Commissioned Officers Association>>News

Please visit their website at www.llu.edu/public-health for a full description of the programs that they offer. If you would be interested in receiving an online application, please contact Dwight Barrett, Assistant Dean of Student Services, for Loma Linda University School of Public Health at dbarrett@llu.edu.

Public Health

Public Health Reports Meet the Author Webcasts Presents: Socioeconomic Status and Risk of Diabetes-Related Mortality in the U.S.

07/07/2010 - Despite decades of public health and medical interventions, diabetes has remained one of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States. Surprisingly, little is known about the extent of socioeconomic differences in diabetes-related mortality, due in large part to the paucity of data sources which contain health, mortality, as well as robust socioeconomic information. This webcast will discuss an approach to address some of the previous data limitations by examining socioeconomic differences in diabetes-related mortality. The webcast presentation will focus on a recent study published in Public Health Reports (volume 125-3; pp 377-88) that uses nationally representative data sources and demonstrates the socioeconomic gradient in diabetes-related mortality in the U.S.

Speaker: Sharon Saydah PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Diabetes Translation

"Retooling the Uniformed US Public Health Service for the 21st Century" Article in JAMA on May 26, 2010

"Retooling the Uniformed US Public Health Service for the 21st Century"
Donald A. Donahue, Jr. , Richard H. Carmona .
JAMA / May, 2010 / volume: 303 (pages: 2080 - 2081)

Presidential Memorandum--Delegation of Authority to Appoint Commissioned Officers of the Ready Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service

SUBJECT: Delegation of Authority to Appoint Commissioned Officers of the Ready Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service.

By virtue of the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby assign to you the functions of the President under section 203 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by Public Law 111-148, to appoint commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps. The exercise of this authority is limited to appointments of individuals who were extended offers of employment for appointment and call to active duty in the Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service with an appointment date subsequent to March 23, 2010, the date of enactment of Public Law 111-148, but who were not on active duty on that date, and those individuals who are selected for the 2010 Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program. This authority may not be re delegated.

You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

"The Insurmountable Opportunity: The Debate After Healthcare Reform"
By Mark Trahant

06/01/2010 - Native American Journalist Mark Trahant's opening keynote presentation on Wednesday morning, May 26th at the PHS Scientific and Training Symposium in San Diego was a highlight of the entire week. Mr. Trahant suggests the Indian Health Service as a model for health care reform in the United States. He spoke not only as an informed observer and reporter on health care issues, but also, and perhaps even more importantly, as a consumer of health care in both IHS and other health care systems. Mr. Trahant's probing and thought-provoking remarks are a must read for all interested in real health care reform, but most especially for all officers of the PHS Commissioned Corps.

U.S. Public Health Service Information Needs during Deployment Survey - Now Available

04/12/2010 - The purpose of this survey is to assess the information seeking practices, sources of information, preferred methods of access, and unmet information needs of U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) officers involved with medical and public health disaster and emergency preparedness, response, and recovery.

Librarians at the National Institutes of Health Library, Uniformed Services University Learning Resource Center, and the National Library of Medicine worked in cooperation with the PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health to develop and administer this survey.

03/03/2010 - On March 2, 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Hui vs. Castaneda, an important case for PHS Commissioned Corps officers. The central question in the case is "Does 42 USC Section 233(a) make the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) the exclusive remedy for claims arising from medical care and related functions provided by Public Health Service personnel?" COA submitted a "Friend of the Court" brief supporting the positions of the petitioners, PHS officers, that the FTCA does, in fact, protect Commissioned Corps officers from personal lawsuits for actions performed in the line of duty. Without such protection, as clearly recognized by Congress in Title 42, Corps officers would be at risk for malpractice lawsuits wherever they are assigned - a grim and untenable prospect for officers in BOP, Immigration Health Services, and other difficult and often dangerous duty stations. COA's "amicus curiae" brief was joined by the Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. The official, although not yet finally approved transcript of the oral arguments before the Supreme Court is at the link below. The Supreme Court Justices set no timetable for announcing their decisions; but a judgment is expected before the Court recesses for the summer in June.

COA Issues Policy Paper on the Crisis in the Public Health Workforce - Who Speaks for Public Health?

03/01/2010 - The Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service has issued a policy paper calling for a more independent and strengthened Office of the Surgeon General as well an enhanced PHS Commissioned Corps. The COA paper builds on growing concerns in the public health community about the future capacity of the public health workforce.

Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship Program is Now Accepting Applications

12/07/2009 - The National Military Family Association is accepting applications for its Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship Program. Scholarships of up to $1,000 are awarded to military spouses to obtain professional certification or to attend post secondary or graduate school. The program consists of a general scholarship, a scholarship for spouses of the wounded, and a scholarship for spouses of the fallen. Thanks to a partnership with the Fisher House Foundation, Folds of Honor Foundation, and BAE Systems, the Association is able to provide scholarships to a larger number of deserving military spouses.

Applications will only be accepted online at www.militaryfamily.org/scholarships and must be submitted by midnight January 31, 2010. Spouses of uniformed service members (active duty, National Guard and Reserve, retirees, and survivors) of any branch or rank are eligible to apply. The scholarship funds may be used to assist with tuition, fees, and school room and board.

The National Military Family Association recognizes that unique challenges like frequent moves and deployments can interfere with military spouses' ability to complete their education. In order to help spouses reach their career and educational goals, the Association has created a web portal stocked with military spouse education resources and information. Visit www.militaryfamily.org/get-info/spouse-education to access the information.

