The Official USU Newsletter

Learning to Care for Those in Harm’s Way

Volume 10, Issue 20 n December 14, 2015

www.usuhs.edu
2 the pulse December 14, 2015

On the cover

Forty-seven brigade staff and one civilian 

faculty member received recognition during 

the Uniformed Services University of the 

Health Sciences (USU) Brigade Awards 

Ceremony in the Sanford Auditorium, Nov. 

24. See story, page 5. (photo by MC3 Laura 

Bailey)

Sharon Holland

Deputy Vice President for External Affairs and Managing Editor

Eric Ritter

Writer and Editor

MC3 Laura Bailey

Writer and Photographer

Tom Balfour

Photographer

 

Production

Editorial content is edited, prepared and 

provided by the USU Office of External 

Affairs unless otherwise indicated. The 

Pulse staff may include or exclude articles based upon news value, impact on 

the university and space availability.

Submissions

The Pulse is published biweekly on 

Mondays. The deadline for submissions 

is at 4 p.m. Tuesday prior to the publication date. Submissions can be sent to 

eric.ritter2@usuhs.edu or by calling 301-

295-3791.

Secretary of Defense Ash 

Carter announced last month that 

the President has nominated Rear 

Adm. C. Forrest Faison III to be 

appointed vice admiral and for assignment as chief of the Bureau of 

Medicine and Surgery and surgeon 

general of the Navy. 

Faison received his Bachelor's degree from Wake Forest University and his medical degree from 

the Uniformed Services University 

of the Health Sciences (USU) Class 

of 1984. He completed post-graduate training in general pediatrics at 

the Naval Medical Center San Diego 

and fellowship training in neurodevelopmental pediatrics at the University of Washington. 

Faison is board certified 

in pediatrics and is an associate 

clinical professor of pediatrics at 

USU. He has several publications 

on neurodevelopmental outcomes 

of premature infants as well as other publications and book chapters 

on the future of Wounded Warrior 

care and the use of telemedicine and 

health informatics in healthcare. He 

is a senior member of the American 

College of Physician Executives. 

USU alumnus, Faison, nominated for 

Surgeon General of the Navy

After 27 years of military 

service, the School of Medicine’s 

(SOM) associate dean for Research 

Col. (Dr.) Mark Kortepeter has decided to retire from the Army. 

"One of the best parts of my 

job is welcoming outstanding new 

faculty members to the Uniformed 

Services University (USU). One of 

the worst parts is losing a high-performing faculty member who retires," said Arthur L. Kellermann, 

MD, MPH, professor and dean, F. 

Edward Hébert School of Medicine. 

"Dr. Kortepeter is one of the Army’s 

top infectious disease and preventive medicine officers."

Kortepeter had deployments 

to Bosnia in 1997, where he served 

as chief of Preventive Medicine for 

the US Forces, and Kuwait on a Special Biodefense Team in 2003.

Since 1998, much of his 

work has been focused in the field of 

biodefense. He held a series of significant leadership roles at the U.S. 

Army Medical Research Institute of 

Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 

including chief of Medicine during 

the 9/11 period, deputy chief of Virology, where he conducted research 

on Ebola virus, and as deputy commander, where he ran the day-to-day 

operations of the largest biodefense 

lab in the world with more than 800 

personnel and a $125 million annual 

budget. He has also served key roles 

as an adviser to various science panels at the Defense Threat Reduction 

Agency (DTRA), Biomedical Advanced Research and Development 

Authority (BARDA), and World 

Health Organization (WHO). For 

the past four years, he has been the 

Army Surgeon General's Consultant 

for Biodefense. He also served as the 

US biodefense subject matter expert 

and co-chair of the NATO Biomedical Advisory Panel.

Since arriving at USU in 

2009, he has held important research leadership roles, including 

director of the Infectious Disease 

Clinical Research Program, a $20M 

program with more than 50 active 

protocols at more than 10 military 

medical facilities, and most recently 

as the SOM Associate Dean for Research, where he has helped facilitate research within the SOM.

He plans to remain connected to USU as an instructor on topics 

such as tropical medicine, biodefense, viral hemorrhagic fevers, and 

basic medicine. 

Kortepeter to retire from military
3 the pulse December 14, 2015

By Eric D. Ritter

Sculley announces retirement 

Major General (retired) 

Patrick Sculley, Uniformed Services University (USU) Senior Vice 

President for University Programs 

(Southern Region), has announced 

his plans to retire after graduation in 

May 2016.

According to USU President 

Dr. Charles Rice, Sculley has been 

an important part of the USU community for the past seven years and 

has been a proactive figure who will 

be greatly missed.

