traumatic 

brain injuries, for example. USU’s students, faculty and 

staff are conducting research to improve care for service 

members that will also be useful on high school and 

college sports fields.”

Dimke, a Tennessee native, feels the connection, too. 

She’s married to an Air Force veteran and has worked with 

service members at military bases for several years now.

“My job at USU is especially meaningful, because I 

know firsthand how important nurses and doctors are 

to service members and their families,” she said. “The 

lessons learned on this campus are tailor-made for them, 

because here, students learn to treat everyday injuries and 

illnesses and combat wounds, too. And as we continue to 

see an increase in the number of service members returning from deployments into local communities, there 

will be a greater need for the community, citizens and 

businesses, to get involved in support of these war fighters 

and their families.”

Although USU’s primary focus is educating the next 

generation of military health care providers and scientists, 

Dimke believes the university’s special mission will evoke 

a strong community pride locally.

“The campus may be federally run, but one day I hope 

everyone in Bethesda embraces USU as their neighborhood university.”

Community Reach E xten ded

By Christine Creenan-Jones

Photo by Thomas C. Balfour

Anne Dimke joined USU recently to help to strengthen relationships 

between the University and the local community.
4 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

It started as a means to gain 

additional training time for medical 

students interested in pursuing surgical 

specialties. What it has turned into is a 

way to add friendly competition among 

students as they also gain exposure to 

manipulating laparoscopic tools. And 

behind the effort you will find two 

students driven to help their peers and 

do the heavy lifting to garner university 

support and funding.

Navy Ensign Huck Finne saw an 

opportunity to help his classmates 

practice an important skill without 

leaving the main USU campus and 

began discussions within the Department of Surgery leadership to set up 

laparoscopic trainers in the student 

lounge. While Ens. Finne laid the 

groundwork, when he left for his thirdyear clinical rotation he turned over the 

reins to Air Force 2nd Lt. Kai Hata, a 

second-year medical student, to “close 

the deal” and she has done that and 

then some.

“Ens. Finne set this project in 

motion and turned to me 

to take it over so I wanted 

to make the best use of 

the experience,” said Lt. 

Hata. “I am interested 

in a surgical residency, 

and in particular general 

surgery, so I want as 

much opportunity to 

hone my skills as possible. With my workload, 

including serving as class 

action officer for microbiology and parasitology, 

getting to the SimCenter [National Capital 

Area Medical Simulation 

Center] to practice is not 

very convenient. I was 

able to identify space in 

An Individual Idea That Benefits a Team

by Ken Frager

the student lounge, work with facilities and logistics and others to acquire 

the necessary equipment and supplies, 

and then together we found funding to 

keep the project going and to expand 

the project. We came up with the idea 

of friendly competition because we 

are by nature, I guess, a competitive 

group of students, although we keep it 

friendly since we will be seeing each 

other often throughout our medical 

and military careers.”

Lt. Hata also adds that students 

need to have the skills to qualify 

for fellowships, so the competition is a good way to help to see 

what others are able to do with their 

skills. Currently the system includes 

five basic tasks, including suturing, 

handling the tools and tying. As time 

and funding to keep the project going 

and to allow us to expand the project.

“This project originated in the 

mind of one of our medical students, 

but it is a great example of one of 

the great characteristics of USU — 

TEAMWORK,” said Air Force Col (ret.) 

Dr. David Welling, associate professor of surgery and anatomy in the USU 

Department of Surgery. “Along the way, 

obstacles were overcome and people 

worked closely together to make this 

project happen.”

Army Col. Bruce Schoneboom, who recently was associate dean 

for academic affairs in the USU Graduate School of Nursing, was 

named a “Health Care Hero” by the Washingtonian magazine for 

2011. According to the magazine, for 26 years, whether serving 

in a field hospital in Afghanistan, or as associate dean at USU, 

Schoneboom has inspired others with his dedication and his 

desire to invest in the country he loves. The Washingtonian’s first 

Excellence in Nursing Awards honored registered nurses who have 

gone beyond the call of duty to protect, preserve, and enhance the 

well-being of their patients and the community.

