This Week at USU - April 13 2026

[Uniformed Services University - News]

13 April 2026

A Mini Masterclass in Grit: Uniformed Services University Trains EMS Volunteers in Tactical Medicine

Uniformed Services University faculty and students trained more than 350 civilian EMS volunteers in life-saving battlefield techniques and "Mini-Bushmaster" simulations to bolster interest in military medicine. Step inside the high-intensity "Mini-Bushmaster" mass-casualty simulation where hundreds of civilian pre-med students experienced the visceral realities of tactical combat casualty care, igniting their passion to join the military medical pipeline. [Discover how USU is recruiting the next generation of military physicians here]

From Classroom Project to National Resource: USU Graduate's Online Course Expands Orofacial Pain Education

A degree program project created by Navy dentist Cmdr. James Hawkins reaches military providers, VA clinicians, and civilian dental schools nationwide. Discover how a standardized, open-access curriculum developed at USU is bridging critical training gaps in temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain, ensuring military and civilian dental professionals are equipped to deliver specialized care. [Read the full story on this innovative dental curriculum here]

Fort Hood Dental Team Masters the Norwegian Foot March

Advanced Education in General Dentistry residents—students in USU’s Postgraduate Dental College—complete the demanding 18.6-mile Norwegian Foot March. Explore how USU's dental residents stationed at Fort Hood proved their exceptional physical endurance and mental fortitude by conquering the grueling, rucksack-heavy Norwegian Foot March while balancing rigorous clinical training. [Read the full story of their 18.6-mile achievement here]

USU Events

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Seminar 13 APRIL 1130 - 1230 EDT Lecture Room A3, Building A, USU Explore the molecular mechanisms and functions of Salmonella Typho virulence factors. Add to Calendar

Unleash Your Data: No-Code Dashboards for Modern Educators 13 APRIL 1200 - 1300 EDT Virtual (Microsoft Teams) ETI Teaching with Technology Brown Bag: You don’t need to be a programmer to harness the power of "Big Data." If you can use a spreadsheet, you can build a professional dashboard. Join Dr. Josh Duncan, USU’s Assistant Dean for Assessment, for a practical guide to "unleashing" the data you already have. We’ll show you how to use Looker Studio to create secure, shareable, and visually stunning analytics that turn "just numbers" into actionable insights for faculty and learners. Add to Calendar

Doctoral Dissertation Public Defense - Allison J. Ruchinskas 13 APRIL 1300 - 1400 EDT Lecture Room A2, Building A, USU & Virtual (Google Meet) Join this doctoral dissertation public defense to understand establishing the CARD11-BCL10-MALT1 complex as a metabolic governor of T helper differentiation. Add to Calendar

Doctoral Dissertation Public Defense - Pratibha Gurung 14 APRIL 1100 - 1200 EDT Lecture Room A3, Building A, USU & Virtual (Google Meet) Explore LiaX-dependent regulation of envelope stress signaling in coordinating lysozyme tolerance and cell division in Enterococcus faecalis. Add to Calendar

Doctoral Dissertation Public Defense - Aileen C. Mooney 14 APRIL 1330 - 1430 EDT Lecture Room C2, Building C, USU & Virtual (Google Meet) Explore the relationship between type 2 diabetes and COVID-19 complications. Add to Calendar

Spring 2026 State of School of Medicine 14 APRIL 1400 - 1500 EDT Sanford Auditorium, USU Join us for the Spring State of the School of Medicine to hear updates on achievements, initiatives, and future plans. Add to Calendar

Pediatric Grand Rounds 15 APRIL 0745 - 0845 EDT Lecture Room A3, Building A, USU & Virtual (Google Meet) Join us for a session covering two timely topics: anti-obesity medication prescription practices for pediatric and young adult dependents in the Military Health System, and the use of wastewater as an early warning system for common respiratory viral pathogens. Add to Calendar

Current Topics in Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics 15 APRIL 1200 - 1300 EDT Lecture Room A2, Building A, USU & Virtual (Google Meet) Explore current topics in preventive medicine and biostatistics at this event. Add to Calendar

Doctoral Dissertation Public Defense - Taj U. Keshav 15 APRIL 1200 - 1300 EDT Lecture Room C1, Building C, USU & Virtual (Google Meet) Join this doctoral dissertation public defense to discuss the shape of inequality: a multiple measures approach. Add to Calendar

Public Defense - Brianna M. Allen 15 APRIL 1200 - 1300 EDT Lecture Room A2, Building A, USU & Virtual (Google Meet) Join this thesis public defense to discuss rapid detection of PFAS in aqueous samples using a field-deployable method. Add to Calendar

Public Defense - Jermin R. Deane 15 APRIL 1200 - 1300 EDT Lecture Room A2, Building A, USU & Virtual (Google Meet) Join this thesis public defense to discuss a field validation of the AIHA® smartphone heat stress mobile app WBGT estimates vs. the WBGT index in military outdoor settings. Add to Calendar

Public Defense - Magnus D. Perkins 15 APRIL 1200 - 1300 EDT Lecture Room A2, Building A, USU & Virtual (Google Meet) Join this thesis public defense to discuss a field comparison of PM2.5 concentrations at microenvironmental locations on Naval Support Activity Bethesda and AirNow monitoring stations in Montgomery County and at McMillan Reservoir. Add to Calendar

Doctoral Dissertation Public Defense - Joshua W. Trowell 15 APRIL 1400 - 1500 EDT Lecture Room C1, Building C, USU & Virtual (Google Meet) Join this doctoral dissertation public defense to discuss Chagas disease in the Military Health System. Add to Calendar

Doctoral Dissertation Public Defense - Ashley A. Derenbecker 15 APRIL 1500 - 1600 EDT Virtual (Google Meet) Join this doctoral dissertation public defense to discuss mental health waivers in United States Navy aviation personnel. Add to Calendar

Midday Meditation 16 APRIL 1200 - 1230 EDT Virtual (Google Meet) Engage in a guided meditation session exploring the inner workings of the mind. Add to Calendar

Neuroscience Seminar 16 APRIL 1530 - 1630 EDT Lecture Room A2, Building A, USU Discover two research topics at this event: Investigating the Role of Microglia and Adrenergic Signaling in Glymphatic Functional Recovery Following Traumatic Brain Injury and Calcium Regulation in an LPS-induced Human Astrocyte Model. Add to Calendar

Department of Medicine Seminar 17 APRIL 1200 - 1300 EDT Lecture Room A3, Building A, USU & Virtual (Google Meet) Learn about substance use disorder in the U.S. military, including its epidemiology, risk factors, and impact on readiness. Add to Calendar

USU in the News

Nebraska Guard, Tanzania Test Medical Readiness During Justified Accord 2026 U.S. and Tanzanian medical personnel utilized the USU-developed Medical Currency Application for Readiness Tracking (MCART 2.0) to digitize field-medicine data and quantify operational readiness during a major East African exercise. Nebraska National Guard Fueling the Force: Nutrition’s Role in Readiness Experts from Walter Reed and USU’s Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP) identify optimized nutrition as a mission-critical driver of warfighter physical performance and cognitive resilience. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Is cracking your knuckles actually bad for you? Medical experts debunk the myth that knuckle cracking causes arthritis, reinforcing USU’s commitment to evidence-based musculoskeletal health and long-term force maintenance. Yahoo Lifestyle AI Moves From Tool to Partner in the Modern Surgical Practice USU associate professor of surgery Dr. Hassan Tetteh highlights the transformative role of AI in streamlining clinical documentation and enhancing surgical efficiency to combat physician burnout. General Surgery News The links shared are not an implied endorsement by the DoD or USU.

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