“Dr. Sculley has been a 

valuable ambassador, mentor, trouble-shooter, recruiter and educator 

for the University, as well as a trusted advisor to me,” Rice said. “As 

we begin the process soon to look 

for our next Senior Vice President, 

I sincerely hope we are able to find 

a successor who can build upon his 

vast accomplishments.”

Among his many accomplishments here, Sculley worked 

with the leadership of the San Antonio military medical facilities to 

establish USU’s Southern region 

branch campus to support the University’s students and faculty. However, he did not confine himself to 

San Antonio in his representation of 

the University. 

After a number of USU assets relocated to San Antonio that 

required additional space, he negotiated with the leadership of Fort 

Sam Houston to secure a building 

to house the branch campus and 

oversaw its remodeling. His keen 

facilitation skills resulted in a highly 

favorable contract with the International Hotel Group that is benefiting 

USU students and faculty. 

Sculley also helped develop the Postgraduate Dental College 

(PDC) with the Air Force dental 

school -- serving as its founding Executive Dean -- and expanded it to 

include the Army and Navy dental 

schools, increasing the total number 

of sites to seven and 19 programs 

throughout the U.S. He worked tirelessly as an advocate for the PDC, 

adding more than 200 members to 

the PDC faculty. He was responsible for developing the PDC Committee on Appointments, Promotion and Tenure and incorporated 

dental faculty on USU committees. 

He worked with the Brooke Army 

Medical Center and Lackland Air 

Force Medical Center Institutional 

Review Boards and the USU Office 

of Research to coordinate PDC research projects, and worked with 

the Learning Resource Center to 

provide access to PDC students and 

faculty. 

Sculley also worked with 

Medical Enlisted Training Campus 

(METC) leadership to explore a 

USU-METC academic affiliation to 

expand the USU mission to include 

enlisted education and training, 

and represented USU on the METC 

Board of Governors and Senior Coordinating Council. He has worked 

closely with senior DOD officials on 

the importance of the USU-METC 

academic affiliation in support of 

the White House initiative to remove barriers to service member 

licensing in the areas of emergency 

medical services and other allied 

health fields.

He has been an active participant in a host of USU committees, 

including the President’s Cabinet, 

University Council, Institutional 

Student Organizational Assessment 

Task Force, Strategic Framework 

Task Force, and Names and Honors. He played a key role played in 

the Middle States Commission on 

Higher Education decennial review 

and self-study as chair of the governance portion and he contributed 

his input and expertise to all sections of the self-study. Sculley not 

only escorted the MSCHE visitors 

to additional sites, but prepared 

them in advance of the visit and participated in multiple interviews and 

discussions with the MSCHE team. 

He has served as faculty for 

the MedXellence course and the 

Master of Health Administration 

and Policy degree program, and 

chaired the AFRRI Director and 

USU General Counsel search committees. 

“I am personally very grateful for his outstanding contributions 

and commitment to this university, 

and wish him the best as he prepares 

to transition into full-time life on 

the Sculley Ranch. I am confident 

that he will remain an active participant in university activities,” Rice 

concluded. 

Major General (retired) Patrick Sculley, USU Senior Vice President for 

University Programs (Southern Region). (Photo by Tom Balfour)
4 the pulse December 14, 2015

By Capt. Lutisha Jackson

PMHNP students find many benefits 

from Bushmaster in behavioral studies 

experienced during combat deployments (i.e., lack of sleep, high operational tempo, fatigue, and austere 

living conditions). Additionally, 

Operation Bushmaster provides 

an atmosphere where inter-professional collaboration transpires and 

learning the unique perspectives 

of each discipline is highly encouraged.

During this field exercise, 

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse 

Practitioner (PMHNP) students 

and Clinical Psychology students 

played the roles of patients with 

mental health illnesses such as psychosis, mania, depression, anxiety, 

and substance use disorders. While 

simulating roles of Battalion Surgeon (senior medical officer) and 

Combat Stress Control, the graduating medical students and Family 

Nurse Practitioners (FNP) students 

assessed and treated mental health 

‘patients’ presenting with acute and 

chronic symptoms.

“This year, PMHNP students 

joined with Clinical Psychology students to form the Brigade Combat 

Stress Control (CSC) team. In this 

shared role, students evaluated the 

behavioral health needs of the medical platoons participating in Operation Bushmaster. The Unit Behavioral Health Needs Assessment 

Survey (UBHNAS) is a comprehensive survey developed to assess the 

overall behavioral health status and 

needs of a military unit. However, 

those of us in mental health developed a shortened version of this 

See Reflections, Page 5

Students from the USU SOM and GSN practice the skills they've learned in a 

military field environment during this year's Operation Bushmaster. The realistic training provides experiences that help their medical education. (Photo 

by Tom Balfour)

In 2003, the Institute of 

Medicine (IOM) issued its report 

Informing the Future: Critical Issues in Health. The reported stated, “A person’s behavior and social 

circumstances have a remarkably 

strong effect on his or her health. 