Schoneboom Honored with 

Excellence in Nursing Award

by Ken Frager

Pictured, l-r, Mr. Garrett Graff, Washingtonian Editor, 

Col. Schoneboom, Dr. AdaSue Hinshaw, Dean, USU 

Graduate School of Nursing, and NOAA Corps Capt. 

(Ret.) Ken Barton.

Courtesy photo

Photo by Ken Frager

Air Force 2nd Lt. Kai Hata, a second-year medical 

student, practices her laparoscopic surgical 

techniques on the new trainer she helped to acquire 

with her classmates.
December 19, 2011 5

HPRC Health Tips

The Human Performance 

Resource Center Health Tips is 

intended to provide the USU 

community with information 

to help develop and maintain a 

healthy lifestyle. Check out the 

HPRC website at: http://humanperformanceresourcecenter.org.

Be specific about your training

When training, an athlete 

should be specific about methods 

of training that meet the needs of 

the activity for which he or she is 

training. To achieve an optimal 

performance level, a sprinter will 

train in a different way than, for 

example, an endurance athlete like 

a marathon runner. Make sure to 

“stress the physiological systems” 

right for your type of activity. If 

you are going to compete in a race, 

you need to run to become a better 

runner. If you are going to compete 

in a cycling or swimming event, 

you must perform those exercises 

to become better. Want to be a 

better tennis player? Play tennis! 

Although a well-rounded program 

that includes strength training, 

aerobic conditioning, and flexibility 

exercises will improve your general 

fitness, to improve at a specific 

activity or sport you must perform that 

particular exercise.

Physical activity can boost 

quality sleep

Besides keeping you healthy and fit, 

exercise has another important benefit. 

According to a study conducted on more 

than 2,600 men and women aged 18 

to 85, individuals who exercise for 150 

minutes a week at a moderate to vigorous level experience a 65 percent improvement in sleep quality. In addition, 

active people experienced less daytime 

sleepiness than those who are inactive. 

These findings appeared to be across 

the board—subjects experienced better sleep regardless of age, weight, and 

other health habits. For many, regular 

physical activity can be an effective, nonpharmaceutical alternative to improving 

sleep and concentration levels during 

waking hours.

The study, which was published in the 

December 2011 issue of Mental Health 

and Physical Activity, adds more evidence to the amazing body of research 

that demonstrates the importance of 

exercise for overall health.

Give your favorite recipes a 

makeover

During this holiday season, it can be 

challenging to maintain healthy habits 

when eating. For your family meals this 

season, try using the CDC’s interactive 

tool “Recipe Remix” that revamps your 

existing recipes with healthier additions/

substitutions. You can find it at http://

www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/activities/recipe_remix.html.

Running to exercise

Running is a great exercise to help 

reduce risk of heart disease and stroke. 

Running improves the cardiovascular 

system by strengthening the heart 

muscle and improving circulation. As 

the heart muscle becomes stronger, 

it can pump more blood more easily. 

This helps deliver more oxygen to fuel 

working muscles and remove byproducts like carbon dioxide.

Swim to stay healthy

Swimming is an excellent way to 

reduce the risk of disease. It works the 

entire body and activates all the major 

muscle groups; contributes to muscle 

strength, flexibility, posture, and 

endurance; promotes weight loss and 

stress reduction; and improves cardiovascular conditioning by lowering 

the resting heart and respiratory rates 

and making blood flow to the heart 

and lungs more efficient. Swimming 

also is very low risk for injury because 

it places less stress on bones, joints, 

and connective tissues, thanks to the 

buoyancy of the water. Swimming 

15 to 30 minutes each day can have a 

very positive effect on overall health. 

If you enjoy reading the HPRC 

Health Tips you can find more by 

“liking” the Human Performance 

Resource Center on Facebook.

The USU Alumni Association recently held elections for a leadership 

change. The new association president is Army Col. (Dr.) Leon Moores, 

(SoM, 1990). The association’s executive director is Dr. Ellen DeNigris, (SoM, 

1985). Also elected were secretary-treasurer Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Inger LerraRosner (SoM, 1997), and executive committee members Dr. Marty Deafenbaugh (SoM, 1984) and Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Romney Andersen (SoM, 1996).

