America's Health Responders - U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE COMMISSIONED CORPS
Commissioned Corps E-Bulletin
A Message from the Leader of the 2011 PAC Chairs
Submitted by CDR Matthew Newland
 
The Corps is comprised of eleven professional categories. Each category has a Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) to vote on category specific issues and annually elects a Chair to lead and represent their respective PAC. The Chair of each PAC convenes to form a board of the PAC Chairs. CDR Matt Newland was selected to lead the PAC Chairs in 2011. He will facilitate and coordinate the PAC Chairs monthly meetings.

The intention is to be pro-active and representative of all PAC Chairs and Corps officers. The PAC Chairs report to the group’s Chief Professional Officer (CPO), RADM Scott Giberson, and also to the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG) at the combined OSG/CPO/PAC Chairs meetings also held monthly. The PAC Chairs prepares formal recommendations based on input from all PACs to be considered by OSG and the CPOs.

CDR Newland supports professional development for all officers, especially participation and recognition at the Corps Scientific and Training Symposium, other conferences, and additional training opportunities. He states “As the Chair, I work with all PAC Chairs, the CPOs, and OSG to support development, promote the Corps, and recognize our unique contributions in our service. Recruitment activities will be central in 2011 for the PAC Chairs Board as well as recommendations for the 2013 Promotion Benchmarks.”

CDR Newland is the current Scientist Professional Advisory Committee (SciPAC) Chair. CDR Newland serves as a Senior Public Health Analyst in the Division of Community Based Programs in the HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). He monitors and has provided technical assistance to Ryan White HIV/AIDS community based programs. CDR Newland has also served as a Project Officer in HAB's Global Program, overseeing the International Twinning Center and International Quality Improvement. He states “serving at HRSA has helped to shape me into the officer that I am today. I want to share the best from the legacies of Ryan White and PEPFAR.”

CDR Newland earned his doctorate degree in Medical Sociology and Masters in Public Health at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He also has a Masters in Asian Studies from the University of Oregon focusing on Southeast Asia. He speaks Thai fluently and wrote his dissertation on HIV/AIDS in Thailand, analyzing Thailand’s health care system and Buddhist HIV/AIDS care and support services for affected communities. He earned a Certificate in Epidemiology and Biostatistics through Drexel University and is presently studying for a Masters in Business Administration in Healthcare degree at George Washington University.

Encouraging words he offers are that “the Corps is transforming at an unprecedented rate. The reality is that programs and services are ever changing and adapting to the needs of the nation. Although it is a challenge to keep pace with such changes, leadership with the benefit of experience helps to mitigate those challenges. It’s best to make leadership decisions based on thoughtful analysis and scientific principles, not personalities or out of fear. Having a thorough understanding of how the government operates at both the focused programmatic level and from a broader organizational helps tremendously in guiding our officers and helping the people we serve.” 

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