2006 HS-PAC Awards Subcommittee

 

Chair:            CDR Nancy Nichols, IHS

Co-Chair:      LCDR Felicia B. Williams, FDA

 

        Members: 

    CDR Brad Austin, OS

    LCDR Brian Bucca, IHS

    CDR Keith Cespon, IHS

    LCDR Crista Corbett, IHS

    Frank H. Cross, FDA

    LCDR Michael Davis, IHS

    LCDR Camille Hawkins, OCCO

    LT Jason Jurkowski, OS

    LTJG Peter Meyer, CDC

    LCDR Jacqueline Rodrigue, HRSA

    LCDR Karen Sicard, CDC

    LCDR Iris E. Valentin-Bon, FDA

    CDR Cheryl Wiseman, FDA

    CDR Gina Woodlief, BOP

    CDR Elise Young, HRSA

 

Committee Charge:

To annually solicit and administer nominations for the CAPT Stanley J. Kissel and CAPT Joseph Garcia Jr. Awards, and the Health Services Officer Responder of the Year Award.  Perform other duties as assigned by the CPO, Chair, or Vice-Chair.

 

2006 Awards Committee Activities:

• January-March:  Submit HS-PAC Call for Nominations for the 2006 Kissel and Garcia Awards to HS-List serve, CC Bulletin, HSO List serve and other specialty advisory groups.  Nomination packages were also received during this time.  An update on awards evaluation forms were completed to assist in the selection process.
• March:  Nominations reviewed by the committee and selections made for the Kissel and Garcia Awards.  Plaques ordered.
• May:  Kissel and Garcia Awards announced at the 2006 national COA meeting
• September:  Call for Nominations for the HSO Responder of the Year Award
• November/December:  HSO Responder of the Year Award nominee selected

 

 

2006 HS-PAC Awards Subcommittee Chair:  CDR Nancy Nichols

 

CDR Nancy Nichols is an optometrist with the Indian Health Service on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Tuba City, AZ.  CDR Nichols received her BA degree in Psychology from St. Louis University and her doctorate from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.  She completed her residency training at the Veterans Administration in Kansas City, MO. 

 

CDR Nichols began her PHS career in 1992.  She has worked at various sites on the Navajo Reservation.  CDR Nichols helped established the first PHS optometry residency program and was the first optometry residency director. She is both a Fellow and a Diplomate candidate in the American Academy of Optometry.   CDR Nichols currently is the PHS Representative to the American Academy of Optometry Admissions Committee.  She has been an HS mentor, maintains her basic readiness status with the Office of Force Readiness and Deployment, and is an Associate Recruiter for the USPHS. 

 

 

2006 HS-PAC Awards Subcommittee Co-Chair:  LCDR Felicia Williams

 

LCDR Felicia Williams is a Senior Regulatory Review Officer with the Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in College Park, MD.  LCDR Williams received her BS degree in Chemistry from Stillman College, her Masters in Science from Jackson State University and her doctorate in Analytical Chemistry from American University.

 

LCDR Williams began her PHS career in 2000 as an Assistant Regulatory Reviewer in the Office of Premarket Approval.  LCDR Williams was appointed to the FDA’s Commissioners Policy Advisory Committee in 2003.  She has actively participated on the HS-PAC Awards Subcommittee as a volunteer for the past two years.  She maintains her basic readiness status with the Office of Force Readiness and Deployment.

 

 

2006 HS-PAC Awards Subcommittee Members: 

 

CDR Brad Austin

Commander Brad Austin serves as a Senior Program Management Officer in the Office of Mass Casualty Planning, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness.  CDR Austin represents HHS on the Executive Secretariat of the National Disaster Medical System.  First commissioned into the United State Public Health Service in 1990, Commander Austin started his Federal career in the Health Resources and Services Administration working with the Ryan White CARE Act.  He then served in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, managing a variety of substance abuse treatment grant programs.  He had the privilege of serving in The White House, providing technical expertise and coordination among substance abuse treatment, mental health, and HIV prevention.  Commander Austin is the recipient of the PHS Distinguished Service Medal, two PHS Commendation Medals, the PHS Achievement Medal, the PHS Citation, two Special Assignment Awards, and numerous Unit Commendations.  He received his Bachelors from the University of California at Berkeley and his Masters in Public Health, Health Services Administration, from San Diego State University.

