journal_052313

Vol. 25 No. 19 www.cnic.navy.mil/bethesda/ May 23, 2013

By Bernard S. LittleWRNMMC Journal

staff writer

“Thank you for what youdo,” was the expression ofgratitude repeated through-out the day, as staff membersat Walter Reed Bethesdaand Naval Support ActivityBethesda (NSAB) were salut-ed during Staff AppreciationDay on Friday.The day of fun in the sun

brought wounded warriors,patients, service members, ci-vilian employees, contractors,volunteers and their familiesout for music, food, games,arts and crafts and other ac-tivities.To the delight of the crowd,

skydivers with an Americanflag and those of all of themilitary branches, glided inon the festivities, held on thebase helipad and adjacentareas. British celebrity chefRobert Irvine and his staffprepared food for the event,and the highlight of the daywas a performance by actorGary Sinise’s Lt. Dan Band.The most solemn part of

the day came when membersof the New York City FireDepartment (FDNY) turnedover to Walter Reed Bethes-da, a “treasured” piece ofsteel which came from one ofthe World Trade Center Tow-ers struck during the Sept.11, 2001 terrorist attacks onthe nation.Welcoming the crowd to

the event, Navy Capt. Freder-ick “Fritz” Kass, NSAB com-manding officer, said sincethe integration of WalterReed Army Medical Centerand National Naval MedicalCenter to form Walter ReedNational Military MedicalCenter (WRNMMC), therehave been more than 4,000events on and off base. “Manyof those were sponsored byvarious benevolent organiza-tions, and almost all of themtargeted at the special popu-lations we serve here, our pa-

tients and wounded warriors.So when I got the phone callsaying, ‘Hey, we want to do abig event in order to show ap-preciation for the staff here,’that was an easy yes.“What makes the magic

possible for our patients, in-cluding recovering woundedwarriors and newborn babies,is the outstanding staff wehave here,” Kass added.Rear Adm. (Dr.) Alton L.

Stocks,WRNMMC command-er, added, “This is about you,”in talking to staff members atthe festivities. “Thank you forwhat you do every day – heal-ing our warriors and theirfamilies – the most deserv-ing population in the world.”He then thanked Sinise forhis support of wounded war-riors, veterans, first respond-ers and their families, say-ing, “He does this because hewants to, not because he hasto or gets paid to do. He givesof himself to all of us.”Sinise also thanked

wounded warriors, the Wal-ter Reed Bethesda staff andtheir families. “It’s a privi-lege for us to be able to comeand have some fun with youtoday and show our apprecia-tion and gratitude for whatyou do for our country. I’vebeen looking forward to thisfor a long time – to come andpump everybody up and havea good time.”After serving up hot dogs

and hamburgers to staff, Ir-vine agreed, “It’s an honorto work for all the woundedwarriors and caregivers at[Walter Reed Bethesda].”Then, an honor guard of

FDNY firefighters rolled inon a wooden dolly, the steelfrom the World Trade Centertower to turn over to the Na-tion’s Medical Center.As the firefighters turned

over the steel to Walter ReedBethesda, Stocks said fire-fighters and military mem-bers “share a legacy of honor,duty and sacrifice.”Retired Battalion Chief

John Dillon, FDNY, said eachof the firefighters from NewYork City who come down toWRNMMC to visit woundedwarriors, “represents mil-lions and millions of Ameri-cans who would stand in lineto be here to thank you foryour service. We representthe United States of America.“On Sept. 11, 2001, our

country was attacked in NewYork City, Shanksville, Pa.,and at the Pentagon. Manyof our wounded warriors andservice members, past andpresent, who are here today,took up the fight after thoseattacks. To honor their manysacrifices for our country,and the lives lost on that un-forgettable day, the [FDNY]presents a sacred piece ofWorld Trade Center steel tobe displayed in a prominentplace at Walter Reed Nation-al Military Medical Center.This helps remind us that oursacrifices, those of our heroeswho walked before us andthose who will follow, are notin vain,” Dillon said.Stocks accepted the gift

“with honor and pride. Wewill display this at our Amer-ica Building, where everyonecoming in for rehabilitationwill be able to see, touch andhonor it.”The Lt. Dan Band then

took to the stage, playing atwo hour set covering songsfrom classics by The AndrewsSisters, Stevie Wonder andThe Police, to contemporarytunes from Kelly Clarkson,Katy Perry, Beyonce, BruceSpringsteen and more.Liesl Juarez, a military

spouse, brought her familyout to enjoy the festivities.She watched with a smile asher son, Glenn, 11, negotiatedhis way up a wall climb at theevent. “We came out to sup-port the military and staff,and also to enjoy all the funfestivities,” she said.

Leaders, Celebrities, Come Together to Thank Staff

Photo by Bernard S. Little

A skydiver with the flags of the Army, Navy, Air Force,Marines and Coast Guard, lands on Naval Support Ac-tivity Bethesda (NSAB) during Staff Appreciation Dayfestivities at Walter Reed Bethesda on Friday.

