Office of the Surgeon General

United States Public Health Service

Minutes of 22 July 1999 Meeting Number 73

• MEMBERS EXCUSED OR ABSENT:
  STANDARD AGENDA ITEMS AND REPORTS:
  1. CALL TO ORDER:

  The meeting was called to order in the OSG conference room 18-57 at 1235.

  2. GREETINGS FROM THE CHAIR:

  CDR Lalonde greeted those present and thanked them for attending. He requested the report from the DCP staffing officer, LCDR Meta Timmons.

  3. REPORT FROM THE DCP STAFFING OFFICER :
  1. LCDR Timmons reminded everyone that temporary promotions were announced in early June. In the Scientist Category, eleven officers were promoted to O-6, eleven to O-5 and nine officers to O-4. She stated that permanent promotion results will be released on July 30^th
  2. For the Corps as a whole, the success rates for temporary promotion are as follows: 32% to O-6, 42% to O-5 and 80% to O-4.
  3. In the Scientist category there currently are 264 officers; 129 Regular Corps and 135 Reserve Corps. LCDR Timmons estimated that results for those requesting assimilation into the Regular Corps should be released in 2-3 weeks.
  4. There are currently 20 applications for new Scientist officers pending in DCP. Anyone knowing of available Scientist positions is encouraged to contact DCP.
  4. REPORT FROM THE CHIEF PROFESSIONAL OFFICER:

  CAPT Dunn provided a summary of issues discussed at the CPO/PAC Chairs meeting:

  1. RADM Davidson of DCP reported that scanning of OPFs for those Officer’s promotion eligible in 2000 has been completed, however indexing of the electronic documents needs to be done. Due to the labor intensive nature of the work, DCP has exhausted all of it’s budgeted resources for this project and is therefore requesting volunteers to assist in the project. It is estimated that ~ 1,800 person hours of labor remain. Officers who volunteer for this project must do so on their own time; i.e. after normal work hours and on weekends. DCP will provide a two hour training session for volunteers on how the electronic documents are to be indexed. Because strict confidentiality must be maintained, officers who volunteer will be screened for suitability and must be able to travel to the Parklawn building. The target date for completion is mid-September. CAPT Dunn stated that this is a high priority project for the Corps and strongly encouraged all Officers in the local area to volunteer. He further stated volunteers should be able to commit to a minimum of 2 to 3 hours per week. If you would like to volunteer contact CAPT Ken Diepold at: kdiepold@psc.gov and CC: CAPT Dunn on the email at: DDunn@osophs.dhhs.gov .
  2. Also discussed at the CPO/PAC Chair meeting was the issue of developing some means of formally recognizing those officers who participate as members on their category PAC. One suggestion is to create a new ribbon and medal set for this purpose. Since creating new ribbons is a very time consuming process an alternative approach may be to examine ribbons that are presently available, such as the Special Assignment Ribbon and expand the criteria for awarding it. No decisions have been made regarding this and the CPO/Chair PAC is seeking input on how to proceed with this. On a related issue, currently the PAC chair automatically receives a PHS Citation for their efforts. There is some discussion on developing benchmarks to only award this depending on performance and is some cases, a higher award.
  3. CDR Golson, of the Pharmacist PAC reported on a proposal for developing a guide on holding promotion ceremonies in various forums. The guide would include information on how to conduct a ceremony, proper etiquette and take into consideration Officers stationed in the field
  4. RADM Moritsugu met with the Strategic Visioning Working Group to give them feedback on their draft document. They expect to present their recommendations to the Surgeon General by mid-August.
  5. The Dietician Category is working on a developing a federal credential program.
  6. The Therapist Category has been tasked with developing a physical fitness program for the Corps and has decided to use the program developed by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. The program provides some structure for participants to follow and encourages physical activity by issuing patches for various types of sports related activity. How the Corps will use this program was not discussed.
  7. CAPT Dawson, reported on the establishment of a meeting for PAC Chairs which will be held immediately preceding the CPO/PAC Chair meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to provide an opportunity for PAC Chairs to exchange information with their counterparts in other Categories regarding category cross-cutting activities and issues.

   

  8. The next issue of the CC Bulletin will contain an announcement for the MOLC Junior Officer nomination.
  1. OLD BUSINESS--ONGOING COMMITTEE REPORTS and PROJECT

  STATUS:

  1. COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ISSUES:
  1. VISIBILITY COMMITTEE: (*CDR Lalonde)
  1. Scientist Poster (CAPT Caviness)

  CAPT Caviness reported that the most recent poster was well received at the COA meeting and thanked CAPT Dunn for his efforts in getting it produced. She is beginning to work on #7 and would like any photos of Scientists in action submitted to her.

  2. Public Relations (CDR Albright)

  CDR Albright reported that the COA meeting was a great success as was the Bicentennial cruise. Approximately 125 Officers attended the cruise. He also noted that FDA held a promotion ceremony in July for it’s officers receiving temporary promotions.