The association board also expressed appreciation for the dedicated 

committee members who completed their terms of service. More than a 

half century of combined service to the Association has been provided by 

the president, Dr. Bill Madigan (SoM, 1982), secretary-treasurer Dr. Jane 

McCarthy (PhD, 1984), executive director Dr. Kevin Hall (SoM, 1987), and 

executive committee members Dr. Charlie Longer (SoM, 1981) and Dr. 

David Polly (SoM, 1985)..

USU Alumni Association Names New Officers

by USU Staff

Photo by Ken Frager

USU’s alumni association held a retreat 

recently, electing new officers and hearing from 

USU president Dr. Charles Rice about his vision 

for how the association can best support USU.
6 The Pulse The Official USU Newsletter

For USU students, quality education and professional success begins by hitting the books. The most valuable source 

of books at USU is the James A. Zimble Learning Resource 

Center (LRC). Within the LRC, one small group has the huge 

responsibility of ensuring that USU students get the “books” 

they need to succeed. 

They are the dedicated behind-the-scenes workers of the 

Interlibrary Loan Department. 

“The mission of the LRC is to support education and 

research at USU,” said Linda Spitzer, head of Reference and 

Interlibrary Loans. “We do that by purchasing and making 

available the latest medical information to faculty, students 

and staff.”

But, continual advances in medicine and research means 

medical literature is constantly growing by leaps and bounds. 

The LRC could not possibly purchase all of the new medical 

books and journals produced each year. 

“When an LRC patron does not find what he or she needs 

by checking the LRC public catalog or electronic resources, 

the interlibrary loan staff will get the materials by requesting 

them from other libraries,” Spitzer said. Currently, the LRC 

borrows between 350 and 400 publications each month. It 

averages borrowing more than 4,000 products each year. 

The interlibrary loan staff, which includes sisters Tina and 

Rina Roberts and Linda Reich, does more than just borrow 

materials from other institutions. Since the LRC is a member 

of the National Network of Medical Libraries, it is a trusted 

partner in a network of libraries that cooperate and share 

resources in order to provide access to the medical literature. 

“We’ve seen so many changes during our time here at 

USU, which keeps us challenged and excited about our jobs,” 

said Tina Roberts, while Rina concurred. “We both love the 

people, helping the students and faculty get what they need, 

and we both find the work very rewarding.”

As one of the premiere medical journal libraries in the 

Nation, the LRC’s interlibrary loan department actually lends 

350 percent more material than it borrows. On average, the 

LRC lends more than 1,400 individual items to other libraries each month. They lend more than 16,000 publications 

each year across America, with the majority of these outgoing 

loans going to libraries within the Department of Defense 

and Veterans Affairs.

The silent hunters behind the shelves, the LRC team, 

don’t stop there. They also have made electronic advances to 

improve the quality of service they provide for their customers. 

If a customer needs to request materials from the LRC, they 

can fill out a request form. This form is located under Library 

Services inside Electronic Resources and the USU website. 

Additionally, PubMed users can create a LoansomeDoc 

account so they can order directly from the PubMed Web page.

Interlibrary Loan Staff Keeps Knowledge In Stock

by Staff Sgt. Matthew Rosine

By Staff Sgt. Matthew Rosine

L-R, Tina Roberts, with 20 

years at USU, Rina Roberts, 

with 30 years and the 

‘rookie’ Linda Reich, with 12 

years, make up the Interlibrary Loan Department of 

USU’s Learning Resource 

Center, which borrows and 

lends hundreds of books 

each month.

Occasionally members of the USU family 

who are deployed take the time to send a note or 

photo. One such note to Dr. Rice recently sends 

a positive message home from a member of the 

USU Department of Surgery adjunct faculty.

Seasons Greetings! Hope all is well.

After five months, our surgical team will decrease 

its footprint in Afghanistan, and it is likely that I will 

be home by the end of the year. As you can imagine, 

emotions are high among our team, and my departure 

will be bittersweet. We have done good work here, 

made a difference, and developed lasting bonds. I am 

leaving my fellow warriors behind with the pledge 

that I will help make things better stateside, and apply 

all that I have learned here.

