Vol. 6, Issue 9 05/16/11 - Uniformed Services University of the ...

The Official USU NewsletterVolume 6, Issue 9 n May 16, 2011www.usuhs.mil

Sharon WillisDeputy Vice President for ExternalAffairs and Managing EditorKen FragerPublic Affairs SpecialistStaff Sgt. Matthew RosineProduction EditorMC1 Chad HallfordWriterChristine Creenan-JonesContributing WriterLori FieldsLayout and DesignProductionEditorial content is edited, preparedand provided by the USU Office ofExternal Affairs unless otherwiseindicated. The Pulse staff mayinclude or exclude articles basedupon news value, impact on theuniversity and space availability.SubmissionsThe Pulse will be publishedbi-weekly on Mondays. Thedeadline for submissions is at 4 p.m.Tuesday prior to the publicationdate. Submissions can be sent tousunewsletter@usuhs.mil or bycalling 301-295-0895.Courtesy PhotoOn the coverAir Force 2nd Lieutenants Chase Rogers,Jeffrey Sorensen, Matthew Cellini, CorinneHarvey, Pansy Uberoi and Courtney Hintztook part in a unique training programcalled Top Knife during their summerlearning experience following thecompletion of the MS-1 schedule.(See story, page 2)Top Knife takes medical educationto new heightsby Christine Creenan-JonesAir Force 2nd Lt. Jeffrey Sorenson took advantage of his two-week summercourse to experience military medical training for flight surgeons.Air Force 2nd Lt. Jeffrey Sorensenwanted to be a doctor since early incollege, but his desire to care for thosein need of medical care was intensifiedby the prospect of serving our militarymen and women as a uniformed physician.Two years ago he left Utah – theonly home he’d ever known – to begina new journey thousands of miles awayat USU.Sorensen found what he was lookingfor in Bethesda. The university’smilitary-focused medical curriculumhas been both challenging and exciting.“The workload is difficult, and it canbe a little overwhelming at times, butthere are some really incredible aspectsto USU’s curriculum as well,” he said.The summer learning experienceis one of them. First-year medicalstudents without prior military experiencechoose from a variety of two-weekcourses, many of which give studentslike Sorensen the opportunity to explorea unique side of military medicine.“I went to Top Knife last summerat Luke Air Force Base in Arizona,which is an Air Force trainingprogram designed for flight surgeonswho are assigned to squadrons ofhigh performance aircraft such as theF-16. While there, my classmates andI learned how a fighter base functionsand how flight surgeons contribute toCourtesy Photofighter operations.” he said. “It was anamazing experience I’ll never forget.”Sorenson was accompanied by fellow2013 Air Force classmates, Chase Rogers,Matthew Cellini, Corinne Harvey, PansyUberoi and Courtney Hintz.The classrooms at Top Knife combinedidactic instruction with hands-on learningin topics such as cockpit and airframefamiliarity, the use of night vision goggles,and how to properly egress an aircraft onthe ground or in the air.“We learned a lot about flight physiologyand aircraft safety before steppingfoot on the jets,” Sorensen said. “ButI still wasn’t prepared for how intenseand thrilling my ride would be. Thebest roller coaster in the world doesn’tcompare to flying an F-16, I even got totake the stick for a minute and performa barrel roll and some turns.”The experience also gave Sorensena new outlook about what it means toserve and protect.“Top Knife really opened my eyes tothe operational side of the military,” hesaid. “I observed the intricacies of AirForce operations, and was impressedwith the character of those I met. Itincreased my desire to do well in school,as I gained respect for those on theoperational side of the military and thejob they do. I want to be well prepared toserve them once I graduate.”2 the pulse May 16, 2011

Muldoon awarded Carol Johns Medalby Ken FragerUSU Faculty Senate President Dr. Gary Wind presented Dr. Sheila Muldoon with the2011 Carol Johns Medal.Sheila Muldoon, M.D., professor andformer chair, Department of Anesthesiology,has been named as the recipientof the 2011 Carol Johns Medal. Dr.Muldoon arrived at USU in 1977 fromDublin, Ireland via a postdoctoralfellowship at the Mayo Clinic, whereshe had completed her anesthesiologyresidency and served as staff anesthesiologistfor a number of years.In her long, distinguished tenure atUSU, Dr. Muldoon has embodied thethree criteria upon which this honor isawarded: furthering the welfare and excellenceof USU faculty, promoting outstandingeducational programs for students andadvancing the reputation of the Universitylocally, nationally and internationally.The award namesake, Carol J. Johns,MD, was a professor at the JohnsHopkins School of Medicine, where shewas a distinguished clinician, academicianand teacher. She was a member ofthe USU Board of Regents from 1985until her death in 2000 and long-timeenthusiastic and effective supporter ofthe USU. The University establishedan annual award in her name, presentingthe first medal during the 2001commencement exercises.Dr. Muldoon’s nomination for thisrecognition included references fromseveral academic