  3. Science Fair Judging (CDR Sheets)

  Nothing to report at this time.

  2. RECRUITMENT COMMITTEE: (*CDR McNeilly, CDR Albright, LCDR(sel) Weber)
  1. CDR McNeilly reported that he has been working with a few officers individually, such as one who is in the Army and is interesting in converting to the PHS.

   

  3. MENTORING COMMITTEE: (*CDR Brown, CDR Sheets, CAPT Sanders, CAPT Strete, Dr. Goldman)
  1. CDR McNeilly reported that at the COA meeting he was asked about the status of the mentoring program and suggested that the committee may want to consider holding additional training.
  4. INTERNET COMMITTEE: (*CDR Lalonde, CDR Troiano, LCDR(sel) Weber)
  1. See discussion under new business.
  2. CDR Lalonde stated that he would work on ensuring that individuals using the old web site address would be automatically redirected to the new web site address which is: http://scipac.nimh.nih.gov/scientist/.
  5. AWARDS COMMITTEE: (*CDR Gonzalez-Willis, CAPT Mishoe, CAPT Borrero-Hernandez, CDR Troiano, CDR Ali, LT Adekoya)
  1. During the Scientist Category Luncheon at the Annual COA Meeting, RADM Moritsugu presented the Senior and Junior Scientist Officer of the Year awards. CAPT Bryan D. Hardin was selected for the Senior Scientist of the Year and LCDR Robin Lyerla was selected for Junior Scientist of the Year. An announcement of the awards will be placed in a future issue of the CC Bulletin and on the Scientist Category Web page.
  2. Dr. Goldman suggested that in the future, the PAC should notify the hometown newspaper of the Scientist of the Year Awardees and place an announcement. CAPT Dunn stated he thought this was an excellent idea and that the PAC should solicit this information from the winners.
  3. CAPT Dunn also asked members of the PAC to submit the names of those Officers who have made a contribution to the PAC during the past year. They will each receive SciPAC Certificates of Appreciation.
  6. CHARTER COMMITTEE: (*CDR Ohata, CAPT Paris, CAPT Sanders)
  1. CAPT Dunn reported that the revised Charter was approved by the Surgeon General on May 25, 1999. He proved LCDR(sel) Weber with a copy of the approval for the SciPAC records.
  7. HANDBOOK COMMITTEE: (*CDR Ohata, Rest of PAC)
  1. CAPT Dunn mentioned the need for the development of a CPO manual which would list key information such as dates for election of new SciPAC Executive officers, nominations of new SciPAC members, announcements for nominations of Scientist of the Year and deadlines for submitting announcements in the CC Bulletin. He stated, that as outgoing CPO, he would try develop something for any future incoming CPO.
  2. NEW BUSINESS:
  1. SCIPAC STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS ISSUES:
  1. COA Meeting Attendance (LT Nelson Adekoya)
  1. LT Adekoya handed out information showing the final registration figures for the COA meeting by geographic location and by rank. 612 registered for this year’s meeting, about 70 fewer than last year. As expected over half of the participants were located in the DC Metro Area (356) with Georgia (33) and Arizona (30) a distant second and third. The remainder of registrants were scattered throughout the country. It was also clear from the data that senior officers were well represented (O-5 and above = 403) while junior officers (O-4 and below =160) were sparse. In addition, 16 non-Corps individuals also attended. COA is trying to come up with effective ways to encourage the participation of junior officers and those in the field at the Annual meeting. Next year’s meeting will be held in Scottsdale, AZ.
  2. Nomination of New SciPAC Members (CAPT Dunn)
  1. CAPT Dunn stated that he has had several inquiries from retired officers about participating on the PAC. Several of these individuals were not in the Scientist category while on active duty, however, they do have a lot of experience in research. CAPT Dunn asked the PAC to consider whether these retired officers should be excluded from consideration in our search for a retired officer for membership on the SciPAC. There was general agreement was that while we value their experience, we may want to give preference to retired officers of the scientist category. Regardless, we want to encourage them to participate in the PAC, even if they aren't selected, since they can still make valuable contributions by participating in the various subcommittees and working groups. CAPT Dunn is still in the process of examining nominations for new members on the SciPAC.
  3. Election Results for New SciPAC Officers (CDR Lalonde)
  1. CDR Lalonde thanked all the nominees for their interest and support. The 1999-2000 Executive board is:
  • Chairperson: CDR Rebecca Sheets
  • Vice Chair: CAPT Gil Sanders
  • Exec. Secretary LDCR(sel) Darin Weber
  • Recording Secretary CDR Allen Albright
  • Treasurer: CDR Laila Ali
  1. CAPT Dunn proposed that the PAC consider the office of Recording Secretary be a prerequisite for becoming Chairperson. He felt that because the position of Recording Secretary requires that person to immerse themselves in the PAC's activities it is the ideal training ground for future leadership of the PAC. It would also be an incentive to encourage members to run for this office, which is recognized as being the most labor intensive and time consuming position. CAPT Dunn stated that when the COA elects it’s Recording Secretary it is in fact also electing a future Chairperson. In principle, the members of the PAC agreed that the position of Recording Secretary is excellent training for becoming PAC Chair, however there was concern about "locking in" the position of Chair and excluding other qualified candidates. Additionally there is nothing that prohibits the Recording Secretary from running for Chairperson and being elected by the PAC. It was agreed not to make serving in the position of Recording Secretary a prerequisite for becoming PAC Chairperson.
  2. Since the position of Treasurer is a new position on the SciPAC, operating procedures for carrying out the duties need to be written down, such as signing checks. CAPT Dunn prefers that the CPO not be a signatory, since often they are procuring the goods. The Treasurer and Chair would be good choices for this responsibility. He recommend the PAC find out how other Categories handle this role. The Chair, Treasurer and Vice Chair will form a sub-committee to address this issue. CAPT Mishoe also agreed to serve on this committee. CAPT Dunn also recommend that the PAC consider ways of generating revenue and what to do with any funds.
  1. Standardized Scientist CV and CV Review (CDR Troiano)
  1. It was agreed that the SciPAC would adopt the revised Scientist CV developed by CDR Troiano as the recommended format that Scientist Officers use when submitting a CV to their OPF.
  2. The PAC also supported the proposal that we offer to review the CV of Scientists who are up for promotion in the next review cycle. This would be completely optional for those officers. CDR Troiano and CDR Sheets will work on developing a proposal for carrying this out.

