Join me in Raleigh, NC on June 10-12 for the 49th annual USPHS conference. The theme for the 2014 USPHS Scientific & Training Symposium is "Public Health Today: Prevention, Innovation, Progress." That encapsulates what officers do in today’s Public Health Service. They prevent disease and disability. They innovate to provide better services to more people at a lower cost. Most importantly, they are working to move the country from a sick care system to a health care system.

I applaud the work of active duty and retired officers who stay involved. You are vital to improving the health status of our families, friends, and neighbors.

The annual conference is a way to learn from each other, build relationships with local and state partners, and hear directly from PHS leaders about their visions for the future. The 2014 symposium is no exception.

We are seeing huge changes to the health system because of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. National and state budget cuts are forcing closer collaboration between governments and private partners. We need to be smarter with fewer resources. Also, by the time this goes to print, we may have a new Senate-confirmed Surgeon General leading the Commissioned Corps.

Highlights for the Raleigh meeting will include:

• Leadership seminar for junior and senior officers
• Networking with senior officers in all categories
• Presentations by RADM Boris Lushniak and RADM Scott Giberson
• Comments from the Chief Professional Officers
• Keynote talks by retired RADM Fitzhugh Mullan, Dr. Bill Lanier, and Dr. Art Kellerman
• Continuing education credits for all 11 categories
• Pre-conference courses including Basic Life Support, Nurse Skills Training, Branch Leadership Training and more

Don’t wait. Visit http://symposium.phscof.org/ and register today for the early bird rate. See you in Raleigh!  

Junior Officer / Civil Servant Scholarship for Symposium

Apply today for a scholarship which covers the full registration cost of the 2014 Symposium in Raleigh. The scholarship does not cover registration for Pre-conference events, the Anchor and Caduceus Dinner, or any related costs such as travel, housing, etc.

To qualify, an individual:

• Must be a member of the Commissioned Officers Association
• Must be of pay grade O3 or below (Ensign, LTJG, LT) or the civil service equivalent GS 10/11 or below; and
• Must certify in writing that funding has been requested from his/her agency and been denied.

An officer/civil servant will be deemed ineligible for the scholarship if:

• His/her agency indicates that it will pay for the registration; or
• An officer personally pays by either credit card or check prior to notification of a decision on the scholarship award.

For more information, visit http://symposium.phscof.org/registration.