Happy Holidays to you and your family and all the 

best for a wonderful holiday season. I look forward to 

debriefing with you upon my return.

Very respectfully and Semper Fidelis.

Navy Cdr. (Dr.) Hassan A. Tetteh

Courtesy photo
December 19, 2011 7

Honoring a Fallen Friend and Colleague

USU paid a final tribute to Army Lt. Col. David Cabrera recently with a 

memorial service. Lt. Col. Cabrera was killed in action, October 29, 2011 

in Kabul, Afghanistan, as a result of a suicide bomb attack on the NATO 

convoy with which he was riding. Lt. Col. Cabrera’s family was presented 

with several honors, including two Army Commendation Medals, two 

Meritorious Service Medals, a Defense Meritorious Service medal, the 

Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

Among those in attendance were Maryland Senator Ben Cardin; Karen 

McManus, Special Assistant to Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen; 

Dr. Jonathan Woodson, Assistant Secretary of Defense, Health Affairs; 

recently named U.S. Army Surgeon General MG Patricia Horoho; and Mr. 

Edward Chow, Jr., Maryland State Secretary Veteran’s Affairs.

Photo by Specialist Ernest Sivia

Briefs

Using Computer Resources

Security incidents continue to be 

a drain to limited USU Information 

Assurance manpower. The following 

highlight current DoD policy and best 

practices: Personnel must not install 

self-coded or non-licensed software 

on network resources; add, remove, 

configure, or attempt to modify 

USU computer operating systems 

or programs; move audio/visual or 

network cables, computers or attempt 

to connect personal computers to the 

network including MDL and lecture 

hall spaces; connect personal devices 

except for those previously authorized 

by NOC; download pornographic 

material and store or display offensive material, such as racist literature, sexually harassing or obscene 

language or material; store or process 

classified information on any USU 

system. Personnel must not permit 

unauthorized individuals access to a 

government-owned or governmentoperated system or program; access 

online gambling, games and social 

engineering sites.

Help Desk Closure

The Customer Service Division 

(CSD) Help Desk is closed for staff 

meetings and training on Thursdays 

from 2:00 PM until 3:00 PM. Online 

services are still available during this 

time. Utilize the USU Service Desk 

(https://usuca/CAisd/pdmweb.exe) 

to enter your request and it will be 

serviced accordingly.

Exercise/Fitness Areas

Physical Fitness training should be 

conducted in designated areas. The 

only authorized space for PT within the 

university is room G060. The campus’ 

Student Community Lounge area is also 

authorized, but only during specified 

PFT dates or times. 

Nominations being accepted for 

annual USU research awards

The Leonard and Wu Awards for 

Excellence in Research will recognize 

faculty members and AFRRI scientists 

who, in the estimation of their peers, 

have made the most significant 

published scientific contribution 

to translational/clinical and basic 

biomedical research respectively, during 

the past three years.

The recipients of these two awards 

will give his or her award lecture named 

in honor of Drs. Wu and Leonard 

during the University Research Days. 

Each recipient will receive a memento 

and a cash award of $2,500.

The Wu award recognizes excellence 

in the Basics Sciences and the Leonard 

award excellence in the Translational 

and Clinical Sciences.

Any Uniformed Services University 

faculty member, staff, or student may 

submit nominations for the Awards.

The nominee must be either a member 

of the full-time faculty or an AFRRI 

scientist at the University. The nomination should include:

• A brief statement outlining the 

significance of the published research. 

This research should have been 

published (a) within the last three years, 

(b) while the nominee has been at the 

University and (c) the nominee should be 

first or senior author on the paper. The 

nomination letter should be signed by 

the person submitting the nomination.

• A copy of the nominee’s curriculum 

vitae and a copy of the selected paper 

(Published after January 2008) upon 

which the nomination is based.

The closing date for nominations is 

Monday, January 30, 2012.

The recipients of the Awards will be 

announced no later than February 29, 

2012. Previous holders of the award are 

not eligible following the first three full 

years of their last award.

Applications should be submitted to 

the Office of Research, attention Dr. Susan 

Rasmussen (srasmussen@usuhs.mil).