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan Parde

NSAB Commanding Officer Capt. Frederick Kassflips a burger under the watchful eye of celebrity chefRobert Irvine, center, Friday.

2 Thursday, May 23, 2013 The Journal

Published by offset every Thurs-day by Comprint Military Publi-cations, 9030 Comprint Court,Gaithersburg, Md. 20877, a pri-vate firm in no way connectedwith the U.S. Navy, under ex-clusive written contract with theWalter Reed National MilitaryMedical Center, Bethesda, Md.This commercial enterprise news-paper is an authorized publication formembers of the military services. Contentsof The Journal are not necessarily the of-ficial views of, nor endorsed by, the U.S.Government, the Department of Defense,or the Department of Navy. The appearanceof advertising in this publication, includinginserts or supplements, does not constituteendorsement by the Department of De-fense or Comprint, Inc., of the products orservices advertised. Everything advertisedin this publication shall be made availablefor purchase, use or patronage without re-

gard to race, color, religion, sex,national origin, age, maritalstatus, physical handicap,political affiliation, or anyother non-merit factor of thepurchaser, user, or patron.Editorial content is edited,prepared and provided bythe Public Affairs Office, Naval

Support Activity Bethesda, Md.News copy should be submitted to

the Public Affairs Office, Building 11, lowerlevel, Room 41, by noon one week pre-ceding the desired publication date. Newsitems are welcomed from all installationsources. Inquiries about news copy will beanswered by calling 301-295-1803. Com-mercial advertising should be placed withthe publisher by telephoning 301-921-2800.Publisher’s advertising offices are locatedat 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md.20877. Classified ads can be placed by call-ing 301-670-1700.

Naval Support Activity (NSA) BethesdaCommanding Officer: Capt. Frederick (Fritz) Kass

Public Affairs Officer NSAB: Joseph MacriPublic Affairs Office NSAB: 301-295-1803

Journal StaffStaff Writers MC2 John Hamilton

MASNApril BeazerMCSN Brandon Williams-ChurchSarah MarshallSharon Renee TaylorCat DeBinderDavid A. DickinsonJeremy Johnson

Managing Editor MC2 Nathan Parde

WRNMMC Editor Bernard LittleWalter Reed National Military Medical CenterOffice of Media Relations 301-295-5727

Fleet And Family Support Center 301-319-4087WRNMMC OmbudsmanJulie Bondar 443-854-5167

NSAB OmbudsmanJojo Lim Hector 703-901-6730

Visit us on Facebook:Naval Support Activity Bethesda page:https://www.facebook.com/NSABethesda

Walter Reed National Medical Center page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Walter-Reed-National-Military-Medical-Center/295857217111107

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sci-ences page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Uni-formed-Services-University-of-the-Health-Sciences/96338890888?fref=ts

Stages of HealingWalter Reed Bethesda’s Stages of Healing

hostsDanceExchange,Movement andMeaningworkshop, tomorrow at noon in MemorialAuditorium. Everyone is invited to attend thefree event, which promotes conscious movingand critical thinking. For more information,call Dr. Micah Sickel at 301-295-2492.

Arsenic: King of PoisonsThe National Museum of Health and

Medicine hosts the free program, “King ofPoisons: A History of Arsenic,” a presentationby John Parascandola, Ph.D., on Tuesday from6 to 7 p.m. in the Silver Spring Civic Building,Fenton Room at 1 Veterans Place in SilverSpring, Md. In real life and fiction, arsenic haslong held a place as an instrument of murderand suicide. Arsenic had many other surpris-ing applications in the past, from wallpaperand paint to cosmetics and candy, often result-ing in accidental poisoning. Parascandola willexamine this phenomenon during his presen-tation. For more information, call 301-319-3303 or email [email protected].

Spring Commuter FairNaval Support Activity Bethesda will host

a Spring Commuter Fair in Building 9 onWednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fair willbe held between the Building 9 escalators andThe Wedge and will feature Metro, van pooloperators, the Department of Defense transitbenefit office and more. Come out to investi-gate new ways to get to work and speak withtransit providers in your area.

Ask Your LeadershipAsk Your Leadership is a staff communica-

tion tool for you to view and post questionsand comments for official responses from theWalter Reed Bethesda (WRB) command lead-ership. The tool is on the WRB Intranet page,click on the Town Hall/Leadership Forum icon,and then click on Ask Your Leadership.