11/06/2009 - The Military Health System(MHS) will host a Web-based town hall on Nov. 10 from 3 to 4 p.m. EST to respond to questions about novel H1N1 influenza.

Uniformed service members, their families, and health care providers and Department of Defense civilians may submit questions, using the comments box at www.health.mil/flu. As many as possible of the questions submitted in advance, as well as questions asked throughout the live event, will be answered during the Web hall. A transcript of all questions and answers will be posted to the site after the event.

"We want to keep service members and their families informed about the H1N1 flu and the Department of Defense's vaccination strategy," said Michael E. Kilpatrick, M.D., director of strategic communications for the Military Health System. "We want to answer your questions directly, so please join us online on November 10."

Subject matter experts from the Army, Navy and Air Force, the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection and Readiness, the Military Vaccine Agency, TRICARE Management Activity and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are scheduled to participate in the Web hall to provide accurate, up-to-date information about the H1N1 flu and vaccine.

Participants in the Web hall are asked to limit questions to H1N1 flu-related topics and to refrain from disclosing personal information, to protect their privacy. When possible, uniformed service members should contact their chain of command to resolve issues.

10/30/2009 - At 7:03PM on Thursday evening, October 29th, Dr. Regina Benjamin was unanimously confirmed as the 18th U.S. Surgeon General by the full United States Senate. After three long years, the Commissioned Corps once again has a duly confirmed leader and the nation has an fully empowered "Top Doc." Dr. Benjamin's confirmation comes after weeks of a Senate Republican hold on her confirmation in a dispute with DHHS Secretary Sebelius over her order to insurance companies to refrain from sending their beneficiaries what the administration characterized as false and misleading information about the impact of proposed health reform legislation. The Senate Republican's called it a "gag order." That issue has obvioulsy been overcome. Dr. Benjamin's confirmation comes little more than 24 hours after Rear Admiral Don Weaver, USPHS, was named Acting Surgeon General and on the same day as Rear Admiral Steven Galson's formal retirement ceremony. Admiral Galson officially retired from the PHS Commissioned Corps on 1 October 2009 after having served two years as Acting Surgeon General. The Commissioned Officers Assocation extends our congratulations to Surgeon General Benjamin and pledges our full support to ensure her success in this critical time for the nation's public health. COA looks forward to working with Vice Admiral Benjamin to enable the PHS Commissioned Corps to achieve its full potential as the nation's public health leaders under her command.

09/23/2009 - PHR is sponsoring a webinar on lessons-learned from the 1918 influenza pandemic. It is scheduled for November 30, 2009 at 1pm-2:15 pm ET.

Legislative

07/22/2010 - In a crowded and sweltering hearing room on Capitol Hill, COA Executive Director, Jerry Farrell testified yesterday that the PHS Commissioned Corps and the NOAA Corps must be included in the popular GI Bill entitlement that permits eligible Armed Forces personnel to transfer their own unused educational benefits to their dependent spouses or children. The two-hour hearing was held by the senate's Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Farrell had been invited to appear as a witness by Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), the committee chair.

The focus of the hearing was Senate Bill 3447, the chairman's effort to address numerous shortcomings in the original Post-9/11 GI Bill of 2008. The corrective bill, introduced just before Memorial Day, would indeed extend the transferability entitlement to PHS and NOAA officers. So making certain that this provision remains in the bill as it moves through Congress, and explaining why it should remain, was Farrell's objective today. Farrell's oral testimony, along with a much longer written statement that COA submitted to the Committee earlier this week, are the latest developments in a two-year COA campaign to win full parity for PHS officers in the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Conflicting Federal Laws

Farrell said that under Title 42, the Public Health Service Act, PHS officers have been included in all GI Bill benefits for 60 years. The single exception has been the transferability benefit in the 2008 Post-9/11 GI Bill. That exclusion was due to restrictive language in the statute, and the Veterans Administration was unable to do anything about it during its development of implementing regulations in 2009.

Farrell quoted Section 213(d) of Title 42, which says clearly that PHS officers "shall be deemed to be active military service in the Armed Forces of the United States for the purposes of all [emphasis added] laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs." He said Senate Bill 3447 would bring the Post-9/11 GI Bill into conformance with Title 42.

PHS Service to the Nation

Farrell spoke at length about the ways in which PHS officers serve our country in the Post-9/11 world. "Think of the PHS Commissioned Corps as a public health national security force multiplier," he said. "PHS officers train with their military colleagues, participate in joint missions, and serve alongside them in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world." He said that in today's total force environment, fairness demands "equal treatment for all of our uniformed service veterans, regardless of the uniforms in which they happened to serve."

Farrell said that PHS officers are assigned to nearly every state and almost every federal agency, and some even serve "right here on Capitol Hill." But he also said that the number of physicians and dentists in the PHS Commissioned Corps has declined precipitously in recent years, and there are thousands of unfilled billets throughout the public health service. "This is not only a public health crisis, but a crisis for national security," he said.

Funding Transferability

Farrell expressed concerns about a provision in Senate Bill 3447 that would change the way the transferability entitlement is funded. At present, the Veterans' Administration pays for all GI Bill educational benefits transferred to dependents. By the end of April of this year, the Defense Department had approved requests from 105,000 Armed Forces personnel to transfer educational benefits to 240,000 dependent family members - a much broader use of the entitlement than was originally envisioned. The proposed change would require the service members' various agencies (including the Department of Health and Human Services), to reimburse the Veterans' Administration for these costs.