anesthesiologistswhom she has mentored and guided toPhoto by Thomas Balfourbe first-class researchers and educators.Her nomination states that she “notonly recruited outstanding faculty, buthelped procure logistical and financialsupport and promoted some of the firsttranslational research done at USU.To maintain clinical credibility, sheensured that her faculty practice at thehospitals at least three days a week.”Dr. Muldoon established a stimulatingand outstanding anesthesiologyexperience for USU students and wasone of the first to introduce simulationmethodology. She tirelessly workedto establish strong relations with theDOD and services, fostering acceptanceof USU students into servicewideanesthesiology programs.Dr. Muldoon’s long record of cuttingedgeresearch has established her as oneof the world’s leading experts on thepotentially lethal anesthetic complicationof malignant hyperthermia. Sheestablished her testing center at USUas a center of excellence recognizedworldwide. From the early invasivecaffeine-halogen contraction testsinvolving muscle biopsy, she moved tothe forefront of less-invasive lymphocytetesting to screen at-risk individuals.Most recently Dr. Muldoon hasbeen leading cutting edge research onthe ryanodine receptor gene, which hasbeen linked with the condition.University MediaServices offersdesign andgraphic servicesby MC1 Chad HallfordWith space on the USU campus ata premium, some services have beenmoved off-site over the last few months,including University Media Services- USU’s graphics, photography andvideography division. While availabilityof services was not impacted, offering aconvenient drop-off point on-site thatalso had limited resources available wasseen as a priority for University leadship.Now reopened in its originallocation on the ground floor, Mr.Patrice Bolte and his team of visualillustrators are ready and able toprovide the best in graphics capabilities,including medical illustration toUSU faculty, staff and students.“We are set up to provide a full-rangeof services including design and publications,medical illustration, lamination,mounting and framing and, of course,large scale printing, including multipleprint mediums available for display,”said Mr. Bolte. “We also are available toprovide consulting services before youbegin a project that requires design,graphics or printing. It’s much easierto accommodate needs when we areinvolved in the planning from the beginning.We can help before the projectsbecome difficult and costly to correct.”A list of services and general pricesand practices is available on the UMShomepage www.usuhs.mil/avc/. The website also offers links to provide informationand hints for poster designs,business cards and other templates, alongwith tips for maintaining USU brandingand avoiding copyright infringement.“If there is a service that isn’tincluded on the site don’t assume itisn’t available,” said Mr. Bolte. “If wedon’t have the resources in-house wecan help to identify vendors who canhelp you get the job done and staywithin your budget.”The Official USU Newsletter 3

Nobel Laureate to present Presidential Lectureby Ken FragerCourtesy PhotoStanley B.Prusiner, MDStanley B.Prusiner, MD,Director of theInstitute forNeurodegenerativeDiseasesand Professorof Neurology atthe Universityof California,San Francisco(UCSF), and 1997 Nobel Laureate inPhysiology or Medicine, will presentthe 2011 Presidential Lecture duringUSU’s Research Week, May 18, 2011.Dr. Prusiner’s lecture, TherapeuticApproaches to Neurodegenerationin Head Trauma, will offer an earlyperspective into a potentially new wayto identify and treat traumatic braininjuries (TBIs).“We are thrilled to have someoneof Dr. Prusiner’s caliber take the timeto share his thoughts about an issueof critical importance to our faculty,staff, students and to those we seekto serve,” said USU President CharlesL. Rice. “His early work in the fieldof protein research, combined withthe expertise of our research teamshere at USU, could have potentiallybreakthrough effects on the studyof traumatic brain injuries and posttraumatic stress disorder.”Dr. Prusiner was awarded theNational Medal of Science in 2009 – anhonor bestowed by the President of theUnited States to individuals in scienceand engineering who have made importantcontributions to the advancementof knowledge in the fields of behavioraland social sciences, biology, chemistry,engineering, mathematics and physics.He was awarded the Nobel Prize for hisdiscovery of an unprecedented classof pathogens that he named prions.Prions, infectious proteins that causeneurodegenerative diseases in animalsand humans, cause disorders in humansthat manifest as sporadic, inheritedand infectious illnesses. Dr. Prusinerdemonstrated that prions are formedwhen a normal, benign cellular proteinacquires an altered shape. At the timeof discovery, his proposals of multipleshapes or conformations for a singleprotein and the concept of infectiousproteins, were considered heretical.Prior to Dr. Prusiner’s discoveries,proteins were thought to possess onlyUSU Sweeps presentations at Public Health Conferenceby Staff Sgt. Matthew Rosineone