Bethesda Notebook

Memorial Daybears a specialmeaning to manyof us at the Na-tion’s MedicalCenter. For a num-ber of years, we’vebeen on the receiv-ing end of thoseclinging to life andmany of us haveserved alongsidethose who’ve paidthe ultimate sacri-fice, but their lega-cies will live onin our hearts andminds forever.These brave

men and women, patriots, protectingfreedom around the world, laid downtheir lives so many of us could livefree from the grips of tyranny. Ournoble service members are no longerseated at the table with their lovedones, but their dedication, commit-ment and most importantly valor, ismost worthy of being honored on thisgreat day.As you fly our Nation’s great flag

or visit our Nation’s cemeteries tohonor our fallen, I invite you to takea moment to reflect upon the sacri-fices that have been made.Memorial Day also represents the

unofficial beginning of summer. Asmany of us celebrate this occasionwith family gatherings, parades andbarbeques, I ask that you put safetyfirst and consider the “101 CriticalDays of Summer,” the time betweenMemorial Day and Labor Day. Dur-ing this time we often witness an in-crease in accidents due to an increasein outdoor activities and travel.Each year, prior to Memorial Day,

our command offers a number ofSafety briefing sessions. I know manyof you attended one of yesterday’s

sessions that werefull of importanttips to help us navi-gate safely throughthe summer.. If youwould like addi-tional tips, or wishto share these tipswith friends or fam-ily members, pleasevisit our Safety De-partment’s homepage that can befound on our com-mand intranet underadditional links.I will share with

you a few helpfultips that you should

bear in mind throughout the year.For example, if you’re driving longdistance, take breaks, get plenty ofrest, and switch drivers frequentlyto ensure no one is tired behind thewheel. If you’re enjoying festivitiesby the water, make sure that youhave the proper safety equipment,and never dive into shallow waters,or waters of unknown depth. If you’recooking on the grill, check your gastank hose for leaks, especially if it’sthe first time you’re using the grillthis year. Always use sunscreen, andif you’re going to drink, please do soresponsibly.Enjoy this extended weekend.

Be safe, have fun, and remember topause for a moment to salute and re-member those who gave their lives inservice to this country. Please knowthat your dedication and commit-ment to our Nation’s service mem-bers and their families is always ap-preciated - What You do matters!

Commander sendsRear Adm. Alton L. StocksMC, USNWalter Reed NationalMilitary Medical Center

Commander’s Column

The Journal Thursday, May 23, 2013 3

By Jeremy K. JohnsonNSAB Public Affairs

staff writer

Navy Medicine Profes-sional Development Center(NMPDC) welcomed Capt.Carey Sill as its new com-manding officer in a changeof command ceremony heldat Memorial Auditorium lastFriday.

Sill steps in for Capt. LeeCornforth, who took com-mand of NMPDC in April of2011.

The center’s daily op-erations include more than2,500 students, 1,800 staffmembers, and 40 enlistedtechnical schools in morethan 65 medical courses ofinstruction provided at morethan 18 locations across theUnited States.

During his tour, Cornforthwas responsible for guidingNMPDC through severalcommand reorganizationsand is credited by the NavyMedicine Education andTraining Command withleading “the most complextransformation of enlistedmedical training in Depart-ment of Defense history.”

Guest speaker and Deputy

Surgeon General of the NavyRear Adm. Michael Mittel-man lauded these and otheraccomplishments as signsof Cornforth’s personality.“Lee Cornforth’s characterand reputation have beendefined by his dedication toothers, especially his familyand friends, those exchangestudents Lee and [his wife]Becky have taken into theirhome from other nations, hislevel headedness, quick wit,and his embodiment of theNavy’s core values of honor,courage and commitmentover his 27 years of activeduty service.”

Mittelman then welcomedSill by expressing confidencein her abilities to handle therole. “With a service reputa-tion that precedes her as amagnanimous people per-son with a sense of humor,her tour as executive officerat Naval Hospital Naplesand more recently as headdetailer at Navy Person-nel Command, Carey is theperfect officer to succeedLee,” said Mittelman. “Herwell honed leadership skillscombined with her detailedknowledge of Navy Medi-cine’s personal developmentprograms positions her not

only to take this commandto new heights but shapethe future of Navy Medicine.Carey, you have big shoes tofill, but Vice Adm. Nathanand I are confident you’reboth ready and able to takeon this challenge.”

Capt. Sill introduced her-self by sharing part of hervision as the incoming com-manding officer. “I want toshare with you one of myfavorite quotes and really,words to live by. CaptainSully Sullenberger, the pilotwho heroically landed theUS Airways jet on the Hud-son River four years ago,said afterward that ‘I havespent many years makingbig deposits into the bankof experience so that whenthe day came and I neededit, I could make a very largewithdrawal.’ To me, that iswhat the Navy MedicineProfessional DevelopmentCenter is all about,” she ex-plained, “providing opportu-nity and making big depositsin the bank of experience forour men and women in mili-tary medicine to build uponso when they need to maketheir own withdrawal, theycan do so with confidenceand skill.”

Before wrapping up, theevent transitioned from achange of command to a re-tirement for Cornforth, rec-

ognizing his nearly threedecades of service, as wellas the sacrifices made by hisfamily during that time.

NMPDC Welcomes New Commanding Officer

Photo by Jeremy K. Johnson

Capt. Carey Sill (left) relieves Capt. Lee Cornforth(right) as commanding officer, Navy Medicine Profes-sional Development Center, at a ceremony held inMemorial Auditorium at Walter Reed National Mili-tary Medical Center last Friday. Commander, NavyMedicine Education and Training Capt. Gail Hatha-way looks on.

