Navy Medical Officer Recruiting 7522 Connelley Dr. Suite A Hanover, MD, 21076

B A L T I M O R E A R E A

FRIENDS OF NAVY MEDICINE

Hopkins Trauma Surgeon Joins the Navy Reserves

Apr i l , 2013 Volume 2, I ssue 1

Trauma Surgeon, Dr. Albert Chi was

commissioned as a Lieutenant Commander in the

Navy Reserves at a ceremony inside the Zayed

building of Johns Hopkins Medical Center on

April 19, 2013.

The newest member of the Navy medicine

team credits his decision to the influence of many

individuals that he has worked with throughout his

years as physician. One such individual is

Anesthesiologist and Navy Reserve Captain Rom

Stevens. The two became good friends while

working together at the R. Adams Cowley, Shock

Trauma Center, in Baltimore during their

fellowship and it was Captain Stevens who

delivered the welcoming remarks.

In addition to Captain Stevens, the

ceremony also featured many others that have

been instrumental in the personal and professional

life of Dr. Chi.

His wife Danielle, along with retired Army

Colonel Geoffrey Ling, assisted in placing the

shoulder boards on his uniform and the first salute

was offered by Army Captain Mike Powell.

Colonel Ling and Captain Powell work with Dr.

Chi on various initiatives advancing techniques

with robotic prosthetics.

Another influential individual in Dr. Chi’s

career and subsequent recruitment into the Navy

Reserves was Rear Admiral Lew Libby, who

delivered the commissioning oath. Rear Admiral

Libby is a reserve dentist from Towson, MD and

was instrumental in assisting in the transition and

affiliation of Dr. Chi to the Navy Reserves.

Doctor Albert Chi (right) is sworn in as a Lieutenant

Commander, Medical Corps, US Navy Reserve by Rear Admiral

Libby on Friday, April 19, 2013. Photo by MC1 Carlson

In addition to his duties as a Trauma Surgeon at

Johns Hopkins, LCDR Chi has done extensive work

in the field of reinnervation as it relates to

prosthetics. His work with arm amputee Johnny

Methany produced a prosthetic arm which is

controlled by the patient’s brain. The device not

only has the ability to move like a human arm and

hand, but also has the ability to send information

back to the brain of the user, allowing the patient to

feel sensations through the fingertips.

The work of LCDR Chi and the rest of the team

were featured on a recent episode of the CBS news

program “60 Minutes” in December. Methany and

his wife were among a group of other patients of Dr.

Chi’s in attendance.

LCDR Chi will will work one weekend per

month and serve two weeks per year on active duty,

performing surgery for the Navy, while still

working at Johns Hopkins.

See the 60 Minutes segment featuring LCDR Chi here:

cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50137987n

Page 2

Friends of Navy Medicine

Navy Health Professions Scholarship

The Best Time to Apply is in Along with Medical School Application

The Navy Health Professions Scholarship

Program is the primary means for the Navy to

“hire” our physicians. In fact, the approximately

200 scholarships offered each fiscal year dwarf

the numbers of positions available for those who

wish to affiliate with the Navy while in residency

(9) or are already fully licensed and board certified

(10).

The scholarship pays 100% of the tuition

for any accredited medical school in the country,

offers a $20,000 sign on bonus, and a monthly

living stipend of $2,122 per month.

Competitive applicants will be US Citizens,

with a GPA of 3.5. In addition, MCAT scores of 25

or better are helpful, and those that can break the

30 barrier certainly stand out. These are simply

guidelines for competitive applicants. The

scholarship board takes a “whole person” concept

into account when determining which applicants

to accept into the program.

Timing of the application process can be

as critical as qualifications. The best time frame

to begin the process is soon after you receive

your MCAT scores. This enables the applicant to

put together the various components of the

application (physical exam, security clearance,

interviews with Navy doctors) early. Once these

pieces are complete an application can be

submitted to the board as soon as October of

each year

Applications can be submitted even before

the individual receives a letter of acceptance;

however no official offer can be made until such

time as the applicant has been accepted.

In a perfect scenario, Navy HPSP recipients

could know where they are going to medical

school and how they are going to pay for it by

early in January.

Once in medical school, HPSP recipients

will attend five weeks of Officer Development

School in Newport, Rhode Island during the

summer between their first and second year of

medical school. Otherwise, they only interaction

they have with the Navy are the deposits in their

bank account each month.

Following graduation, HPSP recipients will

serve a minimum of four years as a licensed

physician on active duty. Residency programs are

available through the Navy as well and are

typically offered through the “Big Three” hospitals

located in Bethesda, MD, Portsmouth, VA, or San

Diego, California. The exception to this would be

for those who do Family Practice, which is offered

through a number of our mid-size hospitals in

places such as Jacksonville, FL and Bremerton,

WA.

The Navy also offers opportunities to

serve as General Medical Officer or GMO. These

two year assignments to the operational forces

allow physicians to serve in unique jobs such as

Flight Surgeon, Dive Medical Officer, or in

support of Marine Corps units.

Learn more about HPSP at:

http://navymedicinebaltimore.wordpress.com

LT Jaime Wong-Lopez speaks with Loyola students about

the Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program last year

at a career fair.

Page 3 Friends of Navy Medicine

Navy Medicine News from Around the Fleet

First EXIT (Ex-utero Intrapartum) Procedure at Naval Medical Center San Diego

at Navy Medical Center San Diego

bxcb

By Cmdr. (Dr.) Matthew T. Brigger, pediatric otolaryngologist and

Residency Program Director for the Otolaryngology – Head and Neck

Surgery Department, Naval Medical Center San Diego

“We can do it.” That was the first thought that

went through my mind when I received a call

from Dr. Whitney You, Naval Medical Center San

Diego’s head of Maternal Fetal Medicine, asking

whether NMCSD could support an EXIT

procedure. Weeks later, I learned that the same

thought raced through her mind the night before

she called me.

