The Official USU Newsletter

Learning to Care for Those in Harm’s Way

Volume 11, Issue 10 n June 27, 2016

www.usuhs.edu
2 the pulse June 27, 2016

On the cover

Sharon Holland

Deputy Vice President for External 

Affairs and Managing Editor

Christopher Austin

Writer and Interim Editor

MC2 Laura Bailey

Writer and Photographer

SSgt. Stephanie Morris, USAF

Writer and Photographer

Sarah Marshall

Contributing 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 christopher.austin.ctr@usuhs.

edu or by calling 301-295-3338.

The 2016 National Capital Area Joint 

Service Graduate Medical Education 

Graduation Ceremony was held June 

17 at the Strathmore Music Center. 

See story, pg. 5. (Photo by Air Force 

Staff Sgt. Stephanie Morris)

Army Celebrates 241st 

Birthday

Army students, staff and faculty 

at Uniformed Services University of 

the Health Sciences (USU) celebrated the service branch’s 241st birthday on June 14 in Sanford Auditorium.

“The American Soldier trains, 

deploys, and engages and destroys 

enemies of the United States in 

combat operations as the world’s 

premier land force. Our theme this 

year is the American Soldier: always 

ready always leading. Soldiers serve 

as the cornerstone of the Army profession,” Army Capt. Amanda Cline 

said in the celebration’s welcoming 

statement. "As Army professionals, 

we are grateful for the opportunity to maintain the trust and confidence of the American people while 

adding to our legacy of 241 years 

strong.”

Gen. Mark A. Milley, Army Chief 

of Staff, and Sgt. Maj. of the Army 

Daniel A. Dailey both appeared in a 

commemorative video for the event.

The highlight of the celebration 

was the speech given by Gen. (ret.) 

Ronald H. Griffith, former U.S. 

Army Vice Chief of Staff and current 

member of the Board of Regents, 

who spoke about his Army career 

and the importance of healthcare 

teams to the military. 

“When I was senior level in the 

Army, I can tell you, on the battlefield, there’s no one more important 

than the medical support,” Griffith 

said. “I know that you’re here and 

you’re thinking about your future, 

and you may get a chance to serve in 

a hospital, but don’t forget your ultimate mission is to take care of the 

Soldier on the battlefield.” 

After the event, Griffith was given 

a memento from the university for 

speaking at the event. 

By Christopher Austin

Col. (Dr.) Thomas Oliver, ret. Gen. Ronald H. Griffith, and Cpl. Xavier Susana 

cut the cake for the Army's 241st birthday celebration at the Uniformed Services 

University of the Health Sciences, June 14. (Photo by Army Sgt. Jeffrey Dillon) 
3 the pulse June 27, 2016

Admissions counselor Lenora 

Hamlette and transportation specialist Deborah Smith have been 

recognized as Uniformed Services 

University of the Health Sciences 

(USU) junior and senior employees 

of the year for 2015, respectively.

Hamlette has worked for the Office of Admissions for the past 13 

years, and was recognized for her 

dedication to helping incoming students in their first introductions to 

USU.

Her primary roles include counseling potential applicants, briefing 

incoming interviewees on the application process, writing weekly 

reports for the Dean of the The F. 

Edward Hébert School of Medicine 

(SoM) and the Admissions Committee, and keeping track of all admissions and declinations. 

“This is a heavy workload, as all 

acceptees must pass a medical examination and security clearance. 

(Hamlette) does an outstanding job 

coordinating with the Military Personnel Office and the Security Office,” Director of the USU Office of 

Admissions Joan Stearman said in 

her nomination letter. “Staff from 

these offices have informed me that 

they value working with her.”

Stearman also commends Hamlette for her role as action officer for 

the Second Look Day.

“It was so impressive to watch 

her coordinate all the aspects of 

this event, including the lectures 

and a hospital tour at Walter Reed 

National Military Medical Center” 

Stearman said.

In addition, Hamlette reached 

out to the Student Spouses Club to 

help them have an easy transition 

into school life, organized an Open 

Mic event and coordinated with the 

Dean’s Office to ensure accepted 

students and their families would 

be welcomed by the medical school 

dean.

