February 2005 Frontline - Commissioned Officers Association

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (continued from p. 1) Professional Conference and Global Health Summit. Our National Board Chair, Captain Tim Ames, is also writing about the Conference this month. The fact that both of us chose the same subject should be at least some indication of its importance. I hope all of our members know that COA will host the 40th Annual US PHS Professional Conference from 6-9 June 2005 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, birthplace of the U.S. Public Health Service. The Conference theme is “Where In the World Are We…In Global Health?” On June 5th, immediately preceding the Conference, COA’s affiliated Foundation is sponsoring a Global Health Summit, which is designed to set the tone and agenda for the conference which follows. The Summit is the Foundation’s most important and ambitious undertaking to date. Surgeon General Carmona will roll out his Global Health Call to Action at the Summit, which is planned as a venue to invite international feedback on the document. We have invited prominent public health figures from around the world to participate in the Summit and many have already accepted. The Summit will feature a panel representing key stakeholder groups in global health such as NGOs, national and international government organizations, public and private funding groups, and beneficiary countries. The panel will respond to the Call to Action. Four discussion groups will address areas of primary importance – Diseases, Environment, Displaced Persons, and Global Health Security and Infrastructure. The fact that these four issues have occupied much of our newsprint and nightly news broadcasts since December 26th should not be lost on any of us. There is much more to the Summit agenda, but not enough space here to detail it all. The annual Conference will be at least as good and likely even better than last year’s event in Anchorage. Dr. Tony Fauci of NIH will deliver the Luther Terry Lecture on the Monday afternoon of the Conference. Immediately following the opening ceremonies on Monday afternoon, the Conference will present an historic panel discussion exploring the past lessons learned in global health and relating those lessons to today’s world and the future. The panel is historic because the panelists will all be former U.S. Surgeon’s General. And we expect five of the six living former Surgeon’s General to participate, including Dr. C. Everett Koop. This is something you will not want to miss – ask anyone who heard Dr. Koop speak at the Anchor and Caduceus Society Luncheon on January 4th! Tuesday of the Conference is Category Day and all of the planners have done an exceptional job creating exciting, informational, and interesting agendas. Wednesday will be devoted to plenary sessions on a variety of key global health issues and a keynote address by Surgeon General Carmona. Thursday will be devoted to three tracked sessions and a closing keynote address. Availability of continuing education credits is the main function of the Conference and we will provide our best ever scientific program in this regard. In addition to the exciting scientific agenda, the Conference will also include an all hands reception on Monday evening, the Surgeon General’s Run/Walk on Wednesday evening, an Awards luncheon and annual COA Meeting of the Assembly on Wednesday, breakout lunches on Thursday, and a closing dinner on Thursday evening during which we will present the COA Health Leader of the Year Award. Other events planned are a Local Branch President’s Breakfast with the National COA Board of Directors (Wednesday morning), and a Retired Officers’ Breakfast (Thursday morning). One of the Thursday lunch sessions will be a working lunch for Inactive Reserve Officers. We are also working on a “Meet Your Regional Health Administrator” event. A Foundation sponsored charity golf tournament is also being planned. Other “happenings” in the works are sessions on professional development presented by the Office of Commissioned Corps Operations and the Office of Commissioned Corps Force Management, and the Junior Officer Advisory Group. We are planning on a re-creation of the “Yellow Fever Walk”, an historic tour of the city in the context of the yellow fever epidemic – one of the first great public health events in this country. There may also be guest appearances by President John Adams and other prominent figures, and a reenactment of the signing of the Marine Hospital Act which created the forerunner of the U.S. Public Health Service. Both the Summit and Conference will be held at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel in central Philadelphia. Rooms at the hotel are filling up fast with more than 1400 room nights taken already. If you have not already made your room reservations and registered for the Summit and Conference (a nice discount if you attend both!), now is the time. Don’t stop reading now, the important part is next. We need our members – you – to turn out and support this Conference and Summit. Improving the annual conference is a key element of COA’s Strategic Plan. The Conference is key, not just because we want a better event each year, but because the annual conference is the best vehicle we have for promoting the Commissioned Corps and increasing the Corps’ visibility in public health. It is our best opportunity to get COA’s agenda out each year. The Conference is the largest annual gathering of Corps officers – we need to have as many of you there, in uniform, as possible. There is strength in numbers. This year we have partnered with the local public health community in Philadelphia – which is a large and vibrant group of academic institutions, regional organizations, and private and corporate groups. The Philadelphia public health community is incredibly supportive of the Conference and Summit. They are assisting with the scientific program and speakers, marketing, exhibitors and sponsors. In turn, we are inviting and encouraging the local community’s participation at the Conference. It provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate, to an important audience, the uniqueness and cohesiveness that the 26 COMMISSIONED OFFICERS ASSOCIATION
Commissioned Corps brings to public health. You cannot get your message out, however, if you are not there. Why am I emphasizing this so much? We know that federal budgets are tight this year and that travel funds are always the easiest and first to be cut. We also recognize that officers who have been deployed frequently may be reluctant to ask for administrative time to attend the Philadelphia events. We need you to find ways to overcome these obstacles. COA, the Foundation, and the Commissioned Corps need you in Philadelphia from 5 through 9 June. For our part, we have kept the registration costs down – unchanged for two years. The Foundation provides scholarships for junior officer registration fees for those who cannot get government funding. We coordinate a sharea-room program to help with lodging costs. We’ll explore special conference rates with Amtrak. We will look into the possibility of MAC flights from the Atlanta area and the southwest. Officers are reminded that you are authorized military Space Available travel. The Summit and the Conference are the Commissioned Corps’ opportunities to demonstrate leadership – the reason you are in uniform – to the Nation. As we used to drill into the Midshipmen when I was on staff at the Naval Academy; you cannot lead if you are not there. Y’all come! One last note. This is Matt Sigafoose’s last edition of Frontline. Matt has resigned from the COA staff to accept a position with the Office of Personnel Management in Washington, DC. Matt has been with us as a Communications Associate for about 18 months and many of you have gotten to know him either in person or as an email correspondent or through telephone conversations. Matt is a personable, professional, bright and hardworking young man who has had a significant positive impact on COA in his time with us. We will all miss him and wish him well as he moves on to new challenges and opportunities – not the least of which is his upcoming marriage this June. Good luck Matt – and thanks! See you all in Philly! COA FRONTLINE • FEBRUARY 2005 27
Page 1 and 2: C O M M I S S I O N E D O F F I C E
Page 3 and 4: The Annual Physical Fitness Test ag
Page 5 and 6: “Three and Freeze” By Jerry Far
Page 7 and 8: The deadline for receipt of nominat
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Page 11 and 12: 2005 Public Health Professional Con
Page 13 and 14: The Scientist Professional Advisory
Page 15 and 16: The Officer demonstrates profession
Page 17 and 18: PHS Pharmacists Fill Many Roles Dur
Page 19 and 20: Florida, and several of Florida’s
Page 21 and 22: Commissioned Corps Physical Therapi
Page 23 and 24: CAPT Gregory J. Glahn (Ret.) CAPT A
Page 25: funded. This all relates back to th
Page 29: Photocaption Beans Cafe Photo 29 CO

February 2005 Frontline - Commissioned Officers Association

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