Farrell stated the obvious: If transferability is no longer "free" to the agencies, then they will be far less likely to approve it in response to service members' requests. The result, he said, would be to restrict an extremely popular benefit and reduce the ability of all uniformed services to retain key mid-career professionals. Moreover, he added, "such a change now seems particularly unfair to PHS Commissioned Corps and NOAA Corps, the two small uniformed services so far excluded from this entitlement."

In addition to Chairman Akaka, other committee members present for at least part of the hearing were Senators Mark Begich (D-AK), Scott Brown (R-MA), Richard Burr (R-NC), Roland Burris (D-Il), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Jon Tester (D-MT). Senator Tester, who served as chair during Senator Akaka's absence, asked Farrell if extending the transferability benefit to the PHS Commissioned Corps could help bring qualified health professionals to rural and underserved areas. Farrell's answer was yes.

National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council issues first Report to Congress

07/22/2010 - The National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council, appointed by the President as required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and chaired by the Surgeon General, has issued its first required report to Congress. The Council was established to develop an overarching national public health strategy that will coordinate prevention and heath promotion efforts across government and between the public and private sectors.

Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) Sworn in as President Pro Tem of the U.S. Senate

06/28/2010 - At 2 p.m. today, Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) was sworn in as President Pro Tem of the U.S. Senate, a position that places him third in succession to the presidency. He replaces the late Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, who died early this morning.

Sen. Inouye, who was recently named COA Health Leader of the Year, has long been a champion of the USPHS Commissioned Corps. He is a combat veteran of World War II and a Medal of Honor recipient.

Technically, the President Pro Tem of the Senate is the chamber's highest-ranking member. He or she presides over the Senate while it is in session. The title traditionally has been given to the longest-serving member of the majority party. Sen. Inouye, 85, is serving his eighth term. He chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and serves on several other committees, including Indian Affairs.

06/01/2010 - A legislative change that would extend the popular Post-9/11 GI Bill transferability entitlement to the USPHS Commissioned Corps and NOAA Corps is included in a comprehensive package of proposed improvements to the Post-9/11 GI Bill of 2008.

The new proposals are the work of Sen. Daniel Akaka, Chairman of the Senate's Committee on Veterans Affairs. At a public hearing on April 21, Sen. Akaka promised he would introduce the legislative proposals by Memorial Day. The resulting bill is S. 3447. The official name is Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010.

Winning GI Bill transferability for PHS and NOAA has been the top legislative priority of COA for many months, and the focus of a long-running letter-writing campaign led by the COA Board's Legislation and Benefits Committee. "This represents an incredibly important and most welcome development in our long campaign to see that PHS officers are included in all Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits," said COA Executive Director Jerry Farrell. He credited letters from PHS officers with helping to raise awareness of the issue among key staff on Capitol Hill.

At the same time, Farrell made clear that the COA campaign is far from over. The importance of the inclusion of the PHS and NOAA transferability provision in what is known as the "chairman's mark" cannot be overstated. Still, it does not guarantee that this provision (or, for that matter, any other) will necessarily remain in the bill throughout debate and survive to win final passage in both chambers of Congress.

In remarks for the Congressional Record of May 27, Sen. Akaka described himself as one of three remaining U.S. Senators who benefited from the original GI Bill following World War II. "Now, with ten months of experience under the new program," he said, "I believe it is time to look at what improvements and modifications need to be made in order for the program to reach its potential."

The full text of S. 3447 should be available later this week on the legislative website of the Library of Congress. Visit http://thomas.loc.gov and key in the bill number. See Section 6, "Transfer of Unused Education Benefits to Family Members," and Subsection (b), "Applicability of Entitlement to Members of Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration." The proposed new law would strike the statutory language in the 2008 law that served to exclude PHS and NOAA officers from transferability in the first place.

05/03/2010 - In a unanimous decision handed down on May 3rd, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld the fact the PHS Commissioned Corps officers are protected against claims arising out of actions committed within the scope of their official duties. Finding that "The Court's inquiry begins and ends with [Title 42] §233(a's text" the Justices overturned a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that such immunity had limits. Had the Court upheld the Ninth Circuit's opinion, which would have effectively overturned the liability protection provided in 42USC§233(a), PHS Commissioned Corps officers might have been forced to seek malpractice insurance to guard against civil suits - even for program administrators far removed from the clinical point of action. This is a significant and unequivocal victory for the PHS Commissioned Corps - and for COA which filed an amicus curiae, or friend of the court brief on behalf of our members. COA's amicus brief was joined by the American Medical Association, the Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Timothy B. Hyland, Counsel of Record at Stein, Sperling, Bennett, De Jong, Driscoll & Greenfeig, P.C. prepared the amicus brief as COA's pro bono counsel.

04/20/2010 - On April 21, 2010, COA Executive Director, Jerry Farrell, will be requesting the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs to extend Post-9/11 GI Bill transferability to the USPHS Commissioned Corps and the Commissioned Corps of NOAA.

Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) comments on the TRICARE Affirmation Act passed by Congress

04/14/2010 - Senator Webb comments on the passage of his legislation that explicitly states in law that TRICARE and Department of Defense (DOD) nonappropriated fund (NAF) health plans meet the minimum essential coverage standard for individual health insurance required by the recently enacted health care reform law.

