2008 Anchor & Caduceus Dinner a Success

The 2008 Anchor & Caduceus Dinner and Dr. C. Everett Koop Honorary lecture held February 1st at the J.W. Marriott in Washington D.C. was enjoyed by all. The event, sponsored by the PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health (COF), celebrated the 119th Anniversary of the founding of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

The USPHS Ensemble/Chorale provided the music to the approximately 300 Commissioned Officers, legislative, medical, professional and Public Health Officials attending the dinner.

RADM Mary Pat Couig, USPHS (ret), President of the PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation, acted as Master of Ceremonies.  Dr C. Everett Koop attended the celebration and briefly addressed the attendees after dinner. The crowd enthusiastically demonstrated their appreciation for his appearance and remarks. Also on the program was Acting Surgeon General Steven Galson. Admiral Galson offered his congratulations on the Corps’ anniversary and introduced Dr Julie L. Gerberding, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr Gerberding was the featured speaker presenting the Dr. C. Everett Koop Honorary Lecture. Her address on global health was fascinating, informative and made all the more enjoyable when she shared her own personal experience meeting Dr. Koop when she was a young doctor practicing medicine in a San Francisco Hospital.

The Anchor & Caduceus Committee can be proud of this event. The venue was excellent, the food delicious and the presenters outstanding. The Committee has indeed set the bar high for next year’s dinner.