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SMCAF Newsletter
May 2006 |
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PRESIDENT
Michael J. Scotti, Jr., M.D.
2540 N. Randolph Street
Arlington, VA 22207
703-527-8240
mscottijr@earthlink.com
VICE PRESIDENT
Harold Koenig, M.D.
4933 Marlborough Drive
San Diego, CA 92116
619-281-9377
eaglesct@cox.net
SECRETARY/TREASURER
A. Mason Ahearn, M.D.
752 Collins Meadow Drive
Georgetown, SC 29440
843-546-4811
FAX
843-546-2783
amahearn2@yahoo.com
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Margo Cabrero
5 Southern Way
Fredericksburg, VA 22406
540-361-2587
FAX
540-361-2589
margo@smcaf.org |
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U.S. Army Host’s 61st Annual Meeting
October 20-22, 2006
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DATES OF
THE ANNUAL MEETING HAVE CHANGED SINCE THE
LAST NEWSLETTER SENT OUT IN JANUARY.
The Council will meet on Friday, October 20, 2006 at
USUHS in the Board of Regents Room.
The conference will be held all day Saturday and
half day on Sunday. We have applied for CME Credit
hours for the one and a half days of attendance.
Committees will meet on Saturday afternoon during
the scheduled lunch break. Box lunches will be
provided for these breakout sessions.
Saturday night there will be a banquet, mess dress
or black tie, where spouses and guests are invited.
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS
More details on the conference,
registration and
hotel reservations may be found in this newsletter. |
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SMCAF Newsletter
May 2006 |
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| From
the President |
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Military medicine is undergoing profound change
at a time when the operational demands are greater than they
have been since the Vietnam conflict.
The relatively small size of the force puts heavy
rotational demands on many specialties, primarily but not
exclusively surgical teams, as well as the routine use of the
reserve components including the National Guard. The
extensive use of improvised explosive devices coupled with
improved body armor results in casualties with multiple
extremity wounds frequently associated with facial injury.
The rapid evacuation from the site of life saving surgery
through the jointly staffed facility in Landstuhl, Germany and
on to major medical centers in the United States requires
intensive care capability at all sites as well as during the
transportation of patients. Prosthetic and rehabilitation
teams have challenges never before encountered. The goal of
“seamless” transition to Veteran’s Administration care and the
use of civilian providers in communities without federal
facilities presents administrative burdens. Military medicine
is performing magnificently in all areas, however the
prolonged stress on care providers along this continuum is
taking its toll on them and their families, and negatively
affecting both retention and recruitment.
As
military medicine faces the future it needs to cope with
transformation of the force structures of the services and
their medical components necessitated by The Global War on
Terrorism for which there are no reliable estimates of
completion. The experiences in the aftermath of Katrina will
likely presage the early and extensive use of military forces
including medical units in any future domestic catastrophes.
The ageing retired community and the increase in care
entitlements of the reserve components and their families
contribute to increased demand for health care services and
concomitant costs.
I am
astonished that in planning for this future, actual
decreases in medical
force structure are being implemented. The Society has not
been asked for its opinion, but we need to provide it.
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Michael
J. Scotti, Jr., M.D.
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Major
General, USA (Ret)
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| President,
SMCAF |
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2005-2006
Council
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President: Michael
J. Scotti, Jr., M.D.
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Vice President:
Harold M. Koenig, M.D.
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Secretary Treasurer:
A. Mason Ahearn, M.D.
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Councilors
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Michael S. Clarke,
M.D.
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Michael J. Scotti,
Jr., M.D.
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Larry W. Laughlin,
M.D.
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Fred A. Cecere,
M.D.
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Enrique Mendez,
Jr., M.D. : Honorary Councilor
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James A. Zimble,
M.D.: Honorary Councilor
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AMA
Representative
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Howard E. Fauver,
M.D.
David M.
Lichtman, M. D.
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Committee
Chairmen
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| John R. Pierce, M.D. |
Archives & Medical
History |
| A. Herbert Alexander,
M.D. |
Electronic Media &
Communications |
| Edmund G. Howe, M.D. |
Ethical Issues in Military
Medicine |
| Peter F. Hoffman, M.D. |
Legislative & Legal |
| Joel C. Labow, M.D. |
Medical Education |
| Kenneth G. Swan, M.D. |
Membership |
| George K. Anderson,
M.D. |
Professional Services |
| A. Mason Ahearn, M.D. |
Recruitment & Retention |
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SMCAF AWARD
May 12, 2006
I had the honor today of attending
the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, USUHS, Graduation Awards
Ceremony for the Class of 2006. The SMCAF award for the graduating
student with the highest level of academic performance over all four
years was awarded to 2LT, soon to be CPT, Stephen Harper, USAR.
