May 21, 2011, marked the date, a beautiful day in Washington, DC at the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS). Four services were represented with our own Deputy Surgeon General Boris Lushniak, Army Surgeon General Eric B. Schoomaker, Navy medical officer to the Marine Corps Michael H. Anderson, and Air Force Surgeon General Charles B. Green. Together, with the accompaniment of the President’s Own, the Marine Corps Band, they welcomed 167 School of Medicine graduates awarded the degree of Doctor of Medicine (MD) and promoted to the rank of 0-3, lieutenant or captain in their respective services, 60 Graduate School of Nursing graduates who earned advanced practice nursing degrees and 39 Masters and Doctor of Philosophy graduates.

Of our own, six School of Medicine graduates awarded the degree of MD, promoted to lieutenant, and will continue their training in residency were:

• LT Matthew Daab, Family Medicine, Naval Hospital, Jacksonville FL
• LT James Decker, Psychiatry, Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, VA
• LT Dimana Dimitrova, Pediatric, Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
• LT David Gianferante, Pediatric, Tufts Medical Center, Boston MA
• LT Tina Pattaratornkosohn, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, CA
• LT John Young, Surgery, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR

The six MD graduates were administered the oath of office in front of their classmates from the Army, Navy, and Air Force and a crowd of over 2000 family and friends by RADM Boris Lushniak who stated

“Following the most powerful Army, the most powerful Navy, and the most powerful Air Force, I present to you the officers of the only uniformed public health component in the world. Go out diagnose and treat disease, then more importantly, work for prevention of that disease for therein lies our Nation’s future, and most importantly, treat all those that you touch with care and compassion. I present to you our future leaders of the Commissioned Corps, so few in number with such a massive responsibility for the health and safety of our Nation.“

The USUHS was established by Congress in 1972 with the first graduating class in 1980. It is the Nation's federal health sciences university and is committed to excellence in military medicine and public health during peace and war. The USUHS provides the Nation with health professionals dedicated to career service in the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Services (Corps). Since the inception of the school, the Corps has supported over 150 medical students at the University. Presently over 90 of these graduates are on active duty in the Corps in several entities throughout the Department of Health and Human Services and DoD.

Corps students are supported by the Indian Health Service and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease during medical school at USUHS and during residency training. Students then serve out their period of obligation to their supporting agency.

Further, the Corps through the Indian Health Service supports one Corps officer at USUHS who serves in a dual role as a faculty member teaching at the USUHS and as the Corps senior advisor to the School of Medicine, to the Brigade Command, and to the commandants of the School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Nursing.

For more information on USUHS, please visit the website www.usuhs.mil. More specifically, for the Corps at USUHS, visit www.usuhs.mil/usphs/index.html, or contact CAPT Mary Porvaznik at mary.porvaznik@usuhs.mil.

Deputy Surgeon General Boris Lushniak administering the oath of office to the new graduates.