AMSUS, The Society of Federal Health Professionals recently released their list of annual awardees. The awards highlighted outstanding leadership and facilities from throughout the Military Health System, spanning everything from excellence in leadership to safety, innovation and patient care.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Thomas McCaffery offered his congratulations to this year’s recipients.

“The MHS Awards are important because they recognize the men and women who carry out the MHS mission on a daily basis to ensure we have a ready medical force and a medically ready force,” McCaffery said. "Their achievements are even more noteworthy during this pandemic. I commend their dedication to duty, professionalism, and innovative thinking during these unprecedented times. Their accomplishments improve our ability to effectively deliver high-quality health care to our warfighters, retirees and their families.”

The awards and winners are as follows:

2020 AMSUS Lifetime Achievement Award:

• Dr. Paul Pasquina, professor and chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

2020 MHS Female Physician Leadership Award:

Recognizes contributions to military medicine and work mentoring others, inspiring young women working in the fields of medicine and science.

Junior

• Army Maj. Shannon N. Foster
• Air Force Maj. Kattie D.S. Hoy
• Navy Lt. Cmdr. Bridget K. Cunningham
• Public Health Service Lt. Cmdr. Ekwutosi M. Okoroh

Senior

• Army Col. Lisa M. Foglia
• Air Force Col. Pamela M. Williams
• Navy Capt. Kristina V. Morocco

2020 MHS Federal Military Nursing Excellence in Leadership Award:

Acknowledges and honors military and civilian registered nurses in the field at the tactical/operational level who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and skill resulting in noteworthy clinical or administrative accomplishments.

Junior

• Army Capt. Tiffany R. Massenburg
• Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jonathan D. Hamrick
• Air Force Maj. Aubrey R. Reid

Senior

• Army Lt. Col. Sarah D. Eccleston
• Navy Capt. Dixie L. Aune
• Air Force Lt. Col. Michele S. Suggs

2020 MHS Federal Civilian Nursing Excellence in Leadership Award:

Acknowledges and honors military and civilian registered nurses in the field at the tactical/operational level who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and skill resulting in noteworthy clinical or administrative accomplishments.

Junior Civilian

• Army – Victor M. Ulloa, Sr.

Senior Civilian

• Army – Helen K. Crouch
• Navy – Christine K. Yuhas
• Air Force – Sheila R. Hannon
• Defense Health Agency – Stephanie A. DeLuca

Allied Health Leadership Excellence Award:

Acknowledges and honors military allied health professionals in the field at the tactical and operational level. They have demonstrated exemplary leadership and clinical skills/non-clinical skills.

Junior Provider

• Navy Lt. Benjamin K. Mattox

Senior Provider

• Army Lt. Col. Thomas H. Edwards

Junior Non-Provider

• Navy Lt. Christopher S. Greil

Senior Non-Provider

• Air Force Maj. Mari M. Metzler

DOD Advancement toward High Reliability in Healthcare Awards

Several facilities won DOD Advancement toward High Reliability in Healthcare Awards, for showing initiative and commitment to the development of systems and processes that will lead the MHS toward a better, safer, nationally recognized health care system.

The awards, winning facilities, and their initiatives are as follows:

Leadership Commitment Award Winning Facilities

Facility: Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center
Title of Project: Optimizing Emergency Department Transfer Decisions
POC: Dr. Joan Ingram
Commander: Army Col. Richard Malish

Facility: U.S. Naval Hospital Rota
Title of Project: COVID Combat OCONUS MTF
POC: Navy Cmdr. David Paz
Commander: Navy Capt. Andrew Archila

Facility: Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center
Title of Project: Highlighting Quality as a High Priority: Seizing the Opportunities of a Pandemic through Preventive Care and Vulnerable Population Outreach
POC: Dr. Joan Ingram
Commander: Army Col. Richard Malish

Facility: U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa
Title of Project: Respiratory Clinic Implementation and Continuous Process Improvement at an Overseas Military Treatment Facility
POC: Navy L. Cmdr. Mitchell Selco
Commander: Navy Cmdr. Ray Portier

Culture of Safety Award Winning Facilities

Facility: Brooke Army Medical Center
Title of Project: CODE STROKE: Improved radiology turnaround times following modification to radiologist user interface.
POC: Army Capt. Rutger Gunther
Commander: Army Brig. Gen. Shan Bagby