biologically active conformation.Remarkably, the more commonneurodegenerative diseases likeAlzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseaseshave been found over the past twodecades to be, like the prion diseases,disorders of protein processing. Dr.Prusiner’s current research focuses ondetermining the atomic structure ofprions, deciphering the mechanism ofreplication and defining how biologicalproperties are enciphered in prionstrains. Additionally, he is developingdrug discovery aimed at producingtherapeutics that retard neurodegenerationin Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’sand prion diseases, and in frontotemporaldementias, including thosefound in patients with TBIs.Dr. Prusiner received his undergraduateand medical training atthe University of Pennsylvania andhis postgraduate clinical training atUCSF. From 1969-72, he served inthe U.S. Public Health Service at theNational Institutes of Health. Editorof 12 books and author of more than350 research articles, Dr. Prusiner’scontributions to scientific researchare internationally recognized.Three USU graduate students tooktop honors for poster presentationsduring the 2011 Armed Forces PublicHealth Conference.Navy Lt. Anton Shufutinsky tookfirst place in the Occupational Healthcategory with his poster titled, ThePotential for the Application of MetallicCopper Surfaces as a Method for PreventingSurface and Airborne MicrobialContamination in Military HealthcareFacilities, Food Handling Operations andOther Occupational Settings.Navy Lt. Nicholas Martin tookfirst place in the Environmentalcategory with his poster titled,T A Novel Thermal Desorption Gas4 the pulse May 16, 2011Chromatography-Mass SpectometryMethod for the Discovery of DDTin Air.Navy Lt. Carlis Brown took firstplace in the Industrial Hygiene categorywith his poster titled, T A Novel Applicationof Tracer Gas Dilution for EvaluatingIndoor Air Quality.In fact, USU Preventive Medicineand Biometrics (PMB) students havenow taken first place five times atthis conference over the past threeyears. This year was the inauguraljoint Armed Forces Public HealthConference.“I think the success of all of ourposters at the conference is basedon a combination of factors,” saidShufutinsky, whose poster researchfocuses on the use of copper surfacesto reduce secondary infectionsin hospitals, ventilation and foodhandling facilities. “The environmentat USU encourages goodresearch and good science. We readeach other’s work, discuss it and givequality feedback in open, honestdiscussion with other scientists.”This approach to quality scientificresearch provides USU presenters witha different look than their competition.“From the perspective of the conference,I believe that a lot of the workContinued to page 6

Family medicine program receivesnational recognitionby Ken FragerCourtesy PhotoThe American Academy of FamilyPhysicians (AAFP) recently namedthe Uniformed Services Universityof the Health Sciences as one of thetop 10 family medicine programs inthe U.S., presenting Navy Capt. (Dr.)Mark Stephens and his faculty with anAchievement Award.“We were quite pleased to receive thisrecognition from the AAFP becauseit recognizes our continued efforts todevelop those who will care for not justAmerica’s warfighters, but also for theirfamilies around the world,” said Dr.Stephens, associate professor and Chair,Department of Family Medicine at USU.According to the AAFP, the awardrecognizes USU’s efforts to fosterstudent interest in family medicineand produce graduates who enterthe specialty. Based on a three-yearaverage, for the period ending October2010, 15.8% of USU graduates haveentered an ACGME-accredited familymedicine residency program.Dr. Sandra Kimmer, assistantprofessor in the department of FamilyMedicine, accepted the award on behalfof the USU from AAFP PresidentDr. Roland Goertz during the recentSociety of Teachers of Family Medicine(STFM) Annual Spring Conference,which was held in New Orleans.Showcase highlights teaching innovationby Ken FragerFaculty and staff looking fornew ways to connect with medicalstudents at USU are invited to stopby the Education & TechnologyInnovation (ETI) Showcase, May 26,27 and June 2 from 1130 – 1330,outside of the cafeteria across fromthe elevators in B building.“The showcase is a show and tell ofsorts, where faculty and staff can shareideas about how to best reach ourmedical students, develop modernbasedteaching methods to reach thenext generation of medical students,and who in many cases may havedifferent ideas about the best wayto teach and learn,” said Dale Smith,Ph.D., USU senior vice president whooversees the department.