03/22/2010 - With the historic passage of a health reform bill by the House of Representatives last evening, the PHS Commissioned Corps finally has achieved concrete steps toward a real transformation. While COA cannot claim sole credit for the provisions regarding the Surgeon General and the Commissioned Corps in HR 3590, which will be known by its Senate name of the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," this Association has been intimately involved in providing key input to congressional staff, and other public health advocacy groups over the last 18 months. COA's role was to help educate and inform Hill and advocacy group staffs about the Corps and its role in public health - especially the Corps' potential to do much more with some significant organizational changes. COA also provided some of the language which appears in the bill - soon to be law when signed by the President. Specifically, this new law will: 1) Eliminate the cap on the number of Regular Corps officers. Effective on the date the President signs the legislation into law, all PHS Reserve Officers on active duty will immediately transition into the Regular Corps (no more assimilation boards; greater individual protections for all officers); 2) Establish a Ready Reserve Component of the PHS Commissioned Corps. Officers appointed to this Ready Reserve will be subject "at all times" to a call to active duty by the Surgeon General, including active duty for training; 3) Create a "Public Health Sciences Track." This track provides scholarship and loan repayment programs administered by the Surgeon General annually for 150 medical students (ten at USUHS), 100 dental students, 250 nursing students, 100 public health students, 100 behavioral and mental health professional students, 100 physician assistant students, and 50 pharmacy students - a total of 800 per year who accept commissions in the PHS in return for the tuition support. The bill also establishes the "National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public health Council" with the Surgeon General as Chairperson. Members of the Council will include most of the President's Cabinet Secretaries. The Council's portfolio is to provide coordination and leadership for all aspects of public health in the United States. Taken together, these provisions do more to strengthen the Office of the Surgeon General and positively transform the PHS Commissioned Corps than anything else in the last 30 years. This legislation represents a huge victory for the Corps and for COA - but more needs to be done. The establishment of a Ready Reserve and a Public Health Sciences Track both require funding. This new law "authorizes appropriations" for these functions, but actual funding must now be voted in the appropriations bills. And the Department needs to develop and fully implement a comprehensive billet-based force management system to provide assignments for the 800 new officers a year in addition to all currently serving officers. The struggle for full funding and force management will continue - but this is still a significant victory of which all COA members can be justifiably proud.

03/03/2010 - Washington - U.S. Representative Carol Shea-Porter, Democrat from New Hampshire, has signed on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 3657, the House bill that would extend G.I. Bill transferability to the PHS Commissioned Corps and the NOAA Corps. The popular two-term Congresswoman, who represents her state's First Congressional District (Manchester, Dover, and surrounding areas), signed on to the bill yesterday. The information was reported earlier today on the website maintained by the Library of Congress, http://thomas.loc.gov/.

The COA Legislation and Benefits Committee is encouraging PHS officers to write to their U.S. Senators and Representatives about transferability and then share their letters with COA Government Relations Director, Judith Rensberger at jrensberger@coausphs.org.

COA's informal tally shows that all four of New Hampshire's elected representatives in Congress have heard at least once from PHS officers whose homes of record are in that state.

12/01/2009 - Post-9/11 GI Bill 'transferability' for PHS officers? Congressman Ciro Rodriguez of Texas has introduced a bill to include PHS and NOAA officers in this popular entitlement. It is H.R. 3657, and it is now before the Veterans' Affairs Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.

10/07/2009 - Meeting in executive session on 7 October, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee voted unanimously to send Dr. Regina Benjamin's nomination as Surgeon General to the full Senate for confirmation. Both the Committee Chair, Senator Tom Harkin (D-ID) and Ranking Member, Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) entered supportive comments for Dr. Benjamin into the record of the proceedings. There does not appear to be any opposition to Dr. Benjamin's nomination and full Senate confirmation could happen at any time. That's the good news. The other news is that an op-ed piece by Ruth Marcus in this morning's Washington Post confirmed rumors we have heard that eight Republican Senators, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have gone on record that they "will not consent" to Senate floor action on any HHS nominations - including the U.S. Surgeon General - until the department rescinds what they call a "gag order" on health insurers. So it is difficult to speculate when Dr. Benjamin"s confirmation might actually occur.

09/04/2009 - COA executive director Jerry Farrell has written to President Obama seeking his intervention to have the PHS and NOAA Commissioned Corps included in the transferability entitlement of the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The letter was precipitated by remarks President Obama made in early August marking the official implementation of the new law. The President promised to fix problems with the law that currently omits some National Guardsmen from the entitlement. The President also specifically noted the popularity of the transferability option for which tens of thousands of service members have already applied. Subsequent to the letter, Farrell met with DHHS Assistant Secretary Koh on August 26th and transferability was at the top of the agenda. Now COA has learned that Congress is preparing to draft "technical correction" legislation to fix many of the problems with the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee staff have made it clear that they are not opposed to considering the PHS and NOAA Corps for transferability; but that the Departments of Health and Human Services and Commerce will have to notify the Committee of their support. While individual officers rightly see this issue as one of fairness and parity, Congress is more concerned about matching retention and recruiting needs to tools the Congress can provide such as transferability. Senior HHS officials have for years lamented the decline in Corps physicians and unmet needs for almost all categories of public health professionals in IHS and other agencies. Surely, these are requirements that transferability will help to address. Farrell continues to urge senior Departmental leadership to engage with the Senate VA Committee and make the case for the PHS Commissioned Corps and transferability.