 

LT Jason Jurkowski:

LT Jason S. Jurkowski is a commissioned officer in the United States Public Health Service and is currently stationed at the Office of the Secretary/HHS, Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness where he is the Director of the Secretary’s Operations Center (SOC).  LT Jurkowski is responsible for the overall performance, policy development, staffing and planning for the SOC.  The SOC is the focal point for synthesis of critical public health and medical information on behalf of the United States Government.  During emergency situations or exigent circumstances, the Secretary’s Operations Center coordinates incident management system responses for the Department of Health and Human Services.  The SOC serves as a single point of contact for all public health emergencies providing 24 hour staffing, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. During emergencies, the SOC serves as the focal point for liaison activities within HHS.

 

As the Director of the SOC, LT Jurkowski is responsible for the overall development of the operations of the Secretary’s Operations Center to include creation and implementing standard operating procedures and strategic business plans.  In addition, he ensures that plans are in place for increased levels of activation while preplanning for anticipated events.  LT Jurkowski provides expertise in managing and directing information received to ensure that appropriate actions are taken as necessary to mitigate, respond, and recover from medical and health consequences of bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. 

Prior to this, LT Jurkowski served as the liaison for HHS to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Homeland Security Operations Center.  His role there was to serve as the principal Department of Health and Human Services Liaison responsible for the coordination and dissemination of information and policy in regards to public health and medical issues in a 24/7/365 secure analysis and response center.  He served the operations center in providing a single focal point for information sharing, command and control, communications, specialized technologies and information collection, assessment, and external processing for the Secretary of Homeland Security and all Federal components that would engage with DHS under emergency and non-emergency conditions following the guidelines of the National Response Plan. 

LT Jurkowski received his B.S. from Charleston Southern University in Charleston, SC and his MPH from the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina.  LT Jurkowski is also currently enrolled in the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Joint Military Intelligence College where he is working towards the degree of Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence. 

 

LCDR Karen Sicard

LCDR Karen Sicard is a Health Education Specialist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Oral Health in Atlanta Georgia.  LCDR Sicard received a BS degree in dental hygiene from the University of South Dakota and a Masters in Public Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

 

LCDR Sicard began her PHS career in 1997 stationed with the Indian Health Service on the Crow Reservation in Montana.  LCDR Sicard is on the American Dental Hygienist Association Council on Public Health, and is currently serving as the Dental Hygiene PAG chair.  LCDR Sicard has been on the HS-PAC awards and mentoring subcommittees for the past two years, and recently volunteered to serve on the membership committee.  She is currently a HSO mentor, maintains her basic readiness status with the Office of Force Readiness and Deployment, and is an Associate Recruiter for the USPHS. 

 

CDR Elise Young

 

CDR Elise Young serves as a Senior Public Health Analyst with HRSA’s Office of Performance Review San Francisco Regional Division. She participates in performance improvement reviews of HRSA grantees in the region. She has held positions at HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) Office of Managed Care.

 

Prior to joining the Public Health Service she was with the National Association of Social Workers in the Office of Quality Assurance and Credentialing Center. CDR Young was responsible for the development and maintenance of social work professional credentials and actively participated in State social work licensing issues. She received a Masters in Social Work from the University of Hawaii. She holds membership in the Academy of Certified Social Workers and is a Diplomate in Clinical Social Work.

 

CDR Young has received several PHS awards, is a member of the Social Work Professional Advisory Group, is an Associate Recruiter and a founding member and field coordinator of the USPHS wind ensemble. As a member of the HSO PAC, CDR Young serves on the Awards and Recruitment & Retention subcommittees.