Smith was awarded senior employee of the year – and was awarded senior employee of the second 

quarter of 2015 – for her work on 

the student travel program. 

Her role is to facilitate the travel 

and accommodations of USU students as they travel across the world 

in pursuit of their education. She 

advises SoM dean, assistant dean of 

Student Affairs, SoM, and the commandant of the SoM, on financial 

matters regarding the student travel 

budget.

Smith has negotiated several contracts for lodging and transportation at 31 military installations in 

addition to managing daily operations of the Student Travel program. 

“Smith continues to serve as the 

subject matter expert for the SOM 

Student Travel Program since her 

recognition as employee of the 

quarter...she continues to excel 

in her duties and responsibilities,” 

Teneza said in her nomination letter 

for Smith as senior employee of the 

year. 

Smith’s review of student travel 

orders led to saving the school more 

than $770,000.

She has worked for the University 

for 20 years.

Hamlette, Smith Awarded Civilian 

of the Year 2015

By Christopher Austin

Admissions counselor Leonora 

Hamlette is the Junior Employee of 

2015. (Photo by Tom Balfour)

Transportation specialist Deborah 

Smith is the Senior Employee of 2015. 

(Photo by Tom Balfour)
4 the pulse June 27, 2016

USU hosts 9th Annual Faculty Senate Education Day

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) Faculty Senate hosted its 9th annual Education Day on June 8. The event promotes continuing education of the faculty, staff and students at USU and its 

affiliated teaching institutions, provides interdisciplinary discussion of innovative and effective strategies used in 

health science education, and facilitates transfer of strategies between and among research and clinical disciplines. 

This year's Education Day guest speakers were Harprit Singh Bedi, M.D., vice chair of radiology at Tufts University 

School of Medicine, and J. Kevin Dorsey, M.D., Ph.D., dean emeritus and professor of Medical Education and Internal Medicine at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. (Photos by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stephanie Morris)

Dr. Charles L. Rice, Uniformed Services 

University of the Health Sciences president, 

greets guest speakers during the 9th Annual 

Faculty Senate Education Day at USU on 

June 8.

Dr. Harprit Singh Bedi, associate professor of 

radiology and otolaryngology from Tufts University School of Medicine, speaks to faculty at 

Education Day on June 8. 

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

participating in a new pilot program 

designed to pioneer kidney paired 

donation chains, started via the 

military share program, in which 

families of active duty service members donate one of their kidneys to 

patients listed for transplant at Walter Reed National Military Medical 

Center (WRNMMC).

Kidney paired donation is a 

transplant option for candidates 

who have a living donor who is 

medically able, but cannot donate a 

kidney to their intended candidate 

because they are not compatible. 

In announcing the program as part 

of the White House-hosted Organ 

Summit, officials said this effort is 

to help sensitized patients, who are 

hard to match, to receive kidney 

transplants.

Through this initiative, service 

members around the country can 

also help some of the hardest-tomatch veterans and their dependents to receive transplants using 

kidneys from the military share program, while at the same time facilitating life-saving kidney-paired donation chains for civilian patients, 

officials said.

"We are excited to participate in 

this initiative, which has the potential to increase organ allocation for 

our patients,” said Navy Capt. (Dr.) 

Eric Elster, professor and chairman 

of surgery at USU and Walter Reed. 

“While it will require overcoming 

logistical barriers, we in military 

medicine excel at such challenges."

Army Maj. (Dr.) Jason Hawksworth, transplant chief at Walter 

Reed, said his team “looks forward 

to contributing to the innovative 

initiative that may exponentially increase the availability of life-saving 

transplants on patients throughout 

the nation."

The USU Walter Reed Department of Surgery performs an average of 30 transplants per year on patients from across the country, and 

the medical center also maintains a 

living donor kidney transplant program that participates in national 

paired kidney exchanges. 

USU Walter Reed Surgery Department 

Participates in Organ Summit Pilot Program

Courtesy Article
5 the pulse June 27, 2016

Approximately 300 interns, residents and fellows received certificates of completion from more than 

60 training programs in Army, Navy, 

Air Force and joint DoD health care 

facilities throughout the National Capital Region during the 2016 

National Capital Area Joint Service 

Graduation Ceremony on June 17.