Event

04/23/2010 - The COF office has received numerous phone calls concerning the Symposium and the restriction of annual or administrative leave. The directive signed by the Surgeon General on April 15, 2010 specifically states, “There is no restriction on the number of participants attending at their own expense while on annual or administrative leave.” Questions or concerns about this policy should be addressed to the Office of the Surgeon General.

Member

COF is Now Accepting Applications for the 2010 RADM Jerrold M. Michael Fellowships

07/22/2010 - The PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health is pleased to announce that as a result of an agreement with the University of Maryland's School of Public Health at College Park, Maryland, it will offer active duty Public Health Service officers the opportunity to apply for a Fellowship to begin graduate studies in Global Health, starting August 30, 2010. Priority will be given to those officers in the ranks of Ensign to Lieutenant Commander.

This program will offer a limited number of RADM Jerrold M. Michael Fellowships to provide tuition costs for the selected officers to pursue the first two of a total of four courses for a Graduate Certificate in Global Health.

This Fellowship opportunity is currently limited to an on campus program. The courses must be taken at the College Park Campus of the University of Maryland.

The Michael fellowship awardees will be required to continue their studies in succeeding semesters in order to complete the requirements for a Graduate Certificate and as appropriate to continue subsequent degree studies.

Applicants for this program must have maintained a minimum 3.0 undergraduate grade point average and must provide the University with official transcripts of all earned degrees.

Officers interested in applying for tuition support may do so by submitting an e-mailed letter of intent to apply for a RADM Jerrold M. Michael Fellowship to PHS Foundation Development Director, Brian McSheffrey at bmcsheffrey@coausphs.org, along with an attached Curriculum Vita by July 31, 2010.

To qualify for consideration, an individual must:

1. Be a member (officer)/associate member (civil servant) in good standing of the Commissioned Officers Association.
2. Meet the minimum requirements to be accepted into the University of Maryland, School of Public Health.
3. Submit a current CV; and
4. Submit a one or two page letter describing your area of interest, outlining your plans for obtaining your degree (timetable) and discussing how you hope to use your graduate education.
5. Submit three official (sealed) transcripts from all institutions awarding earned degrees.

After having applied for the fellowship, officers are asked to contact the University of Maryland, noting that they have applied for a Michael Fellowship and are seeking information on the admission process to the Certificate program. The contact for that process is Assistant Dean Mary Kivlighan J.D. at the University of Maryland's School of Public Health at College Park, Maryland. She may be contacted by e-mail at mkivligh@umd.edu, or by phone at 301-405-2438.

"Public Health Emergency Preparedness & Response: Principles & Practice" is Available for a Pre-Publication Price

05/30/2010 - COF is publishing a new book, "Public Health Emergency Preparedness & Response: Principles & Practice," which meets a critical need of public health emergency responders for a ready source of information that is applicable both as a desktop reference and field manual. It organizes an extensive range of disaster preparedness material into one sourcebook, to encapsulate the essential points needed to familiarize new, as well as experienced, emergency responders with some of the complex and multi-faceted aspects of preparing for, and responding to a public health emergency. The book covers all-hazards, including natural and manmade disasters.

"Public Health Emergency Preparedness & Response: Principles & Practice" measures approximately 8 5/8" x 5 7/8" with a soft multi-color cover, and is approximately 350 pages. This book is edited by, VADM Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH, (Ret. USPHS), 17th Surgeon General of the United States; CAPT Robert G. Darling, MD, (Ret. USN); CAPT James E. Knoben, PharmD, MPH, (Ret. USPHS); and RADM Jerrold M. Michael, DrPH, ScD (Ret. USPHS).

Please fill out the payment form at the link below, and mail or fax it to us at COF. A FREE copy of the, "Public Health Service Officer's Guide: Protocol & Service Standards" will be included in your order.

PenFed provides a full range of banking, investment, credit card and loan services and offers highly competitive and advantageous rates. PenFed is an on-line credit union providing full service to members worldwide. PenFed offers attractive rates for all kinds of loans, including home and automobile. And they have a variety of credit card options, guaranteed to suit every need. PenFed is not your typical "brick and mortar" financial institution, and conducts most business online, by mail or by phone thus keeping costs down. Go to the COA Members Only website and click on the PenFed link to join now.

Published six times per year, PHR is among the most prestigious public health journals, and the only one produced under the authority of the Surgeon General. In a sense, this is your journal and COA is pleased and proud to be able to provide all our members access to it. PHR is available at the COA Members Only website. A subscription to PHR normally costs more than $60 annually. The cost to COA members has been slightly below that. Now, PHR will be available to COA members for less than one dollar per issue.

04/01/2010 - COA's Board of Directors includes one member from each of these eleven categories: Dental, Dietitian, Engineer, Environmental Health, Health Services, Medical, Nurse, Pharmacist, Scientist, Therapist, and Veterinarian. The Board also includes three retired officers, three field representatives and one inactive reservist. Board terms are for three years, beginning on July 1. Vacancies currently exist in six categories: one Field Officer, Inactive Reserve Officer, Pharmacist, one Retired Officer, Therapist, and Veterinarian.

COA bylaws stipulate that only active duty, retired, inactive reserve, and life members of COA are permitted to vote.

