COA/COF Seek Applicants for Deputy Executive Director

The combined Commissioned Officers Association and PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation "Enterprise" has announced a search for a deputy executive director. Qualified applicants will have at least a Bachelor's degree, and a working knowledge of and appreciation for the role of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Public policy experience is also desired. The full position description and application instructions and deadlines are available at the link below.

Click here for the full position description.

COF Approved for CFC 2011

PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health (COF) has been approved to participate in the following 2011 Combined Federal Campaigns:

• Chesapeake Bay Area (CBACFC)
• National Capital Area (CFCNCA)
• Northern Shenandoah Valley (CFCNSV)
• Potomac CFC (PCFC)

The designation (catalog) number assigned to the Foundation for these four CFCs is 42884. Please keep COF in mind when you support the 2011 Combined Federal Campaign.

2012 COF Scholarship Application is Available!

To view the 2012 COF Scholarship Application, click here.

COF Announces Scholarship Winners for 2011

Twelve deserving dependents of PHS Commissioned Officers have been awarded a total of $9,800 in Scholarship money for the 2011-2012 academic year.  Over 30 applications were received and winners were chosen by a panel of active and retired PHS Officers. 

Click here for the winners. (pdf, 314 KB)

HIFASS President Welcomes COF Assessment Team to Nigeria

The President of the Health Initiative for African Safety and Stability (HIFASS), Dr. Roland Oritsejafor, extended a most gracious welcome to the COF team conducting an assessment of the organization under a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. HIFASS is a new organization focued on public health and diplomacy on the African continent. COF was invited to assis in HIFASS' development by consulting on the support required by HIFASS to reach its full potential in terms of organizaitonal structure, human resources and financial management, as well as techniques of public health advocacy.

Click here to read the letter from Dr. Roland Oritsejafor.

"Public Health Emergency Preparedness & Response: Principles & Practice" is Available for Purchasing!

The PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation's fourth book has been published! Written by U.S. Public Health Service officers with expertise in responding to public health emergencies nationally and internationally, the book provides a much-needed reference for all uniformed service and civilian emergency medical response personnel.  It organizes a vast array of emergency public health organizational and practice information in a form that allows ready understanding of the principles and practice norms within the field, and their inter-relationships.  As noted by the book’s Senior Editor, former U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, the book will “…serve to enhance the knowledge and professionalism of those who are tasked with an emergency response mission.”  Public Health Emergency Preparedness & Response is an essential resource in learning about the actions and approaches that are utilized in dealing with public health related disasters in this Nation and within the complex global community.

This book measures 8 3/4 x 5 7/8 inches with a soft multi-color cover, and is 344 pages.

This book is edited by, VADM Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH, (Ret. USPHS), 17th Surgeon General of the United States; CAPT Robert G. Darling, MD, (Ret. USN); CAPT James E. Knoben, PharmD, MPH, (Ret. USPHS); and RADM Jerrold M. Michael, DrPH, ScD (Ret. USPHS).

Place your book orders for a retail price of $22 per book. Please keep in mind, the shipping cost will be $5 per book. Please fill out this form, and either fax or mail it to COF. If you are ordering 10 or more copies, please call COF at (301) 731-9080 prior to sending in your order form.

Senator Inouye Receives PHS Flag from COA and COF

On August 5, 2010 Senator Inouye was presented with the U.S. Public Heath Service Flag by representatives of the Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service and the PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health. In recognition of this, Senator Inouye commemorated the remarks in the attached Congressional Record.

"The Insurmountable Opportunity: The Debate After Healthcare Reform" - By Mark Trahant

Native American Journalist Mark Trahant's opening keynote presentation on Wednesday morning, May 26th at the PHS Scientific and Training Symposium in San Diego was a highlight of the entire week. Mr. Trahant suggests the Indian Health Service as a model for health care reform in the United States. He spoke not only as an informed observer and reporter on health care issues, but also, and perhaps even more importantly, as a consumer of health care in both IHS and other health care systems. Mr. Trahant's probing and thought-provoking remarks are a must read for all interested in real health care reform, but most especially for all officers of the PHS Commissioned Corps.