By David A. DickinsonWRNMMC Journal

staff writer

On May 13, Nurses Week2013 concluded at WalterReed Bethesda with the105th birthday celebrationof the Navy Nurse Corps.During the festivities, RearAdm. Elizabeth Niemyer,deputy chief, Wounded, Ill,and Injured, Bureau of Med-icine and Surgery, and the23rd director of the NavyNurse Corps, discussed thelegacy of Navy nursing.

“I want to take this op-portunity to personally saythank you to all the nurseswho make up the Navy’snursing team – active andreserve component nurses,as well as our federal ci-vilian and contract nursepeers,” said Niemyer. “Youare the reason the NavyNurse Corps has enjoyed105 years of exceptionalclinical leadership in sup-

port of Navy medicine.Without the entire teamworking together, we couldnot have met the operation-

al and health benefit mis-sion requirements asked ofour corps.”

In 1908, Congress au-

thorized the establishmentof a female Nurse Corpswithin the United StatesNavy after several years

of advocacy by the Chiefof the Bureau of Medicineand Surgery. Prior to theestablishment of the nursecorps, women had beenworking unofficially asnurses aboard Navy shipsand inside Navy hospitalsfor nearly 100 years. Thecharter group of women toformally serve as membersof the Navy nursing team,came to be called “The Sa-cred Twenty.” They were as-signed to the Naval MedicalSchool Hospital in Washing-ton, D.C.

“Since the days of The Sa-cred Twenty, the Navy nurs-ing team has served withhonor, courage and commit-ment,” Niemyer said. “Navynurses are key members ofthe global health care net-work of 63,000 Navy medi-cal personnel around theworld involved in the provi-sion of the highest quality

Navy Nurse Corps Celebrates 105th Birthday

Photo by Sarah Marshall

Intensive Care Unit nurses Ms. Edith Ameagwali and Navy Lt. Brian Wilson en-sure optimum care for patient Jackie Thompson.

See NURSE page 8


By Sharon Renee TaylorWRNMMC Journal

staff writer

Diabetes Mellitus and anew, audiological treatmentfor Schizoaffective Disordertopped the subjects present-ed in a medical case reportposter competition honor-ing research and innovationduring a weeklong celebra-tion at Walter Reed Nation-al Military Medical Center(WRNMMC), recently.The medical case report

posters covered a diversityof topics, such as chiro-practic techniques, inducedcoma, and white blood cellscans.“Competitors were from

all reaches of the commandand included nurses, train-ees, therapists, audiolo-gists, speech pathologists,therapists and many otherprofessionals,” explainedCol. (Dr.) Michael R. Nel-son, deputy commanderfor education, training andresearch. “This highly suc-cessful poster competitionhighlights the breadth ofcommitment to advancing

patient care at WRNMMCand throughout the militaryhealthcare system.”The purpose of the com-

petition is to report inter-esting clinical findings, togive young investigatorsa chance to present, aswell as, “highlight, supportand celebrate the extraor-dinary case work and re-search being conducted atWRNMMC,” according toDeb Murphy, academic re-search education coordina-tor with the Departmentof Research Programs, whoorganized the contest andfive others held during theresearch-focused event.Hosted at the medical

center for nearly 15 years,the case report poster com-petition also provides a fo-rum for investigators whosework may not otherwise beseen, she explained. Thegroup of contest competi-tors consisted of interns,residents, fellows, andWRNMMC staff memberswith interests in academic

Award-winning Case Reports Highlight WRNMMC Innovation

By Bernard S. LittleWRNMMC Journal

staff writer

Six physicians at Wal-ter Reed Bethesda recentlyearned top research awardsfor their work to improvepatient care.Navy Cmdr. Kevin

O’Meara, Air Force Maj.Candace Percival, ArmyMaj. Micah Hill, Army Capt.Ashleigh Pavey, Army Capt.Elizabeth Polfer, and ArmyCapt.. Ryan Walk earnedawards in the Bailey K.Ashford (BKA) and RobertA. Phillips (RAP) researchcompetitions. They present-ed their works during a Re-search and Innovation Weeksymposium on April 19 atWalter Reed Bethesda.The BKA Clinical Re-

search Award was estab-lished through the effortsof Col. Marcel E. Conrad,the first chief of ClinicalInvestigation at the formerWalter Reed Army MedicalCenter. The award is namedin honor of the Army physi-cian whose research is cred-

ited with helping to solvethe problem of hookworm-induced anemia in PuertoRico during the early 1900s.