In many cases, contested vacancies are won by a mere handful of votes. Your vote does count - please use it! Vote today for the PHS officers who will help guide your COA for the next three years.

Navy Commander of Haiti Relief Task Group Has High Praise for the PHS Commissioned Corps

03/24/2010 - Navy Captain Tom Negus, Commander of the task group centered on USS Bataan (LHD 5) deployed in January to provide relief following the devastating earthquake in Haiti has signaled his high praise for the PHS Commissioned Corps in a "BRAVO ZULU" message to the Office of the Surgeon General. Commodore Negus expressed both the pride and the frustration that accompanies all PHS Commissioned Corps missions when he wrote, "That these few folks could have such an impact is hard to comprehend, but there will be thousands that will be alive in the future because of their commitment and energy. They are truly front line heroes whose legacy will be captured in the absence of sorrow to thousands of Haitians who have already lived through one nightmare." Commodore Negus continued, "I used to tell the USPHS team that they were the best defense against the "next wave" of horror, but that the 'Thank you's' they would get were all silent - from people who would never even realize their indebtedness, because they never got sick from contaminated water, or didn't get tetanus when they got scratched because they had received an immunization."

COA is extraordinarily proud of all our members who contributed to the success of the Haiti mission - especially COA Board member, Captain Jose Belardo who was the PHS mission commander. We join with Commodore Negus in signaling "BZ!"

03/18/2010 - The results of the membership survey are now available and we have begun a report and analysis of the survey in the March issue of Frontline. We are encouraged by the number of survey respondents and many comments received. Click here for the membership survey results. This will direct you to "Members News" on the COA Member's Only website.

02/26/2010 - The United States Public Health Service (USPHS), Nurse Professional Advisory Committee (N-PAC) to the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG) is pleased to announce a call for nominations for the 2010 Carruth Wagner Awards. These five awards (Nurse of the Year Award, Clinical Nursing Support Award, Advanced Practice Nurse Award, Innovative Collaboration in Public Health Award, Nursing Leadership Award) are named in honor of Dr. Carruth Wagner who dedicated his life to improving the health of the nation.

The five Carruth Wagner Awards will be presented to each award recipient by the Chief Nurse Officer (CNO) at the Annual Commissioned Officers Foundation (COF) Symposium on Nurse Category Day.

02/23/2010 - The Junior Officer Advisory Group (JOAG) requests nominations for 9 open positions for voting membership for 2010-2012.

JOAG is the voice for junior officers in the Commissioned Corps and is responsible for advising the Surgeon General on matters that affect junior officers. Voting members serve as the leadership of this organization. Each professional category is represented by one voting member with an additional nine at-large members for a total of 20 voting members. Approximately ten positions are available each year. The JOAG Executive Committee is elected from within the voting membership. Current voting members select incoming voting members based upon published criteria. The voting membership term is two years and will begin on October 1, 2010 and end on September 31, 2012.

The Membership Committee will hold an informational Q&A session about the application process and the duties of a Voting Member on Wednesday, March 3rd from 1200-1300 EST. The call-in number is (712) 432-0111 and the Access Code is #633865. This call will be recorded and transcribed and made available on the JOAG website.

If you know motivated and dedicated junior officers, please encourage them to self-nominate for the following open slots: Therapist Liaison, Nurse Liaison, Health Services Officer Liaison, Engineer Liaison, and At-Large Member (5 openings).

For questions or to submit nominations for voting membership, contact LCDR Robin Toblin, Chair, Membership Committee at rtoblin@bop.gov. Nominations are due no later than COB Friday, March 19, 2010.

02/17/2010 - The January/February issue of Frontline will be the last public issue available to read under "Additional Headlines," to the right. All future issues will be located under the Member's Only website, to the left. If you are not already a COA member and wish to continue reading Frontline, click here for the COA application.

02/12/2010 - The following seats on the COA Board of Directors will be up for election this spring: Pharmacist, Therapist, Veterinarian, Inactive Reserve Officer, Retired Officer, and one Field Officer. Incumbents in all six seats are completing their first three year terms and are eligible for re-election to a second term. The Retired Officer and Inactive Reserve Officer members of the COA Board of Directors also serve as appointed Trustees of the PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation.

Candidates may be nominated by others or self-nominate. All candidates for a Board position are required to submit the following information to the COA office by March 1, 2010 (sooner if possible). The nomination shall include the following and must be limited to one page (10 pt font, no attachments):

-Name/Rank/(Active Duty, Retired or Inactive Reserve) *
-Board Position for which nomination submitted (e.g. Pharmacist, Field Rep., Inactive Reserve, Retired)
-Daytime Phone
-E-mail Address
-Current PHS position (or Retired/Inactive Reserve) and location *
-Previous PHS positions *
-Related Professional Activities *
-PHS Awards/Honors Received *
-COA Offices Held or Membership on Board Committees (include dates)
-Position Statement (not to exceed 200 words) *
-Statement of understanding and willingness to abide by Board Participation Guidelines

Those items with an "*" next to them will be included in FRONTLINE for consideration by the general membership. To the extent possible, the nominee should submit his/her nomination by email or on a computer disk to facilitate reproduction in FRONTLINE.

