Courtesy Photo | Dr. Mark True, San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium dean,...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (May 13, 2025) -- San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium held its annual faculty awards dinner April 26 at the Randolph Parr Club.
The event honored faculty members for their dedication and expertise in training future military medical and allied health professionals.
“Why are we here tonight?” asked Dr. Mark True, SAUSHEC dean. “On the surface, you might think that tonight is just about awards. Certainly, we are here to celebrate great achievements. But really, what I hope you hear tonight is that academic medicine is strong here in San Antonio despite many obstacles.”
True talked about some of the obstacles such as hiring challenges and resource shortages.
“Despite these challenges, you continue to find a way to rise above and succeed in truly remarkable ways,” he said. “Tonight is a night to remember why military medicine is here in San Antonio. It’s not just to take care of the patients that we have the privilege of caring for.”
“Our country needs this platform and its infrastructure with highest patient care volume in the Department of Defense to ensure that the military has the ready medical force it needs to go wherever our military is called to go,” True said. “If we fail, the military will not have the medical force it needs. It’s that simple. At SAUSHEC, we’re training the leaders of the military’s ready medical force. And you, the faculty, have risen above all the obstacles and you have made it happen.”
U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas W. Harrell, director, Defense Health Network Central, and commander, Medical Readiness Command Alpha, was the evening’s keynote speaker.
“Every single senior leader in the services and the Defense Health Agency knows that force generation is an essential component to our long-term success,” Harrell said. “Fully a third of all medical corps members are in training at any one time. If we are not creating the future clinicians and leaders of tomorrow, we wither and die. San Antonio is the largest medical force generating platform in the Military Health System … period.”
Harrell praised the faculty members on their impact to military medicine.
“What you accomplish here as faculty is amazing,” he said. “Your dedication and focus on the academic and clinical development of our house staff is exceptional. You presently produce a 97% first time board passing rate that rivals many institutions that the lay public would immediately gravitate to as ‘the best.’”
The general highlighted the importance of the partnerships with the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, the VA and other civilian platforms in San Antonio which provide “a robust and varied clinical experience” to staff.
While acknowledging the ongoing challenges, Harrell said he is optimistic about the future of military medicine
“Folks are recognizing the need to bolster the medical force,” he said. “Through it all, San Antonio will remain a top priority because it is the pinnacle of the medical force generating pyramid. There is no doubt in my mind this is known and appreciated.”
The general closed with a story about a faculty member who had a “profound” impact on him.
“He taught me how to be a diagnostician,” Harrell said. “I know that each of you has a story like that and you are helping write someone else's with the investment you offer each day ... your time ... it is the most important commodity you possess.
Harrell’s primary message was “thank you” to the faculty for all they do.
“From the bottom of my heart -- Thank You,” he said. “I will keep doing all I can to invest in you too.”
Faculty awards were presented in five categories.
The Professionalism Award is presented to a faculty member who exemplifies the professional delivery of health care manifested by accountability, excellence, integrity, service, and respect for others. This year’s recipient was U.S. Air Force Maj. Christina Awad, Gastroenterology.
The Quality Improvement/Patient Safety or QIPS Award recognizes a faculty member who has dedicated themself to identifying systemic issues in quality care and patient safety, learning lessons from these issues and seeking iterative change to form the foundation of SAUSHEC’s culture of safety. U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Carrie Litke-Wager, Neonatology, received this year’s award.
The Colonel Gerald Wayne Talcott Faculty Award exemplifies the complex organization within a wide spectrum of training programs. This award recognizes teaching excellence among Graduate Allied Health Education faculty. United States Public Health Service Lt. Commander Brittany Hout, Surgery and Critical Care physician assistant, garnered the award this year.
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Tyson Sjulin, Pulmonary and Critical Care, received the Lieutenant General PK Carlton Award, named for a former 59th Medical Wing Commander and Surgeon General of the Air Force. This award recognizes the outstanding faculty member within Graduate Medical Education.
The final award was the coveted Gold Headed Cane Award. Through the years, Gold Headed Canes have been given at many medical schools to singularly outstanding students and faculty members. The Gold Headed Cane has become an annual award that honors an individual who has exhibited sustained professionalism and excellence throughout a military career in the following categories: patient care, resident teaching, clinical research, operational medicine and mentorship.
This year, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Robert Walter, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Service, received the prestigious award.
Walter earned his Doctorate in Medicine from the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago and completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Following completion of his residency, he pursued fellowship training in Pulmonary Diseases, Sleep Medicine, and Critical Care Medicine at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Prior to entering the field of medicine, he earned a Master of Arts in Applied Philosophy/Healthcare Ethics at Loyola University Chicago and a Doctorate in Healthcare Ethics from Duquesne University.
“Receiving the SAUSHEC Gold Headed Cane is incredibly meaningful to me,” Walter said. “It’s a reminder of how fortunate I feel to have learned from and worked with such amazing mentors, talented colleagues, and motivated trainees these past ten years. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to serve alongside this community and be a part of an institution that so deeply lives the values of excellence, compassion, and service.”
“Congratulations to each of our nominees and recipients in these highly competitive categories,” True said. “You are a credit to our organization, and we hope you understand how highly you are valued.”
| Date Taken: | 05.13.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.13.2025 15:38 |
| Story ID: | 497861 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 58 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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