The ceremony, held at Strathmore 

Music Center, recognized the completion of National Capital Consortium (NCC) post-graduate training 

programs

“This ceremony is held to celebrate the completion of one to seven 

years of Graduate Medical Education after the completion of medical school,” said Jerri Curtis, M.D., 

executive director of the NCC and 

associate dean for Graduate Medical 

Education at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU). “It is the largest GME 

ceremony in the entire Department 

of Defense.”

 The event requires approximately nine months of detailed planning 

every year between USU and the 

GME office at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC).

More than 1,000 family members, 

friends and military personnel also 

attended the event to show their 

support for the graduates.

“These graduates, who make up 

one third of the entire medical corps 

in the Army, Navy and Air Force, 

are the future of military medicine,” 

Curtis said. “This day recognizes 

each one of them and their families.”

Special awards were also presented to some of this year’s outstanding 

graduates from WRNMMC and the 

NCC medical education programs.

The ceremony dates back to the 

1940s when GME took place at the 

former Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval 

Medical Center. A combined graduation was held after the inception of 

the NCC in 1995. 

National Capital Consortium Holds 

Annual Graduation Ceremony

By Staff Sgt. Stephanie Morris

A National Capital Consortium Graduate Medical Education graduate exits the stage after receiving her certificate 

during the 2016 National Capital Area Joint Service Graduation Ceremony at the Strathmore Music Center in 

Bethesda, Md., on June 17. (Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stephanie Morris)
6 the pulse June 27, 2016

Members of the Uniformed Services University 

of the Health Sciences (USU) 

visited Springfield Hospital 

Center in Sykesville, Md., 

on June 20 for the yearly 

ceremony to commemorate 

those who have donated 

their bodies to medical research. The event was hosted by the Anatomy Board of 

Maryland.

The USU anatomy lab 

makes use of these donations 

in teaching medical students, 

allowing them to learn about 

the human body in a safe 

and realistic environment.

Patient diagnosis and 

treatment depends heavily 

on anatomy, said Dr. Alan 

Seyfer, the chair of the Maryland Anatomy Board and co-chair of 

the School of Medicine’s gross anatomy course. Staging of tumors and 

the treatment it receives depends 

heavily on anatomical classification.

“We try to make it a highly respectful and ethical treatment of 

these people that are truly, in many 

ways, the student’s first patients,” 

Seyfer said.

A crowd of families gathered to 

witness the ceremony, which included representatives from religious 

and medical organizations from 

across the state giving thanks for the 

donations made by the deceased.

 “It really makes a difference,” 

said Ronn Wade, director of the 

Maryland Department of Health 

and Mental Hygiene. “Whether it's 

studies related to Parkinson’s disease, Diabetes – [these donations] 

go a long way to advancing medical 

science.

“It’s the legacy that helps them to 

live on,” he continued. “We must respect and honor not just the donor, 

but the family.”

“It is [the donor’s] generous nature to care not just for their generation, but for generations to come,” 

Richardson said.

The event closed with a note of 

gratitude from Maya Koretzky, a 

student from Johns Hopkins University, who read a letter of thanks 

to the gathered families.

“Long before we work with a living body, we learn with your donations,” Koretzky said. “I’m forever 

indebted to you and your help with 

my education.”

An annual memorial service is 

held at USU for those not able to attend the ceremony in Sykesville. The 

event is organized by Ron Rivenburg, the administrator of the Anatomical Gift Program that oversees 

the donations to USU.

“We accept an average of 100 donors annually to USU. Two years 

ago, I began an annual tradition of 

hosting a memorial service, which 

honors the donors,” he said. “In our 

first year we had 15 guests, and in 

our second year over 55 attended 

combined with 150 more USU staff 

and students. With [service members] schedules being chaotic, a service here is the best tribute.”