Taken together, behavioral patterns 

and social circumstances are estimated to account for more than 

half of the premature deaths in the 

United States each year. Yet medical schools often do not cover these 

topics, or do so only superficially. 

IOM is conducting a study to identify ways to make the behavioral and 

social sciences an integral part of 

medical education.”

As a way to address the issue, 

students from the Uniformede Services University's Graduate School 

of Nursing (GSN) and School of 

Medicine (SOM) looked to the annual field training exercise, Operation Bushmaster, as a means to incorporate it into the curriculum. 

Every October, students 

from SOM and GSN participate in 

the four-week field practicum in the 

rolling, wooded fields and hills of Ft. 

Indiantown Gap, Pa. The first two 

weeks of didactic training provide 

the groundwork for unit cohesion, 

with a follow-on week of independent study incorporated for mastery 

of many of the concepts. During 

the final week, students ‘deploy’ to 

a training facility to conduct simulated medical missions and are exposed to many of the same stressors 
5 the pulse December 14, 2015

48 awards issued at USU Brigade Ceremony

Article by MC3 Laura Bailey

Forty-seven brigade staff 

and one civilian faculty member received recognition during the Uniformed Services University (USU) 

Brigade Awards Ceremony in the 

Sanford Auditorium, Nov. 24, 2015. 

“This morning we recognized some of our outstanding 

uniformed personnel and civilians 

who support our organization and 

contribute to the success of our education mission,” said Army Master 

Sgt. Celecia K. Kalili, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the 

Department of Military Emergency 

and Medicine (MEM) at USU. 

Presenters included Charles 

L. Rice, M.D., the president of USU, 

Arthur L. Kellerman, M.D., M.P.H., 

the dean of the F. Edward Hébert 

School of Medicine (SOM), Air 

Force Col. Kevin Glasz, the brigade 

commander, and Army Col. (Dr.) 

Francis O’Connor, the MEM department chair. 

The Joint Service Achievement Medal was presented to:

Navy Hospital Corpsman (HM) 

First Class Victoria L. Klimczak

Army Staff Sgt. Miguel Rodriguez

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Samuel Hall. 

The following personnel 

earned Letters of Commendation 

signed by President Rice for their 

outstanding service during Medical 

Field Practicums 101 and 202: 

HM1 Marsha Anderson

HM1 Matthew Huddleston

HM1 Greggory Cannon

HM1 Jason Cook

HM1 Andrew McLaughlin

HM1 Jamal Powell

HM1 Efrain Salazar

Tech. Sgt. Jorge Hastings

HM2 Maria Cordero 

HN1 Christopher O’Neill

HM2 Opeyemi Fadiyimu 

HM2 John Janus

HM2 Peter Lam

HM2 Thong Nguyen

HM2 Stephan Petroske

Master-At-Arms (MA) 2 Nathaniel 

Cable

Information Systems Technician 

(IT) 2 James Gilbert

HM3 Steven McPherson

Mass Communications Specialist 

(MC) 3 Laura Bailey

The following personnel 

were presented with the USU President's Coin for their significant dedication to mission accomplishment 

in their roles during MFP 101 and 

202:

Master Sgt. Danny Vitek 

Staff Sgt. Dameian Clarke

Sgt. First Class Dereke Planter 

Staff Sgt. Henry Gonzalez

Sgt. First Class Joseph Mickles

Sgt. Laura Kephart

Staff Sgt. Tahna Banse 

Spc. Grant Farrell 

Staff Sgt. Cassie Barnett 

HM2 Scarlet Castro 

Staff Sgt. Patricia Burch 

Tech Sgt. Paul Gorham 

Staff Sgt. Marcus Ayala

Certificates of Achievement went to: 

Sgt. Thomas Bulick 

Tech Sgt. April Copeland 

Sgt. Jeffrey Dillon 

Tech Sgt. Paul Mason

Sgt. Rodolfo Escusa 

Tech Sgt. Kelly Redman

Sgt. Michael Jimenez 

Tech Sgt. Jose Tesky

Sgt. Ian Spears 

Staff Sgt. Leonard Tesoro

Tech Sgt. Kenneth Buchanan 

Jamie Bradshaw (civ)

Johnnie Brown, the training specialist for the department of 

MEM at USU, also was presented 

with the Dean’s Coin for excellence 

in his dedication to student education.