The Department of Clini-cal Investigation added thelaboratory component tothe BKA Research Awards

in 1996. The awards are in-tended to promote a lifelongcommitment to advancingmilitary health care, ac-

cording to officials in theDepartment of ResearchProgram at Walter ReedBethesda.The RAP Award is a

self-nominated award rec-ognizing research excel-lence from all researchers(both military and Depart-ment of Defense civilians)at the resident and staff/fellow level for work on anapproved research project.The award is named for theNavy officer and researchernoted for his work to helpcholera victims, establish-ing Navy Medical ResearchUnits globally, and develop-ing an oral lavage processdescribed by medical care-givers as a highly effectiveglucose-based treatmentwhich has saved millions oflives annually.O’Meara, a pediatric gas-

troenterology and nutritionfellow, earned the RAP lab-oratory fellow/staff award.“I have done basic lab re-search to understand theimmune system and regen-

Physicians Earn Annual Research Awards

U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Lara R. Bollinger

Then Lt. Cmdr. Kevin O’Meara, a pediatric physician from Joint Special Opera-tions Task Force Philippines, feels the parotid glands of a child with mumps dur-ing a medical civic action program during Exercise Balikatan 2009 in Limpapa,Zamboanga. Balikatan means “Shoulder to Shoulder,” an annual exercise for theArmed Forces of the Philippines supported by the U.S. Military.

See RESEARCH page 5

Photo by Sharon Renee Taylor

Research and research poster award winners are honored during research andinnovation week at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Honoreesinclude (left to right) Maj. Candace Percival, Capt. Ryan Walk, Maj. ChristopherTracy, Lt. Michelle Cox, Capt. Bryant Webber, Capt. Elizabeth Polfer, Maj. MicahHill (back row) and Dr. Evie Ortiz.See REPORTS page 8


eration of cells in the intes-tines when they are affect-ed by Inflammatory BowelDisease (IBD). I hope thatas we better understandthe beginnings of IBD andhow it progresses, we mightbe able to abort the processin high risk individuals, ormodify the disease to beless severe,” he explained.

Percival, a pediatric en-docrinologist, earned theRAP clinical fellow/staffaward. “I explored the rela-tionship between hormonesthat are known to affectappetite - leptin and adipo-nectin - both in overweightand normal weight adoles-cents, and evaluated howthey correlated with allergysignaling pathways and vi-tamin D. We learned thereare important correlationsbetween the allergy path-ways of adolescents whohave changes in their appe-tite hormones in the face ofobesity and that these seemto be strongly related to vi-tamin D deficiency.

“We are hoping that thisproject, and follow-on proj-ects, may help to further[illuminate] these impor-tant relationships to helpimprove our understand-ing and treatment optionsfor patients,” Percival ex-plained.

Polfer, an orthopaedicsurgery research fellow,earned the RAP laboratoryresident award for develop-ing a model for heterotopicossification (HO), a forma-tion of mature lamellar bonein non-osseous (bone) mate-rial such as muscle. “Therehave been two large stud-ies out of this institutionlooking at the prevalence ofHO in our combat wound-ed which demonstrated aprevalence of about 65 per-cent among amputees andextremity trauma. HO canresult in symptoms of pain,ulceration, regression withphysical therapy, decreasedrange of motion and neuro-vascular entrapment.

“Currently, there are nofeasible means for primaryprophylaxis [treatment]and if the patients do notrespond to non-operativetherapy (adjustment of ac-

tivity, pain medications,prosthetics, sockets), thenthe only treatment optionleft is surgical excision,”Polfer explained.

“The purpose of thisresearch is to develop amodel, similar in injury towhat our combat woundedexperience so we can thenuse the model to test tra-ditional and new meansof primary prophylaxis aswell as other treatment op-tions. Ultimately, we wantto decrease the disease bur-den of HO on our woundedwarriors.”

Pavey, a second-year pe-diatric resident physician,earned the RAP clinicalresident award for her re-search into the risk of ad-verse birth outcomes ininfants born into familieswith a history of intimatepartner violence or domes-tic abuse. “I found that in-fants born in families withviolence are at increasedrisk for adverse healthoutcomes. If we, as medi-cal providers, can identifythese families early, we canimprove the health out-comes of our military chil-dren.”

A general surgery chiefresident, Walk earned theBKA laboratory award. “Iwas involved in studyingthe [use] of a new deviceknown as ‘non-thermal’or ‘cold’ plasma for cancertreatment,” he explained.“Basically, this device com-bines electricity with he-lium gas to create a com-pound that can kill cancercells.” The physician saidhe used the device to studyits ability in treating neu-roblastoma, “a common anddeadly childhood cancer.”

“As it turned out, coldplasma was quite effectivein our model,” Walk added.“It will take quite a bit ofwork and time to transitionfrom using this technology[in the lab] to treating can-cers in children,” Walk said.“Nonetheless, we are hope-ful that this might offer away to effectively treat acancer that often carries apoor prognosis when treat-ed with the current stan-dard therapies.”

Hill, assistant professorof obstetrics and gynecol-ogy at the Uniformed Ser-vices University and clini-cal fellow in ReproductiveEndocrinology and Infertil-

ity at Walter Reed Bethes-da, earned the BKA clini-cal award. “We performed areview of seven years of avery unique protocol called‘GnRH antagonist rescue’which we developed for IVF(in vitro fertilization) pa-tients. The protocol helpsreduce patient’s risk of hav-ing a cancelled IVF cycle ordeveloping ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome,” thephysician explained.