02/03/2010 - This afternoon VADM Regina Benjamin for the first time exercised her authority as Surgeon General and commander of the PHS Commissioned Corps. In a letter to the Corps announcing the beginning of a process to select a new permanent Deputy Surgeon General, Admiral Benjamin revealed that she has "asked individuals within the Immediate Office of the Surgeon General to resume the official duties of the billets they encumber." In that regard, RADM Robert Williams will step down as Acting Deputy Surgeon General and resume his permanent duty as the Office of Surgeon General (OSG) Chief of Staff. Admiral Williams will be replaced as Acting Deputy SG by RADM David Rutstein who has been serving as Director, Office of Force Readiness and Deployment (OFRD). Admiral Williams has been Acting Deputy SG since August, 2006. Captain Carol Romano, who has been the Acting Chief of Staff for almost three years, will retain what had been a concurrent assignment as Director, Office of Reserve Affairs. Captain Daniel Beck will take over as OFRD's acting director. It comes as no surprise that VADM Benjamin selected RADM Rutstein to be her deputy since they are long time friends having been medical school students together. But the rank inversion of a one-star deputy and a two-star chief-of-staff is, at best, curious for a uniformed service. RADM Rutstein is more than well qualified to serve as Deputy Surgeon General. In fact, his name was put forward as a candidate for Surgeon General to the Obama Administration by several sources last year. COA salutes RADM Bob Williams for his more than three years of service as the Corps' deputy. Admiral Williams was, quite literally, the glue that held OSG and the Commissioned Corps together during a prolonged and difficult period of transition. COA also salutes CAPT Carol Romano for her service as acting Chief of Staff. At one point, CAPT Romano held three huge jobs at the same time - OSG Chief of Staff, Chief Nurse, and Director of ORA! We wish RADM Rutstein all the best as he takes up his new responsibilities and we offer COA's unstinting support.

02/01/2010 - For a limited time, NEW MEMBERS joining COA for the first time can enjoy FREE membership for 4 months through the payroll deduction method!

Fill out the New Member Application available at http://www.coausphs.org/wwejoincoa.cfm. Under Payment Options, select Payroll Deduction & type in "FREE" in the signature line. You will receive a Payroll Deduction form which must be completed and returned to COA within 30 days to obtain membership.

To take advantage of this offer, you MUST type "FREE MEMBERSHIP" in the email subject line!

01/27/2010 - The Junior Officer Advisory Group (JOAG) is requesting nominations for three awards - Junior Officer of the Year Award, JOAG Excellence Award, and VADM Richard H. Carmona Inspiration Award - to be presented at the annual USPHS Scientific and Training Symposium to be held in San Diego, CA, from May 24-27, 2010.

01/20/2010 - The United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Professional Advisory Committee for Nursing (N-PAC) is seeking nominations for the Minnegerode Awards for Nursing Excellence (MANE) and for three Publication Awards. These awards recognize and honor contribution(s) by Commissioned Corps, Civil Service, and Tribal Direct hire nurses of outstanding and sustained nature, which have had a substantial impact on the mission of the USPHS.

PHS Commissioned Corps "Activated" for Haiti Relief; Corps Officers Begin Deploying

01/14/2010 - The Assistant Secretary for Health on 13 January "activated" the PHS Commissioned Corps for Haiti earthquake relief operations and the Office of the Surgeon General/Office of Force Readiness and Deployment (OFRD) is fielding multiple requests from all echelons of DoD for Commissioned Corps support. A Public Health Advance Team, consisting of three PHS officers is embarked in USS Bataan (LHD 5), underway on 14 January for Haiti. Bataan, a large-deck amphibious assault ship will be accompanied by two other amphibious warships. PHS officers have extensive deployment experience in this class of ship as a result of three previous years of health diplomacy deployments in similar ships. OFRD is also working with the Navy and the hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) to determine the size of the PHS detachment to be embarked when Comfort gets underway from Baltimore for Haiti on 16 January. The Corps' pre-configured Ready Response Teams have been alerted to stand by for deployment orders. OFRD is also supplying Corps officers to staff the Secretary's Operation Center (SOC) and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Emergency Operations Group in the SOC. The SOC and ASPR teams will monitor the Haiti relief operations. A particular strength (one among many) of the PHS Commissioned Corps in operations such as the one now unfolding is the Corps' diversity. Some 25 Creole speaking officers have already been identified. Cultural sensitivity and linguistic ability will be important factors in providing effective public health relief for the devastated country. COA has received inquiries from Inactive Reserve Officers about activating for Haiti relief operations. Inactive Reserve officers interested in supporting this mission should contact the OSG Office of Reserve Affairs.

Vice Admiral Regina M. Benjamin, Formally Sworn into Office as the Nation's 18th Surgeon General

01/12/2010 - Vice Admiral Regina M. Benjamin, USPHS, was formally sworn into office as the nation's 18th Surgeon General in an elaborate ceremony in front of several hundred family members, colleagues, former patients, and PHS Commissioned Corps officers at the Ronald Reagan Building in downtown Washington, DC on Monday afternoon, January 11th. The ceremony included a brief change-of-command during which 16th Surgeon General David Satcher, and 17th Surgeon General Richard Carmona presented the new VADM Benjamin with the Great Seal of the PHS Commissioned Corps - the Anchor and Caduceus - symbolically passing command of the Corps to Admiral Benjamin. Administration of the PHS Commissioned Corps is the only function of the Surgeon General mandated by law in Title 42 of the US Code. The ceremony was presided over by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Deputy Secretary William Corr, and Assistant Secretary for Health Howard Koh. In her remarks, VADM Benjamin committed to raising the profile of the PHS Commissioned Corps and increasing awareness of the critical role the Corps has in protecting the nation's public health - goals the COA shares and strongly endorses.

