Photo By Flavia Hulsey | Capt. Christine Sears inducted into Order of Military Medical Merit... read more read more
At a meeting of Puget Sound Military Health System (MHS) medical leaders, Brig. Gen. Dennis P. LeMaster, Commanding General, Regional Health Command-Pacific, inducted a new member into military medicine’s prestigious Order of the Military Medical Merit, or O2M3, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord Washington August 14, 2018.
The O2M3 recognizes people who have clearly demonstrated the highest standards of integrity and moral character, displayed an outstanding degree of professional competence, and have made a sustained contribution to the betterment of Army Medicine.
The newest inductee, Capt. Christine Sears, Commanding Officer of Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor (NHCOH) is not your typical recipient. Out of the over 12,000 individuals inducted into the Order, Capt Sears is one of less than 300 who are not directly affiliated with the Army. Through her dedicated application of talent, effort, and spirit, it was determined that Capt Sears made a significant contribution having an impact on the whole of the Army Medical Department (AMEDD), and was therefore eligible for induction as an honorary member of the Order.
According to LeMaster, induction into the Order of Military Medical Merit is very difficult for Army professionals to achieve and even more rare for an individual from another service.
It demonstrates professional excellence and shows the contributions Sears has made to the larger Military Health System over her career, he said.
As the Medical Executive Committee (MEC) Chair for National Naval Medical Center (NNMC), immediately prior to the merger with Walter Reed Army Military Medical Center (WRAMC) to form Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), Capt. Sears partnered with the WRAMC MEC to align committees, streamline privileging, and merge the executive committees of the medical staff three months in advance of the transition.
She also spearheaded training at WRAMC for the newly integrated medical staff processes. This directly led to seamless transfer of medical staff policies at the time of the merger, leading to improved integration of Army Licensed Independent Providers and improved patient care of soldiers at the facility.
Throughout her career, Capt. Sears’ publications have brought great credit to the AMEDD for research performed in fellowship at WRNMMC. As a chapter editor of the urology and gynecology chapters of the 2018 edition of Emergency War Surgery, she helped to maintain the outstanding reputation of the AMEDD and advance trauma care for soldiers in combat. As staff urologist at NNMC and WRNMMC, she taught many Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) students and Army urology residents, improving the Army Medical Force for years to come.
As the urologist on the blast injury team partnering between WRAMC and NNMC to catalogue neuro-urologic effects of blast injury and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), she contributed the background work leading to the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE). During the 2009-2010 increase in genitourinary trauma resulting from Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blasts from dismounted patrols, she provided direct surgical care and support of soldiers and their families coping with physical and emotional loss from genitourinary injuries. Her clinical work directly contributed to the awareness of urotrauma among military and civilian urology, and indirectly to the selection of urotrauma as an area of interest for the American Urological Association (AUA) and its clinical practice guidelines.
Her current Command, NHCOH, was the first Navy facility to roll out the new Department of Defense (DoD) Electronic Health Record, MHS GENESIS. Under Capt Sears’ leadership, thousands of issues were noted and documented for the Defense Health Agency program office and contractors to correct. This investment will improve healthcare throughout the DoD and the Veteran’s Administration.
“I’m honored to receive this award, and it’s significant that it happened at this venue”, said Sears. “It underscores our current journey for more efficient and effective Jointness and collaboration between the Service medical departments, as well as partnerships with other Federal and civilian bodies.”
| Date Taken: | 08.15.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.15.2018 19:01 |
| Story ID: | 288966 |
| Location: | TACOMA, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 503 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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