“Our research answerednumerous key clinical ques-tions about the protocol andmost importantly, demon-strated that it results inexcellent live birth ratesfor IVF in patients at veryhigh risk of ovarian hyperstimulation,” Hill added.“This research resulted inseveral changes to our med-ical practices which havefurther reduced the risk ofovarian hyper stimulationsyndrome in our patients.”

The award-winning phy-sicians received a com-memorative coin and a cashaward of $500 for their re-search efforts. Winners ofthe RAP competition moveon to the Navy-wide re-search competition held an-nually in May.

RESEARCHContinued from 4

10361741038408


By Mass CommunicationSpecialist Seaman

BrandonWilliams-Church

NSAB Public Affairsstaff writer

In today’s job market, em-ployers place high value onan applicant with a collegedegree.With the 21st centuryarguably being the toughestto attain and maintain a job,having a higher educationis priceless. To help militarymembers answer questionsabout receiving that highereducation, on May 16, “TheCollege Education Fair” washeld in the Building 17 Atri-um.Director of Navy College

Bethesda Elizabeth Bakerorganized the event, whichbrought several colleges anduniversities on base. “Everyyear, we invite Navy collegedistance learning schools andarea college and universi-ties to give service membersthe opportunity to meet withschools they don’t normallyhave the opportunity to meetwith,” said Baker.“We have the ‘Distance

Partnership Program’ whichsets up rate-related degreesfor Navy personnel. Say youwere a cryptologic techni-cian (CT) and you wanted toupgrade your SMART tran-script, you would go onto theNavy College website, look updistance learning partnershipschools, search for the CT rateand you would see the schoolsaffiliated that have developeddegrees that would maximizeyour SMART transcript. Inaddition, if you don’t want toget a rate-related degree andwant to go to school in thearea, we have a great dealof schools that are happy topresent their material to ser-vice members.”Many of the schools pre-

sented information to helpservice members continuewith their education or obtaintheir first degree. AmericanMilitary University (AMU),Colorado Technical Univer-sity (CTU), National Univer-sity, Oklahoma Universityand the University of Mary-land University College wereamong the many colleges inattendance.Many of the schools at the

fair have developed specialprograms geared toward themilitary community.CTU offers a special pro-

gram geared towards helpingwounded warriors take thenext step in their education.Josie Alcaraz, director of mili-tary relations and director of

the CTU wounded warriorscholarship program, pre-sented information about thewounded warrior scholarshipprogram in which the univer-sity hands out 25 scholarshipsto wounded warriors and 25scholarships to the spouses ofwounded warriors. The schol-arship covers tuition, fees,textbooks and offers a freelaptop to the recipient.“Our focus is to make sure

that we continue to help asmany military and militaryaffiliate students as possible,”said Alcaraz. “Every day westrive to maintain a close re-lationship, so that when wesay we are military friendly,we can back that up. [Servicemembers] have a done a lotfor our country and this is ourway of giving back to themthrough the different pro-grams like the CTU woundedwarrior scholarship.”Approximately 33 percent

of the student population forCTU is military. The univer-sity offers a deployment pol-icy, military tuition rates andwaived book fees.AMU also boasted about its

special programs for militarymembers.“We are the number one

provider of voluntary educa-tion in the military and we’re100 percent online delivery,”

said Craig Gillman, mili-tary outreach coordinator.“We have associates, bach-elors and master’s degrees.Our mission is to provideaffordable education to themilitary and those in gov-ernment and public service.For active duty military, wewaive all fees and our cost oftuition is pegged to the mili-tary tuition reimbursementrate. On the associates andbachelor’s level programs,all course materials are pro-vided via a grant, so there isno cost out of pocket to themilitary. Many of the profes-sors are former military sothey understand what mili-

tary people go through on aday-to-day basis.”AMU offers open enroll-

ment to civilians, flexibilityof scheduling and one of thelargest criminal justice pro-grams in the country.The education fair stressed

the importance of getting thenext level education to bet-ter yourself in and out of themilitary.“If you look at the way the

economy is going right now,with the layoff of jobs, theyare requiring you to havemore education,” said Sgt.1st Class Danielle L. Archer,troop command senior careercounselor. “Before an asso-

ciate’s degree was the goodthing, but now they want youto have a bachelor’s and thenthey want to see that you arelooking towards your mas-ter’s degree.As far as militarygoes, it helps with promotionand it helps develop the [ser-vice member] into a betterleader [who is] more knowl-edgeable and well-rounded.”“Having a higher education

is the most important thing,”said Baker. “It’s a service youdo for yourself as a servicemember to get that educa-tion. It will be applied to allaspects of your life for now,your future and for your fam-ily’s future.”

Service Members Experience College Education Fair

Photos by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brandon Williams-Church

Service members and civilian patrons listen to presentations from different col-leges and universities at the College Education Fair, May 16.