Click here to read the full text of Mr. Trahant's speech.

"Caring & Curing: A History of the Indian Health Service" is Available for Purchasing !

The PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation’s third book has been published!!  Caring & Curing: A History of the Indian Health Service is written by James P. Rife, a senior historian with History Associates, and CAPT Alan J. Dellapenna, (Ret.), Jr., USPHS of the Indian Health Service.  This thoroughly researched volume chronicles the history of Indian Heath Service (IHS) from its earliest beginnings, as part of the Department of the Interior, through multiple reorganizations including the 1955 transfer to the U.S. Public Health Service.  Focusing upon the intense, often shifting political, tribal, and healthcare dynamics; Caring & Curing traces IHS’s evolution over time.The book follows the agency through myriad trials and triumphs in its long-running fight to elevate Indian health to a level comparable to that of the rest of the nation. Brought to life through compelling personal stories, a crisp narrative, and archival imagery, the book not only looks at past successes and failures of Indian health care, but keeps an eye towards the future and the remaining work to be done by the agency in consultation and cooperation with American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Caring & Curing is hardcover, with 170 full color pages, and measures 8 ½ x 11 inches. Place your single book orers for a retail price of $34.95. If you are interested in purchasing wholesale, 22 or more copies, you will always receive 15% off per book ($29.71). Please keep in mind, the shipping cost and a $2 handling charge will be added to all orders under 10 copies. For 10 or more copies, the handling price will go up to $25.

Click here to order.

CAPT Robert A. Fortuine, USPHS, (Ret.), Passed Away on May 11, 2009

CAPT Fortuine received his medical degree from McGill University in 1960 and his Masters of Public Health from Harvard University in 1968. He served with the United States Public Health Service from 1961 until his retirement in 1987. He first came to Alaska in 1963. He served as Service Unit Director for USPHS Alaska Native hospitals in Dillingham (1963-64); Bethel (1964-67); and Anchorage (1971-77); and as Deputy Chief of Family Medicine at Alaska Native Medical Center (1980-87). Fortuine was active in several national and Alaskan medical professional associations, as well as the American Society for Circumpolar Health and the International Symposium for Circumpolar Health.

His last book "A Century of Adventure in Northern Health: The Public Health Service Commissioned Corps in Alaska (1879-1978)," (2006) was published by the PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health.

Click here for the available online guestbook.

Click here to read CAPT Fortuine's full obituary.

PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation Approves First Strategic Plan

The PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation which will celebrate its 10th Anniversary in 2010 has approved its first strategic plan. The plan builds on the Foundation’s achievements during its formative years and lays out a vision for the future along with specific and measureable goals and objectives to attain that vision. Click here to see the plan.

Foundation Hosts Chinese Public Health Officials: Global Health Initiatives - Partnership with China

In partnership with the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland and the Montgomery County MobileMed Clinic, the Public Health Service Commissioned Officers Foundation hosted a delegation of 20 Chinese health officials on March 25th.  The visitors were senior officials of the Anhui Provincial Department of Health in the People’s Republic of China who were in the United States to learn about community health center operations and the education and training of health center staff.

The delegation was welcomed by Foundation Executive Director Jerry Farrell, and Foundation trustee Rear Admiral Mary Pat Couig, USPHS (Ret.), former Chief Nurse Officer of the U.S. Public Health Service, as well as Montgomery County Councilman George Leventhal.  An overview of the non-profit mobile medical clinic operations was given by the MobileMed clinical director, Barbara Clark, and Executive Director Bob Spector.  The Chinese delegates expressed a keen interest in all facets of the clinic including patient care, interface with area hospitals, and funding.  A tour of the MobileMed van located at the Silver Spring Community Center gave the delegates hands on opportunity to see the clinic in action.

Montgomery County MobileMed Clinic at the Silver Spring Community Center

Following the morning session with MobileMed, the delegation was received by Dean Robert Gold of the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland College Park campus.  Dean Gold introduced Rear Admiral Carol Romano, USPHS, Chief Nurse Officer of the U.S. Public Health Service, Chief of Staff to the U.S. Surgeon General, and Maryland alumnae, who spoke of the federal role in supporting community health clinics and assisting in the education and training of health professionals.  Professors M. Haider and Tongtong Wu of the School of Public Health faculty presented on global health programs and the epidemiology and biostatistics curriculum respectively.