Click here to watch VADM Regina Benjamin's interview on ABC's Good Morning America just prior to her public swearing in as the 18th Surgeon General.

11/11/2009 - By law, all PHS Commissioned Corps officers are veterans and entitled to all benefits administered by the Department of Veteran's Affairs. As we pause to honor our nation's veterans and recall their many sacrifices to keep the United States healthy and free, COA recommits to defending our member's status as full and equal partners with their peers in all the uniformed services.

2nd Annual Wounded Warrior 5K Fun Run in Chevy Chase, MD.

When: Sunday, November 22, 9:00 AM
(Packet pickup begins at 8:00 AM)

Where: Meadowbrook Recreation Center
7901 Meadowbrook Lane, Chevy Chase, MD 20815

Registration: $35

Sponsored by the Class of 2012 at the Uniformed Services University Medical School

All proceeds will be used to purchase supplies for the wounded soldiers recovering at Walter Reed or National Naval Medical Center

To Register Online, Visit: www.HealersHelpingHeroes.org.

Any questions, please contact 2LT Mary Alice Pass, '08 at maryalice.pass@gmail.com.

10/20/2009 - COA is pleased to introduce our first online member survey. Have you ever wanted to let the Association leadership know what you think? Do you have suggestions for how COA can improve member services? Now's your chance to let us know! With only 25 questions, the survey takes only a few minutes to complete. We would like to have as many members as possible complete the survey which will be available until the end of November. Please click on the link to the right or the left here on COA's homepage and help us make COA better!

50 Year History of the Indian Health Service, "Caring & Curing" has Been Published!

10/07/2009 - The PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation's third book has been published!! Caring & Curing: A History of the Indian Health Service is written by James P. Rife, a senior historian with History Associates, and CAPT Alan J. Dellapenna, Jr., USPHS of the Indian Health Service. This thoroughly researched volume chronicles the history of Indian Heath Service (IHS) from its earliest beginnings, as part of the Department of the Interior, through multiple reorganizations including the 1955 transfer to the U.S. Public Health Service. Focusing upon the intense, often shifting political, tribal, and healthcare dynamics; Caring & Curing traces IHS's evolution over time. The book follows the agency through myriad trials and triumphs in its long-running fight to elevate Indian health to a level comparable to that of the rest of the nation. Brought to life through compelling personal stories, a crisp narrative, and archival imagery, the book not only looks at past successes and failures of Indian health care, but keeps an eye towards the future and the remaining work to be done by the agency in consultation and cooperation with American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Caring & Curing is hardcover, with 170 full color pages, and measuring 8 ½ x 11 inches. Place your single book orders for a retail price of $34.95. If you are interested in purchasing wholesale, 22 or more copies, you will always receive 15% off per book ($29.71). Please keep in mind, the shipping cost and a $2 handling charge will be added to all orders under 10 copies. For 10 or more copies, the handling price will go up to $25.

10/02/2009 - The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, September 30th, granted a petition for a "writ of certiorari" in two related cases involving PHS Commissioned Corps officers with significant implications on tort liabilty for all Corps officers. Granting "cert" means that the Supreme Court will review the decision of a lower court, in this case the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The issue in the case is whether or not PHS Commissioned Corps officers are protected under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) from civil suits for actions performed in the line of duty, as provided for in Title 42 of the U.S. Code. The original case is "Castaneda versus the United States, et. al." and arises from death of a person (Castaneda) shortly after being released from a Department of Homeland Security detention facility, where he is alleged to have received inadequate health care leading to his death. The Castaneda estate seeks to hold liable the officers, who held varying levels of supervisory authority in DHS Immigration Health Services at the time. Because of the broad and serious potential impact on the Corps if the FTCA protections are overturned, the Commissioned Officers Association filed an "amicus curiae" or "friend of the court" brief supporting the Supreme Court review. Oral arguments have not yet been scheduled, but are expected early next year.

10/01/2009 - The HSO Responder of the Year Award was established in 2004 to recognize a Health Services Officer who has made extraordinary contributions to the Public Health Service and the Health Services Category with regard to responding to critical events impacting the health of others.

09/28/2009 - On August 15, 2009 during the annual Board Retreat and Workshop, the COA Board of Directors gave final approval to a new, five year strategic plan. Two years in preparation, the 2009 - 2014 Strategic Plan identifies five major issues facing the Association and provides detailed and specific goals and objectives addressing each. The Plan is intended to be a "living plan" and will be periodically reviewed and updated to ensure its completeness and currency over the next five years. Individual COA members are encouraged to reveiew the Plan and submit comments and recommendations for improvement. All suggestions for changes to the Plan will be reviewed by the COA Board of Directors. The new Plan replaces the 2002-2007 Strategic Plan which proved to be a highly successful roadmap for COA. More than 80 percent of the individual objectives in the plan were successfully achieved.

09/25/2009 - RADM Steven K. Galson, USPHS, Acting Surgeon General, sent out a farewell message to the Commissioned Corps.

09/23/2009 - PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health (COF) has been approved to participate in the 2009 Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area (CFCNCA).

The designation (catalog) number assigned to the Foundation is 42884. Please keep COF in mind when you support the 2009 Combined Federal Campaign.

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