Aaliyah El-Amin, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) Coordinator for University ofMaryland University College, discusses teaching plans with Army Capt. Alshonta Clemons, Uunites StatesArmy Element, WRNMMC Troop Command.


Staff Appreciation Day

Photo by Stuart Gelb

New York firefighters turn over a piece of the WorldTrade Center to be displayed at the Walter Reed Na-tional Military Medical Center. A special honor guardof service members from the Army, Navy, Air Forceand Marines accepted the steel beam.


Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band perform during Staff Appreciation Day at Wal-ter Reed Bethesda.


A little girl excitedly picks out what design she wants painted on her face.

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan Parde

Staff were treated to a cookout that included foods such as burgers, chicken sand-wiches, pasta salad, baked beans and cake.


Glenn Juarez, 11, climbs a rock wall during Staff Ap-preciation Day.


safe patient- and family-centered comprehen-sive and compassionate care to over 9.7 millioneligible beneficiaries.”

In 1968, the first male Navy nurse, Lt. Clar-ence Cole, was commissioned in the Navy NurseCorps.

Today, Navy nurses not only serve woundedwarriors, their families and others at the Na-tion’s Medical Center, Walter Reed Bethesda,but are deployed globally, participating in hu-manitarian and combat support missions withfleet surgical teams, as flight nurses, aboardhospital ships and aircraft carriers, and withtheir battle buddies in Marine Corps and Armyunits, Niemyer explained.

“An integrated, highly-regarded team of pro-fessionals, Navy nurses are uniquely trainedand qualified to lead the provision of exceptionalhealth care in extremely diverse environments,”the director of the Navy Nurse Corps concluded.

Also during the celebration, Niemyer pre-sented Walter Reed Bethesda Commander, RearAdm. (Dr.) Alton Stocks, a citation, and pinnedhim as an honorary Navy nurse.

In a message to Navy Nurse Corps person-nel celebrating their 105th birthday, Vice Adm.(Dr.) Matthew Nathan, U.S. Navy surgeon gen-eral and chief, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicineand Surgery, stated, “Today, we honor the bril-liant accomplishments, courage, and commit-ment of Navy Nurses who helped to set the barhigh for military medicine around the world.Our nurses are published and renowned scien-tists, researchers, teachers, providers and clini-cians. Their continued work and dedication haveearned them a prominent place in the UnitedStates Navy.”

NURSEContinued from 3

medicine, or those seeking to fulfill academicor program requirements, according to Murphy.Some competitors devote up to a year preparingtheir case reports and posters.

Twelve finalists emerged from more than 52entries submitted. A panel of four judges select-ed two winners after a 20-minute oral presenta-tion from each finalist.

Navy Lt. (Dr.) Michele Cox won the intern/resident category for her case report poster,“Case Report of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in anAdolescent Female with a History of Neuroblas-toma: Autoantibodies and Clinical Disease.”

Walter Reed Bethesda audiologist Evie Ortiz

won the fellow/staff category for her case reportposter, “Audiology Use of Tinnitus Sound Gen-erators to Target Homicidal and Suicidal Com-mand Auditory Hallucinations in a patient withtreatment resistant schizoaffective disorder.”

Ortiz’s poster detailed her innovative treat-ment of a wounded warrior with auditory hal-lucinations. After a traditional treatment regi-men of medications, magnetic imaging and aninpatient stay did not work for the patient, whoheard voices in her head, Ortiz said Army Capt.(Dr.) Rohul Amin, a psychiatry resident, askedthe audiologist to treat the patient with a tin-nitus sound generator, a device typically used totreat ringing in the ears.

“Only three other patients in the world havebeen treated this way,” Ortiz said, and thosewere in Japan. She reported the treatment, “ex-tremely successful,” and explained the patientcan now walk, read a book, take classes and

do normal day-to-day things she was unable toprior to the innovative approach used by herhealthcare providers.

“Dr. Amin took a step out and decided to dosomething different,” Ortiz said. “We ended upbeing a great team working on this. Clearlythere’s more to do. We are trying to expand onthis and see other types of psychiatric patients.”

Teamwork was a recurring theme for win-ning entries this year, according to Nelson, whoserved as one of the four judges for the case re-port poster oral presentations.

“Our winning submissions were accomplishedalmost exclusively through interdisciplinaryand/or inter-professional teams in a mannerthat is creating lasting partnerships and novelapproaches to patient care,” he explained.

Rear Adm. (Dr.) Alton L. Stocks, WRNMMCcommander, presented awards to Ortiz and Cox,along with nine additional winners in five otherposter competitions including Robert A. Phil-lips, Bailey K. Ashford, Lean Six Sigma, Qualityand Performance Improvement, and Evidence-Based Practice and Patient Safety competitions.

Nelson said he was extremely impressed bythe breadth and quality of the submissionsfor the six competitions. “As a member of theWRNMMC healthcare team, I am proud to workamong such gifted and dedicated colleagues whodemonstrate how research, patient safety andquality improvement are an important part ofour culture at WRNMMC.”