Facility: Naval Medical Readiness and Training Command Yokosuka
Title of Project: Reducing Opioid Use in Post-Cesarean Deliveries
POC: Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jonathan Aukeman
Commander: Navy Capt. Carolyn Rice

Facility: Spangdahlem Air Base
Title of Project: Provider Recharge Initiative to Decrease Provider Burnout
POC: Army Maj. John Pistello
Commander: Air Force Col. Alisha Smith

Facility: Brooke Army Medical Center
Title of Project: Creating Patient Safety Team Leaders through a Simulation-Based Interprofessional Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Course
POC: Air Force Lt. Col. Renee Matos
Commander: Army Brig. Gen. Shan Bagby

Facility: Naval Medical Readiness and Training Unit Sasebo
Title of Project: The Impact of Risk and Safety Awareness in Reducing the Risk of Sharps Injuries and the Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens during the Sterilization Process
POC: Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Eduardo Bello
Commander: Navy Cmdr. Kyle Dohm

Facility: Naval Medical Readiness and Training Command Okinawa
Title of Project: Develop MICC RN Perioperative Training Plan
POC: Navy Lt. Mark Boyd
Commander: Navy Capt. David Krulak

Facility: Vance Air Force Base Clinic
Title of Project: Culture of Safety
POC: Ms. Stacy Nance
Commander: Air Force Col. Lidia Ilcus

Continuous Process Improvement Award Winning Facilities

Facility: Naval Medical Center Portsmouth
Title of Project: DMH Readiness Clinic
POC: Mr. Johnny Johnson
Commander: Navy Capt. Lisa Mulligan

Facility: Brooke Army Medical Center
Title of Project: Implementation and Evaluation of 2-Step Testing Algorithm for Clostridioides difficile Infection
POC: Army Capt. Caitlin Bettger
Commander: Army Brig. Gen. Shan Bagby

Facility: Brooke Army Medical Center
Title of Project: Reducing Repetitive Inpatient Phlebotomy by Adjusting Admission Order Set
POC: Army Capt. Crystal Forman
Commander: Army Brig. Gen. Shan Bagby

Facility: Naval Medical Center San Diego
Title of Project: Implementation of a Code Sepsis Protocol in a Military Treatment Facility Emergency Department
POC: Navy Lt. Cmdr. Felipe Grimaldo
Commander: Navy Capt. Bradford Smith

Facility: Naval Medical Readiness and Training Command Portsmouth
Title of Project: Resource Allocation to Improve Operational Dental Readiness
POC: Navy Lt. Diana Cole
Commander: Navy Capt. Lisa Mulligan

Facility: U.S. Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay
Title of Project: Active Duty Days to Specialty Care Cycle Time Reduction
POC: Navy Lt. Cmdr. Eugene Smith, Jr.
Commander: Navy Capt. Dale Ramirez

Facility: Naval Hospital Pensacola
Title of Project: Cardiology Reduction in Lead Cycle Time
POC: Mr. Steven Turner
Commander: Navy Capt. David Webster

Facility: Brooke Army Medical Center
Title of Project: The Babygram: Reducing Unnecessary Radiation Exposure in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
POC: Navy Lt. Cmdr. Melissa Garcia
Commander: Army Brig. Gen. Shan Bagby

Patient Centeredness Award Winning Facilities

Facility: Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Title of Project: Alternative Immunization Clinics to Improve Vaccination Access during the COVID-19 Pandemic
POC: Army Maj. Elizabeth Simmons
Commander: Army Col. Jeremy Edwards

Facility: Brooke Army Medical Center
Title of Project: Implementation of Virtual Behavioral Health Programming for Patients to Maximize Delivery of Services during Times in Which Individualized In Person or Group Settings Are Not an Option
POC: Army Capt. Lauren MacCoy
Commander: Army Brig. Gen. Shan Bagby

Facility: Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center
Title of Project: Emergency Department Adaptations to COVID-19
POC: Dr. Joan Ingram
Commander: Army Col. Richard Malish

Facility: Naval Branch Health Clinic Everett
Title of Project: Increasing Access to Care and Minimizing Patient Wait Time to Enhance
Healthcare Efficiency and Improve Patient Satisfaction
POC: Navy Lt. Courtney Rafferty
Commander: Navy Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Rutledge

Facility: U.S. Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay
Title of Project: Specialty Care Referral to Book
POC: Navy Lt. Cmdr. Eugene Smith, Jr.
Commander: Navy Capt. Dale Ramirez