Steve had a perfect 4.0. The award is a great looking plaque.
SMCAF was given the honor of the initial presentation, followed by
several dozen others, to include the awards by the surgeons general
for the uniformed services. It was inspiring to see these talented
and dedicated young physicians, soon to be. We are planning a
larger plaque to be mounted at the University listing all the
previous awardees.
SMCAF first proposed a medical
school for the uniformed forces in 1947 and it was decided by a
former president of SMCAF, Louis M. Rousset, MD, while he was
assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. Representative
F. Edward Hebert was assisted in the development of the legislation
that funded the school by another Society president, Christopher
Zarafonetis, MD. I had the pleasure of being mentored by Doctor
Zarafonetis during an early assignment to the Office of the Army
Surgeon General where Chris served several weeks a year as a
mobilization designee some 30 years after he participated in the
Typhus Commission.
Michael J. Scotti, Jr., MD
SMCAF 61st Annual Meeting 2006 Draft
Agenda: Subject to Change
Saturday:
Infectious Disease,
with emphasis on the contributions of Military Medicine in this
field. Keynote will be by Major General Eric B. Schoomaker, USA,
Commanding General, U. S. Army Medical Research and Material Command
and Fort Detrick. Presentations throughout the day will include the
fields of:
Vaccine Development
with emphasis on the loss of capacity in U. S. based pharmaceutical
companies
Influenza: Past, Present and Future
with coverage of the potential threat of Avian Flu
Emerging Diseases
to include the emergence of resistant strains of long known diseases
Sunday:
Transformation
with emphasis on the effects of the Base Realignment and Closure
(BRAC) process on Graduate Medical Education and health care
delivery.
MG Patrick Brady,
MSC, USA (Ret.), holder of the Medal of Honor, will discuss the
movement of aeromedical evacuation responsibility from the Army
Medical Department to the Army Aviation community.
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| Spousal
Activities
Report |
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Our immediate
Past President, Dr. Peter Hoffman, has connected us
to White House sources, which sound pretty good
regarding a spouses’ White House Tour on Saturday,
Oct. 21, 2006. Any spousal input would be greatly
appreciated!
Amahearn2@yahoo.com
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Dues
Notice
Active Members |
If
you received a dues notice included in your
newsletter, you are, according to SMCAF records
an “Active Member”. Active members are
physicians who served on active duty in one of
the branches of the Uniformed Services of the
United States and who have served as Medical
Consultants to a component of the Uniformed
Services. Physicians in the reserve
components who are consultants are also
qualified for Active
Membership.
All active
members are required to pay dues in the amount
of $100 on a yearly basis.
If you have any
questions in regard to your membership status,
contact the Executive Director at
margo@smcaf.org.
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Annual Meeting Registration and Hotel
Reservations
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Registration for
the annual meeting may be made by mail or on
the SMCAF web site prior to the
meeting. Please use the
registration form included in this
newsletter or you may download one from the
website at www.smcaf.org. On site
registration will be available for those who
were unable to pre-register.
Meal choice for the banquet can not be
guaranteed if you register on site so if
you plan to attend the banquet it is highly
recommended that you pre-register.
The Society
has reserved a block of room at the Hyatt
Regency Bethesda, located at One Bethesda
Metro Center,
Bethesda
Maryland
MAKE YOU RESERVATIONS DIRECTLY WITH THE HOTEL
1-800-233-1234
Hyatt Regency Bethesda
One Bethesda Metro Center (7400 Wisconsin
Ave),
Bethesda, Maryland
Tel: 301 657
1234 800-233-1234 Fax:
301 657 6453
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AMA News
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SMCAF has joined
The Association of Military Surgeons of the
United States (AMSUS), the American Psychiatric
Association (APA), and the Southeast Coalition
to endorse the candidacy of COL Emmanuel
(Manoli) Cassimatis, MC, USA (Ret.), for a
position on the American Medical Association
Board of Trustees. |
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