Annual State Event Honors Anatomy Donors

By Christopher Austin

Dr. Alan Seyfer, the chair of the Maryland State Anatomy Board and co-director of 

the School of Medicine’s gross anatomy course at USU, gives a speech to honor those 

who have donated their bodies to medical study. (Photo by Christopher Austin)
7 the pulse June 27, 2016

As part of the national effort to 

address the shortage of nursing faculty and the number of advanced 

practice nurses providing direct 

patient care, the Jonas Center for 

Nursing and Veterans Healthcare 

has awarded a $70,000 grant to the 

Uniformed Services University of 

the Health Sciences (USU) to advance the scholarly work of two 

individual Doctor of Philosophy in 

Nursing Science (Ph.D.) and five individual Doctor of Nursing Practice 

(DNP) students in the university’s 

Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School 

of Nursing (GSN). 

The seven USU Jonas scholars 

join the 425 other 2016 scholars and 

the more than 1,000 bestowed on future nurse educators and leaders at 

140 schools across all 50 states supported by Jonas Center programs. 

USU’s awards are part of the Center’s Jonas Veterans Healthcare Program which supports nurses pursuing Ph.D.s and DNPs, both terminal 

degrees in the nursing field. 

As the nation’s leading philanthropic funder of graduate nursing 

education, the Jonas Center is addressing the critical need for qualified nursing faculty. U.S. nursing 

schools turned away nearly 70,000 

qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2014, due in large part to 

an insufficient number of faculty. 

Further, nearly two-thirds of registered nurses over age 54 say they are 

considering retirement. 

Donald Jonas who co-founded 

the Jonas Center with his wife Barbara Jonas, said “In 2008, we set an 

ambitious goal to 

support 1,000 Jonas Nurse Scholars. This year, 

on our Center’s 

10th anniversary, we celebrate 

this achievement 

and are amazed 

by the talent of 

this cohort of future nurse leaders. 

In the decade to 

come, we look forward to continuing to work with our partner nursing schools and to the great impact 

that the Jonas Scholars will have on 

improving healthcare around the 

world.”

“We are excited that this grant 

will allow our school to enhance 

the research and scholarly inquiry of uniformed nurse officers who 

will serve as future military health 

leaders, educators, scientists, and 

advanced practice clinicians,” said 

Dr. Diane Seibert, associate dean for 

Academic Affairs in the Daniel K. 

Inouye Graduate School of Nursing.

The seven 2016-2018 USU Jonas 

Scholars were competitively selected 

from the GSN students who matriculated in 2015. Two Ph.D. students, 

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Kennett Radford 

and Army Maj. Christopher Stucky, 

and five DNP students – Army Captains Melissa Boetig, Amy Brzuchalski, and Christina Terehoff, Air 

Force Capt. Tekia Jones, and Navy 

Lt. Colleen Spiri – will receive support from the Jonas Foundation. 

This is the second time USU students have been selected for the 

prestigious award. The first USU 

Jonas Scholars (2014-2016 cohort) 

included five Ph.D. students Navy 

Lt. Commanders. William Danchanko, Lalon Kasuke, and John 

Litchfield, and Air Force Majors Jacqueline Killian and Laurie Migliore, 

and two DNP Scholar groups: Army 

Majors Audry Torres and Imshin 

Kim, Captains Jeremy Mahoney and 

Elizabeth Poindexter (Scholar Team 

I), Air Force Captains Michael Allen 

and Alexander Kats and Air Force 

Maj. Jenifer Prosser (Scholar Team 

II). 

“The Daniel K. Inouye Graduate 

School of Nursing is very pleased 

that this grant will support the 

scholarship of future military nurse 

educators and leaders who will advance nursing science and the expansion of evidence-based practice 

for military and veterans’ health 

care,” said Dr. Carol Romano, dean 

of the Inouye Graduate School of 

Nursing. 

University Awarded Grant from Jonas 

Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare

Courtesy Article

The Jonas Scholars of the 2016-2018 cohort met for the 

first time on June 30. (Photo by Christopher Austin)
8 the pulse June 27, 2016

Final Frame

Members of the University's military Brigade were recognized for their outstanding achievements during a Brigade 

awards ceremony, June 24. (Photo by Army Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Dillon)