Annual Report - Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Medical DiplomacyUSU alumnus Colonel Donald Thompson, M.D., CommandSurgeon for the Combined Security Transition Command,was awarded the Ghazi Mir Bacha Khan High Medal byAfghan President Hamid Karzai. Dr. Thompson was giventhe award in recognition of his contributions to efforts toimprove the health care delivery system for both servicemembers and civilian in Afghanistan.Medical CareMajor Tony Leonard (top) is a 2003 graduate of USU’sFamily Nurse Practitioner program. He is stationed inIraq along with Major Joseph Candelario (bottom), alsoa GSN alumnus. They work to ensure the health of theirbattalion, and also provide care for members of the IraqiArmy, interpreters, contractors and Iraqi civilians.“I have had the opportunity to instruct Iraqi medics,as well as Iraqi nurses and medical providers. Theyare so eager to learn… There is a big knowledge gapin medical care there, which we are trying to close…I am thankful for the education I received at USU…The skills taught and the ability to think criticallyprepared me well to provide excellent nursing care.”Major Tony LeonardInternational WorkMajor Aaron Holley, M.D., a graduate of USU,is a Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellow atWalter Reed Army Medical Center.“I was able to spend a month in Kenya as part of apulmonary and critical care fellowship working at atuberculosis clinic in a rural district hospital. The U.S. doesn’thave many active TB cases, so this was a great opportunityto enhance my training. I toured several different hospitals inthe area, gave lectures and helped teach local students andphysicians-in-training. I felt uniquely prepared to handle someof the unusual cases I saw because USU has an entire coursededicated to the study of parasitology.”13