“The showcase also can serveto identify potential collaboratorsor expand existing relationships inan environment that encouragessharing,” said Dina Kurzweil, deputydirector for ETI. “This is an informalsetting, but one that we feel allowsfor free discussion and interaction.”The services of the ETI areavailable to USU faculty withoutdirect charge. Members of the ETIteam will be available to discussinnovative instructional techniquesand technologies that can be used toadvance course learning objectivesand support curriculum reform.Additional information on theshowcase and about the ETI is availableat www.usuhs.mil/eti/services.htmHPRC Health TipsThe Human PerformanceResource Center Health Tips is anew column intended to provide theUSU community with information tohelp develop and maintain a healthylifestyle. Check out the HPRC websiteat: http://humanperformanceresourcecenter.org.Mix up your training routineIf you are bored with your trainingor find yourself stuck in a rut,consider adding some variety toyour program.Maintaining a physically fit bodyrequires consistent training andmotivation. It’s common for individualsto get stale or fall into a trainingrut. Consider cross-training, addingnew activities and exercises, or justdoing something physical for fun!Avoid smoking around childrenand the places they resideSecondhand smoke can impactthe mental health of thosearound you, so be especiallycareful not to smoke in areasinhabited by children.It’s well known that smoking isharmful to your physical health.What is less well known, however,is that secondhand smoke has animpact on the mental health ofothers. A recent study in Archives ofPediatrics & Adolescent Medicineshows that children exposed tosecondhand smoke have a higherrisk of developing mental conditionssuch as depression, anxiety, attention-deficitdisorder (ADD), andconduct disorders.Positive Mental Time Travel“Positive mental time travel” iswhen an individual vividly remembersa positive event or vividlyanticipates a future positive event.Individuals who are able to rememberpast positive events (or lookforward to future ones) and savorthose happy moments are morelikely to be happy in general.The Official USU Newsletter 5

Tech WatchUpcoming EventsThe Office of the Chief InformationOfficer (OCIO) wanted to bring youup to date on the progress of severalongoing projects.The USU email system (GroupWise)will be upgraded to the latest version ofGroupwise 8.Enhancements to GroupWise WebAccess include:1. Improved interface to include scrollableitem lists such as your mailboxor sent items.2. Task list folder.3. Autosave feature which will save acopy of any email being composedevery 10-60 seconds.4. Improved spell check and namecompletion.5. Calendar improvements includingday, week or year view, creation ofone or more personal calendars anddisplay of personal calendars in themain view.6. Search improvements including daterange and category search.7. Contacts folder displays all personaladdress books.8. Ability to publish personal calendars.USU sweeps awardContinued from page 4presented there was very qualitative,”said Shufutinsky, a PhD student inPMB. “Here we do very technical,evidence-based science, which givesus a bit of an advantage.”But all things considered, theseaward-winning students attributemuch of their success to goodold-fashioned hard work.“I think the personal effort fromeach student is what really determinessuccess. If your work ethicis strong, you will be a success,”Shufutinsky said. “Me, personally,I didn’t submit this poster to winan award. Presenting posters isnot a requirement for us. I put mytime and effort into this because I6 the pulse May 16, 2011The GroupWise 7 client will continueto work and will be updated to Group-Wise 8 gradually for both Windows andMac OSX systems (including OS 10.6).During this time, in order to loginto GroupWise Web Access, you mustlog into the server where your emailaccount is actually located. (i.e. mxb.usuhs.mil, mxr.usuhs.mil, etc.) or youwill get an error due to the differentversions of GroupWise that will existafter the first round of upgrades arecomplete.Reminder about:1. Software discounts for USUemployees - An additional feature ofthe University’s annually negotiatedMicrosoft and Adobe licenses is an‘employee purchase program,’ whichallows USU faculty, students, and staff topurchase Microsoft and Adobe softwarefor personal or home use at significantlyreduced prices. A USU Portal forpersonal purchases of Adobe and MicrosoftProducts was recently establishedand general information can be found at:http://e5.onthehub.com/Portal/PortalSe-lectInstitution.aspx?p=95ad5269-86e1-dc11-8873-0030485a6b08&JSEnabled=1felt this was beneficial to the sciencecommunity as a whole.”While first-place ribbons adorn theirwork and co-workers pat them on theback, these USU students find their realreward in the impact they are makingin people’s lives.“I think the real success of ourwork is ultimately found in theexposure we have developed here.We have helped bridge a very largegap between hard-core scienceand field operation,” said Martin.Martin and his fellow studentsapplied hands-on application of theirresearch at a field study in Thailand.