“Understand just how valuable you are and please understand 

how much you mean to all of us 

here,” said Kellerman. “When I go 

to that annual meeting with other 

medical schools I know that nobody else in that auditorium has 

what I’ve got. I’ve got you and you 

are extraordinary. So, it’s fitting that 

we have this awards ceremony before Thanksgiving because this year 

and every year, one of the things 

I’m most thankful for is that you are 

part of this team, you’re part of this 

mission, you’re part of what makes 

this place great.”

tool for use during the training 

exercise. Our modified UBHNAS 

assessed the status of each platoon 

in five critical domains: leadership, leadership cohesion, morale, 

communication, and training. 

Following the assessment, students provided direct feedback to 

the Platoon Leader on methods 

for improvement and in areas for 

sustainment within each team. 

Additionally, the Brigade Combat 

Stress Control team offered brief 

psychological interventions (such 

as humor, relaxation exercises 

(i.e., deep breathing), and discussions of resiliency) to platoon 

members. 

Reflections from, Page 4
6 the pulse December 14, 2015

See Supplements, Page 7

Mobile app, interactive web-based tool launched to 

educate service members on unsafe dietary supplements

by Sharon Holland

A new mobile application 

and interactive web-based tool 

have been launched to help military 

troops identify unsafe dietary supplements that may jeopardize their 

health or career.

The mobile app, “Operation 

Supplement Safety (OPSS) HighRisk Supplement List,” which is 

available for free on the Apple App 

and Google Play stores, helps users 

identify supplements that might be 

unsafe, illegal or banned, and pose a 

risk to their health, performance or 

career. 

The educational module, 

“Get the Scoop on Supplements: Realize, Recognize, and Reduce Your 

Risk” is an interactive tool designed 

by MC3 Laura Bailey

USU, AFRRI going tobacco-free

“As the nation’s Federal health sciences university, USU 

strongly supports tobacco control 

efforts and is committed to promoting the health of university personnel, external contractors and 

visitors,” said Charles L. Rice, MD, 

president of USU. “Tobacco use is 

one of the leading causes of death 

and illness and we have an obligation to everyone to address this critical public health issue. To that end, 

the University will be transitioning 

to a tobacco-free campus over the 

next 11 months.”

Currently, the university allows three designated tobacco use 

areas on the main USU campus and 

one designated tobacco use area on 

the AFRRI campus. To move towards a tobacco-free campus, the 

following steps will take place:

1. USU will eliminate one of 

the three current tobacco use areas 

on the USU main campus by Dec. 

31, 2015, leaving two designated tobacco use areas.

2. USU will eliminate another designated tobacco use area 

by March 31, 2016, leaving one 

designated tobacco use area on the 

main USU campus and one at AFRRI.

3. USU will continue to have 

designated areas where approved, 

tobacco use research are conducted.

A newly-designated tobacco use 

area on the north side of Stone Lake 

Road will be introduced at a future 

date to be announced. Designated 

tobacco use areas for USU personnel in buildings 28, 53, 59 and 79 are 

adjacent to the USO Building and 

behind the Navy Gateway Inn. 

“In line with federal and Naval Support Activity Bethesda guidelines, this policy covers all areas of 

the campus including buildings, 

entrances, parking garages, etc., and 

will be prohibited within 25 feet of 

doorways at the tobacco use areas 

designated above,” said Rice. “The 

policy will apply to all personnel 

working in support of USU as well 

as any organization with a formal 

affiliation with USU and visitors.”

The university’s Federal employees union has been consulted 

and is supportive of this initiative, 

he added. 

This policy includes cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, and any other 

tobacco or smoking products. 

“I realize that this change 

may be difficult for people who use 

tobacco products, and we are announcing the policy now in order to 

give everyone sufficient time to prepare for this change,” said Rice. “We 

will actively support all university 

personnel in this regard. Information for civilian employees is available through the USU Employee 

Assistance Program to assist current 

tobacco users with smoking cessation off site. For details, visit: http://

bit.ly/1MkykeN. Resources for our 

military personnel are available at: 

www.ucanquit2.org, and HJF personnel can go to: www.quitnow.net. 

Stopping tobacco use is one 

of the most important things a person can do to improve their health. 

I look forward to your support in 

the roll-out of this very important 

health initiative.”

USU and AFRRI will be transitioning to a tobacco-free campus over the 

next 11 months. (Photo by Eric D. 