The EXIT procedure is an acronym for Ex-utero

Intrapartum Treatment. In short, the procedure is

an intervention at the time of birth. Dr. You and

her team had expertly identified abnormalities that

suggested Charlie was at risk of having life

threatening breathing difficulties at birth. As I

reviewed the data, it was clear that an EXIT

procedure was his best opportunity. Charlie would

be partially delivered, and we would ensure that

he had a safe airway while he was still receiving

oxygen from the umbilical cord. Once we knew

he would be able to safely breathe, he would be

completely delivered.

Only a handful of top tier medical centers have

significant experience in performing EXIT

procedures. Although such a procedure had never

been performed at NMCSD, the components were

in place. We have well trained specialists from the

finest civilian academic institutions. As such, we

built the team encompassing 30 doctors, nurses,

corpsmen and techs.

The EXIT procedure meant we had to harness our

strengths and execute in a highly coordinated

fashion. As with most things in life, the

complexities lie in the contingencies. During the

procedure, a wide variety of complications could

place both Charlie and his mother in imminent

danger. As a team, we had to ensure that we were

prepared. In addition to multiple meetings, we

staged an elaborate simulation that lasted several

hours the day before his delivery. We were ready.

Feb.27th

arrived and it was time for Charlie to be

born. I knew there was no better place for Charlie

to be that day. Just over an hour after arriving to

the operating room, under the watchful eyes of the

team as well as the entire NMCSD family, Charlie

was born. His airway was secure and both he and

his mother were safely recovering. Every aspect

of the procedure went according to plan. The team

functioned flawlessly.

Charlie still has significant challenges facing him.

However, he has a much better chance at

overcoming his issues because of the expertise

and teamwork at NMCSD. He represents a

significant milestone for our institution and Navy

Medicine as an example of delivering world-class

care not only to adults, but children as well.

As a team, we are all proud to have made a

difference that day.

For more information on the EXIT Procedure, visit:

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=72496

http://www.navy.mil/viewVideo.asp?id=18208

A surgical team at Naval Medical Center San Diego perform an

ex-utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) procedure on a mother and

her newborn son to correct an in-utero medical condition. The

baby was born at 35 weeks four days. This was the first time the

EXIT procedure was performed at Naval Medical Center San

Diego. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class, John Philip Wagner, Jr.)

Page 4

Friends of Navy Medicine

Welcome Aboard Meet the Newest Members of Navy Medicine

Albert Chi, MD (featured in the

story on page one). Dr. Chi is a graduate of the

University Of Arizona College Of Medicine where

he also completed his residency in General

Surgery. He also completed a Critical Care

fellowship at the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma

Center in Baltimore and is currently employed at

Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.

Alex Blau was recently selected for

the Health Professions Scholarship Program.

Originally from Ijaimsville, MD, he graduated

from the University of Delaware in 2011 and has

been accepted to Philadelphia College of

Osteopathic Medicine.

Megan Halliday was recently

selected for the Health Professions Scholarship

Program. She is originally from Lutherville, MD

and will be graduating from the University of

Maryland, College Park in May of 2013. She has

been accepted to the University of Maryland

School of Medicine in the fall.

Anne Griffioen of Baltimore,

MD was awarded the Health Professions

Scholarship. She will be graduating in May from

the Johns Hopkins, Bloomberg School of Public

Health in May and has been accepted to the

University of Minnesota Medical School.

Elizabeth Cushing of

Middletown, DE was accepted into the Health

Professions Scholarship Program. She graduated

from Swarthmore College in 2012 and has been

accepted to Philadelphia College of Osteopathic

Medicine.

(Left) Alex Blau stands in the office following his

commissioning. (Right) Megan Halliday and her parents

celebrate her commissioning.

John Langford was recently

selected for the Health Professions Scholarship

Program. He is originally from Frederick, MD and

graduated from the University of Maryland,

College Park in May of 2012. He has been

accepted to the University of Maryland School of

Medicine in the fall.

Megan Gilmartin, RN was recently commissioned as an Ensign in the

Navy Nurse Corps. She is a graduate of Towson

University and will be stationed in San Diego

once she completes Officer Development School

in May.

Brittany Mann, RN was

recently commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy

Nurse Corps. She is a graduate of Stevenson

University and will be stationed at the Walter

Reed National Military Medical Center in

Bethesda, MD once she completes Officer

Development School in May.

Page 5 Friends of Navy Medicine

ATTENTION!

NAVY VETERAN PHYSICIANS

Opportunities to affiliate in the reserves are

much easier

if you have been out of the navy for

three years or less!

We are Currently Seeking Surgeons, Anesthesiologist, Family Practice,

Emergency Room and Psychiatry Specialties

Camaraderie, spirit d’corps, networking opportunities

Plus

Combine reserve time with active duty time for retirement benefits

Contact hmc wheeler for more information

410-761-7419 bob.wheeler@navy.mil

Navy Medical Officer Programs 7522 Connelley Dr, Suite A

Hanover, MD 21076

410-761-7419

(Above) MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.(Auguts 1, 2012) -Lt. Cmdr. Jenny Burkett, an intensive care unit nurse attached to 1st Medical Bn., monitors a ventilator during a training exercise

at 1st

Medical Battalion