“By being able to take a very scientificprocess and drop it in the fieldfor use, we are able to bridge the gapbetween the scientist in the lab andthe warfighter in the field.”The following Adobe products arecurrently included: Acrobat X (personaluse); Creative Suite 5 Design, CreativeSuite 5 Master Collection, Creative Suite 5Production, Creative Suite 5 Web, DreamweaverCS5, Adobe Flash CS5, AdobeLightroom, Adobe Photoshop CS5.Microsoft Products include: Office2010, Office 2011 for MAC, Office 2008for MAC, Project 2010, Visio 2010,Windows 7 (Operating System) ExpressionStudio 4.Anyone wishing to take advantage ofthe discounted prices can register usingtheir USU email address at http://usuhs.onthehub.com. This site is poweredby e-Academy, accepts personal creditcards, and is customized for USUpersonal home-use software purchases.2. USU Service Desk (the replacementfor the Heat System) went live on1 April meaning online submission andtracking of tickets has been restored.We emailed a “How-To” sheet, which isalso available on the Help Desk Website.This new program allows you to enteryour trouble ticket on line, receive emailupdates on progress with the ticket,see who it has been assigned to, andwhat the final resolution to the problemwas. There also is an announcementssection that, at a glance, will detailwhat changes are occurring acrossthe network; where there are outages;any upcoming network-wide programpushes; anticipated security changes,etc. This announcement section will nottake the place of the emails that comeout, but will allow you to quickly seeupdates on situations and hopefullyanticipate any problems you might havewith upcoming events. This programalso is being adapted to allow you toenter MDL trouble tickets and potentiallyother support departments.The OCIO will continue to provideupdates and notification of changes tothe university community. If you haveany problems, Mr. Dennis Stutz, Director,Customer Service, is actingas an ombudsman to help communicateissues. He can be contacted at301-295-9560 or dstutz@usuhs.mil.

BriefsUsing Computer ResourcesSecurity incidents continue to bea drain to limited USU InformationAssurance manpower. The followinghighlight current DoD policy andbest practices:Personnel must not install selfcodedor non-licensed software onnetwork resources; add, remove,configure, or attempt to modifyUSU computer operating systemsor programs; move audio/visual ornetwork cables, computers or attemptto connect personal computers to thenetwork including MDL and lecturehall spaces; connect personal devicesexcept for those previously authorizedby NOC; download pornographicmaterial and store or display offensivematerial, such as racist literature,sexually harassing or obscene languageor material; store or process classifiedinformation on any USU system.Personnel must not permitunauthorized individuals access to agovernment-owned or governmentoperatedsystem or program; accessonline gambling, games and socialengineering sites, dates or times.Helpdesk ClosureThe NOC helpdesk is closed for trainingon Thursdays from 10 to 11 a.m.During this time, you can leavea voicemail message at 295-9800,utilize the HEAT Self Service (http://www.usuhs.mil/uis/forms/trouble.html), or email help@usuhs.mil.If an emergency should arise,please call 295-9870.Exercise/Fitness AreasPhysical Fitness training should beconducted in designated areas.The only authorized space for PTwithin the university is room G060.The campus’ Student CommunityLounge area is also authorized,but only during specified PFT datesor times.Professional activitiesThe Department of Defense andUSU policy requires that all employees,both military and civilian, receiveapproval for engaging in any activityoutside their work environment,which involves their professionalexpertise or government occupation,and involves compensation.This approval is required prior toengaging in the activity.In order to get approval, anyemployee can complete a USU FormThe USU Merit ReviewCommittee is accepting applicationsfor the fiscal year 2012 USUIntramural Research Funding.Applications may be submittedfor Pilot, Standard andExploratory grant funding. Newor revised applications will beaccepted. Competing continuationsare no longer funded. Theseapplications are for basic, clinicalor behavioral research.Projects will be evaluated fordemonstrated relevance to militaryconcerns and/or are specific to theUSU mission.1004. This completed form must beapproved and signed by each departmentchair or activity head.These forms are available in theGeneral Counsel’s office or online atthe USU OGC Web site.Completed forms must be turned into the General Counsel’s office. The formwill be routed to the appropriate dean,brigade commander or USU president.Once processing is completed, a copyof the approved form will be returned tothe employee for the employee’s records.USU Research Week 2011May 17–18, 2011Celebrating Excellence in ResearchUSU Faculty SenateEducation Day 2011Tools for Transformation: How to be a better educatorThursday 16 June 2011For more information visit, www.usuhs.milFunding ApplicationsEligibility for funding from theUniversity’s intramural program isrestricted to USU-billeted civilianand uniformed faculty memberswith full, associate or assistantprofessor titles.Late applications will not beaccepted and incomplete applicationswill not be reviewed.Applications must be submittedby June 17, 2011.For additional information:http://www.usuhs.mil/research/intramuralfunds.html or contactthe Office of Research at(301) 295-3303.The Official USU Newsletter 7