Ritter)
7 the pulse December 14, 2015

Supplements, from Page 6

SOM students volunteer skills to assist local inner city 

communities, gain new medical perspectives

By Monica Yepes-Rios, MD, FACP, Department of Medicine

A select group of School of 

Medicine (SOM) Class of 2017 students volunteered to participate in 

a community outreach educational 

program spearheaded by Drs. Monica Yepes-Rios and Louis Pangaro 

recently as a way to place students 

with clinical preceptors early in 

their clinical training.

The students were specifically placed in Community Health 

Centers (CHC) in the Washington 

Metropolitan Area to establish links 

with the community and expose 

students to the care of primarily 

under privileged communities. It’s 

a very realistic possibility that the 

students' military assignments will 

entail treating some of those communities domestically and overseas. The experience helped prepare 

them for the different aspects of care 

in diverse cultures. 

Starting with three students, 

the program grew to 10 students 

from the Class of 2018 with 33 more 

anticipated students from the Class 

of 2019. Student interest is growing 

exponentially, as students express 

a desire to serve their surrounding 

community, and to gain clinical 

exposure and mentorship early in 

their medical school career. 

So far, the students have engaged two large CHCs in the area, 

Mary’s Center and with La Clinica 

del Pueblo. From January through 

December of their pre-clerkship 

curriculum, the students volunteer 

twice a month with a selected provider. They also volunteer once a 

month with one of the CHC’s ancillary services such as nutrition, education, preventive medicine as well 

as others to gain an understanding 

of the multiple, inter-disciplinary 

efforts it takes to support a patient’s 

well-being--particularly for patients 

with limited resources and English 

language abilities. The students so 

far have also been able to practice 

their conversation skills in other 

languages in the process of interacting with their diverse patients. 

In addition, the students 

took the initiative to mentor a 

group of high school students at the 

D.C.-area Mary’s Center Teen Center. The Teen Center is a safe place 

for area teenagers to go after school 

to complete their homework, get tutoring, and periodically attend lectures on different topics of interest. 

The USU students spoke to the teens 

and staff members about careers 

in medicine and health care in the 

military, military scholarships and 

opportunities--particularly for kids 

who may consider all of these to be 

out of their reach financially or logistically. 

As part of their volunteer 

rotation, participating students are 

regularly asked to record their experiences as a way to reflect on them 

personally and professionally. Students consistently say that the real 

clinical experience reinforces and 

gives context to the clinical skills 

they learn at school. It also allows 

them to understand the multi-disciplinary efforts necessary to care for 

a patient, while learning valuable 

understanding on professionalism, 

communication and culturally competent clinical skills from their preceptors.

Students also actively recruit 

incoming class members to continue and expand on their volunteer 

experiences. USAF Capt. Jessica 

Saeger (Class of 2017) led her class, 

and the growing student interest 

has given rise to the founding of a 

Community Health Student Interest Group, under the leadership of 

founding president Isaac McCool 

and vice president, Catherine Inoue 

(Class of 2018). The goal is to grow 

the community volunteer participation and clinical learning experiences, and eventually offer such an 

opportunity to all students. 

to provide science-based information on how Service members can 

minimize the potential adverse effects of taking some dietary supplements. It has three main segments: 

“Realize,” “Recognize,” and “Reduce 

the Risks,” and takes approximately 

30 minutes to complete. A module 

designed for health professionals 

will be released by the end of 2015.

Both tools were developed 

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

Consortium for Health and Military 

Performance (CHAMP), a Department of Defense Center of Excellence, in partnership with the U.S. 

Anti-Doping Agency, and are part 

of the “Operation Supplement Safety” (OPSS) campaign. The Army 

Comprehensive Soldier and Family 

Fitness program also provided support for the new products.
8 the pulse December 14, 2015

Final Frame

Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Stephen Jones (left) presented a number of excellence awards on behalf of the Army Surgeon General at the Graduate Medical Education consultants meeting, Nov. 18, 2015. Those receiving the awards included (from left to right) Col. (Dr.) Clinton K. Murray, 

USU class of 1996 and faculty in the Department of Medicine, who received the Surgeon General’s Award for Military Academic Excellence 

(the Lewis Aspey Mologne Award). The U.S. Army Surgeon General’s Physician Recognition Award is presented to a captain, major and 

lieutenant colonel each year who demonstrate outstanding medical leadership. This year, Lt. Col. (Dr.) Patrick Hickey, assistant professor of 

Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics and USU class of 1999, Maj. (Dr.) Daniel Stinner, faculty in USU’s Department of Surgery, and Capt. 

(Dr.) John G. Knight, USU class of 2010, each received the award in their respective ranks. (Courtesy photo)