REPORTSContinued from 4

1038651


1038684


By David A. DickinsonWRNMMC Journal staff writer

Walter Reed National MilitaryMedical Center (WRNMMC) Com-mander, Rear Adm. (Dr.) Alton L.Stocks announced on May 9, Da-vid Rohrbaugh, a pharmacist, waselected among the nine candidatesseeking to be the next civilian rep-resentative to the Board of DeputyCommanders.Rohrbaugh will provide the civil-

ian perspective to senior leadershiprepresented at the board level, aswell as coordinate the civilian ofthe quarter and civilian of the yearaward process. He will also ensureissues affecting civilians are broughtbefore the BOD and addressed. Hesucceeds Cat DeBinder, who servedas the civilian representative on theBOD for the past four years.The civilian representative to the

BOD was created from a suggestionmade during an Admiral’s Call in2000. Rear Adm. Kathleen L. Mar-tin, then the commander of the for-

mer National Naval Medical Center,“felt the voice of our civilians shouldbe heard by the board,” DeBinder ex-plained.Civilians are a vital compo-

nent to the successful operation ofWRNMMC, DeBinder explained. Sheexplained the civilian representativeto the BOD “is the voice of all the ci-vilians [at Walter Reed Bethesda],and also the voice of the board to thecivilians. [Serving on the BOD] hasbeen the most gratifying experiencein my 35 years working at Bethes-da,” she added.Rohrbaugh expressed his appre-

ciation for the opportunity to serveas a liaison, between civilians andcommand leadership.“I decided to run because I was

confident that I could make a differ-ence and be both constructive andeffective,” Rohrbaugh said. “I will domy very best to represent the inter-ests of civilians by assuring that ev-eryone’s input and contributions areconsidered and valued during boarddeliberations.”

Civilian Employees ElectRepresentative to the BOD

Lt. Cmdr. Daron PattonPreventive Medicine

Department

Service members from WalterReed National Military Medical Cen-ter (WRNMMC) shared their knowl-edge of food safety and sanitation,assisting the Department of Energy(DOE) Headquarters with Food San-itation training on May 2.The Walter Reed Bethesda team

included environmental health/pre-ventive medicine specialists, withmore than 30 years of combined ex-perience in food safety and sanita-tion. While the partnership providedDOE with necessary training andsaved them costs, it also gave theWalter Reed Bethesda trainers ad-ditional practice educating studentsin food sanitation.DOE Headquarters has multiple

internal food service locations toserve DOE as well as other federalgovernment staff in the Washington,D.C. region. DOE leadership request-ed training for their senior contract-ing staff responsible for managingfacility logistics and oversight of thefood service contracts for these loca-tions, to ensure contracting and pro-gram management professionals hadincreased knowledge of food service

professionals. It also gave the DOEprofessionals a broad idea of federal/local regulations on food service.Lt. Cmdr. Ulda Perez, chief, En-

vironmental Health Service atWRNMMC, led a team of two pre-ventive medicine technicians inpresenting a three-hour classroomsession on food safety and sanita-tion, at the DOE. Navy Petty OfficerAlan Aaron and Army Spec. BriannaAlleyne adapted the training fromthe Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) Food Code and military foodsanitation courses. The enlisted in-structors regularly serve as healthinspectors for WRNMMC and thenumerous National Capital Regionmilitary sites under its public healthjurisdiction.“The [DOE] students were en-

gaged in the class,” Perez said. “Theyasked very interesting questionsand provided diverse opinions. It isalways entertaining to share experi-ences at all levels of knowledge andexperience on food safety.”Walter Reed Bethesda’s team pre-

sentation was well received and theinstructors were able to translate

often complex microbiological pro-cesses into easily understood foodsafety principles, according to theWRNNMC environmental health/preventive medicine staff. Studentsasked engaging questions on foodsafety and sanitation.The lecture was followed by a

guided tour of DOE food facilitykitchens, including areas of food re-ceiving, storage, preparation andserving. DOE students accompaniedWRNMMC instructors through foodfacilities and were able to ask on-the-spot questions about food pro-tection, time and temperature risks,and pest control.“This was a great training oppor-

tunity to work with DOE. As a Sail-or and Corpsman, it was also greatto work with our in-house Armycounterpart in presenting the class,”Aaron noted. “All Department of De-fense branches are currently train-ing for a joint food regulation comingout later this year that’s based onthe FDA’s Food Code. Teaching FoodCode to DOE helped improve our in-structors’ knowledge of that sourceregulation and our ability to get upand teach in various settings.”“The students were very attentive

and gave lots of feedback on foodsafety problems they had seen in thepast,” Alleyne added. “It was a greatinteractive experience for us as in-structors.”

Walter Reed Bethesda, DOE Partner for Food Safety Training


Army Spec. Brianna Alleyne and Navy Petty Officer Alan Aaronadapted the training from the Food and Drug Administration FoodCode and military food sanitation courses and recently assisted theDepartment of Energy Headquarters with food sanitation training.

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