   

  2. Use of Scientist Web site to recognize Officers (LCDR(sel) Weber)
  1. The PAC supported the proposal to post abstracts and photographs of those Scientist Officers who presented at the Annual COA meeting, as a means for recognizing their accomplishments and promoting the Scientists role in the Corps. LCDR(sel) Weber will contact the participants to notify them of our intent and to ask them to submit an electronic copy of their abstract by email
  2. Similarly, the PAC also supported the idea of placing the photographs from this year’s Scientist poster and possible photos from previous posters on the web page. LCDR(sel) Weber will work with CAPT Dunn and CAPT Caviness to obtain electronic copies of the Poster.
  3. It is also the intent of the SciPAC to recognize the recipients of the Senior and Junior Scientist of the Year Awards by placing a brief description of each winner on the site in the near future.
  3. Compilation of Awards Listing for Scientist Officers
  1. The PAC agreed to begin to compile a list of Awards that Scientist Officers are eligible to apply for, which would encompass PHS and Uniformed Services awards, as well as Society awards, such as APHA and ACS. CDR Troiano will take the lead on this along with the Award Committee.
  4. SciPAC Annual Report
  1. CDR Lalonde will prepare a report on the accomplishments of the PAC during the past year and asked members to forward to him a list.
  5. Upcoming PAC Sub-Committee Meetings
  1. The PAC agreed to provide a list of upcoming subcommittee meetings to the Recording Secretary, when possible, to be included in the meeting minutes. In addition, all members of each committee will be listed in the minutes under the appropriate heading. The Chair of each committee will be denoted by an *.
  1. ANNOUNCEMENTS
  1. COA Dining Out.

  CAPT Caviness reminded the PAC that the COA will be having a Dining Out banquet on November 20^th and she asked for two volunteers from the PAC to participate. CDR Lalonde and CDR Sheets agreed to participate.

  2. Next Meeting
  1. Executive Committee: OSG conference room – no August Meeting
  2. Full Meeting: OSG conference room (18-57) – September 23, 1999
  3. The SciPAC meetings for the year are as follows:

   

  1998/9

  Full SciPAC Location in Parklawn Building (subject to change)

  September 24, 1998 Chesapeake Conf Rm.

  December 3, 1998 Potomac Conf. Rm

  February 25, 1999 Conference Rm. B

  April 22, 1999 18-57

  July 22 , 1999 18-57

  September 23, 1999 18-57

  SciPAC Executive Committee

  October 22, 1998 Chesapeake Conf. Rm.

  January 21, 1999 Conference Rm. B

  March 25, 1999 18-57

  May 27, 1999 18-57

  2. ADJOURNMENT

  The SciPAC meeting was adjourned at 1715 hours.

  Submitted by:

  __________________________ ______________________________

  LCDR(sel) Darin Weber CDR Francois Lalonde

  Recording Secretary Chairperson

  Date___________________ Date___________________

   

  CDR S. Lori Brown	FDA	(Past Chairperson)
  CAPT Alejo Borrero-Hernandez	BOP
  CDR Carl A. Ohata	AHCPR
  CAPT Carolyn Strete	NIH
  CAPT Mark Paris	SAMHSA/DOD