(Left) Dean Robert Gold, (Right) Ms. Qu Qiongyu

The visit to the University’s School of Public Health is an outgrowth of an ongoing agreement between the University and the PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation to collaborate with the Chinese Association of Health Education in Beijing on projects related to the promotion of global health.  This effort directly supports initiatives by the Department of Health and Human Services to improve the exchange of public health information and practice techniques between China and the U.S.  At the conclusion of the session, Ms. Wu Qiongyu, Deputy Director General of the Anhui Provincial Health Department and head of the delegation thanked the University and Dean Gold, MobileMed Clinic, and the Foundation Board of Trustees, expressing her appreciation for the informative sessions which further served to strengthen the relations between our two countries.

Make a Gift to the Foundation through an IRA Charitable Rollover

If you are over the age of 70 ½, you must take a required minimum distribution from your IRA.  Normally, the amount of this distribution is taxed as ordinary income.  However, federal legislation enacted on October 3, 2008, extends the opportunity for you throughout 2009 to make a direct distribution from your IRA to a qualified charity, such as COF.  Such distributions, while not subject to income tax, will still count toward fulfilling your required minimum distribution.  For more information about how you can benefit from an IRA charitable rollover, contact your accountant or tax advisor. 

Sex, Sin and Science Offered to COA Members at Discounted Price!
Former PHS Historian's Book on History of Syphilis in America Now Available

John Parascandola's just published Sex, Sin and Science: A History of Syphilis in America is being offered to COA members by the publisher (Praeger) at a discount of 20% off the list price. Dr. Parascandola is the retired Public Health Service Historian and a current Trustee of the Commissioned Officers Foundation. Dr. Parascandola's fascinating book traces the history of syphilis in America from Colonial times to the present, as well as providing a background chapter on the origins and spread of syphilis. The important role of the PHS Commissioned Corps is prominently featured throughout his narrative. In his foreword to the book, 17th U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona calls his work "a thoughtful, powerful and revealing treatise...that the general public, historians, politicians, and science can benefit from." To learn more about the book and to receive the 20% discount, click the photo of the book on the right and use discount code F238.

Make Donations to COF ON-LINE!!!

Donations to the PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health (COF) can now be made on-line. Google for Non-Profits provides a streamlined checkout process that allows you to quickly and easily make online donations with a single login. Enhanced data security with this safe online donation tool protects donor's creditcard number and information. Simply click on the Donate - Google Checkout button on the COF Website and complete the required information. Google Checkout lowers the risks associated with managing sensitive data by concealing the donor's credit card number and providing a secure online donation alternative. Contact either Brian McSheffrey or Julia Veeder if you have any questions.

COF Establishes the Dr. Jerrold M. Michael Fellowship

As a tribute to Dr. Jerrold M. Michael on his 80th Birthday, The PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health has established a Fellowship program to be named in his honor.  This program will provide financial assistance to officers of the Commissioned Corps pursuing advanced degrees.  Read More (pdf, 12KB)

Celebrate the 90th Birthday of Revered Surgeon General C. Everett Koop – Wear the Surgeon General Koop Tie or Scarf!

COA and the PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation are pleased to offer this distinctive neckwear commissioned to commemorate the 90th birthday of former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop later this year.  The design was approved by Dr. Koop himself and celebrates his dedication to his profession and to his country.

The ladies' scarf is 60 inches by 8 inches. Both ties and scarves retail for $40 and are available at the special COA member's price of $32

Order your Koop commemorative tie today and join in the celebration of this great American’s 90th birthday this fall.  Allow eight weeks for delivery, please. Download Form (.doc, 1.5MB)

Philadelphia Concord

The Foundation-sponsored Global Health Summit endorses The Philadelphia Concord Calling for Improved Collaboration among all Global Health stakeholders. Add your signature to The Philadelphia Concord! (pdf, 27KB)