FORT HOOD, Texas - Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center graduated 13 physicians from its two residency programs and one officer in its hospital administration program Friday, June 19, at the Killeen Civic and Convention Center.
Before introducing the guest speaker, Col. Casper P. Jones III, hospital commander, remarked that ten percent of the U.S. Army is stationed at Fort Hood. "This is a great training opportunity for any physician that comes here. I'm very proud of you all for what you've done here and what you've done for our nation."
Guest speaker was Brig. Gen. Joseph Caravalho Jr., commanding general, Great Plains Regional Medical Command and Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He thanked the graduates' Family members and loved ones for attending the ceremony. "You have every right to beam with pride as you witness the end of a rigorous chapter in your loved one's life and smile with eager anticipation for the chapter that lies ahead. This has got to be one heck of an exciting day."
After the ceremony, Capt. Dalmar A. Jackson, who graduated from the Army-Baylor University Graduate Program in Health Care Administration, called the program a great opportunity to learn about hospital administration. He completed his first year at Fort Sam Houston and then came to Darnall to complete a one-year residency where he worked on special projects.
Second year students typically perform a 12-month residency in a military or civilian treatment facility and earn 6-credits, working under the mentorship of a senior health care executive and functioning as an integral member of the leadership team.
"I had the chance to really see the hospital from different perspectives; logisitics, resource management, human resources, the clinical side," Jackson said. Now that he has graduated, he will leave in August for Washington, D.C. where he will help with the transition of Walter Reed Army Medical Center to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
Capt. Scott D. Goodroad, DO, who graduated from Emergency Medicine Residency Program, talked about the program while posing for photos with his parents, David and Inger Goodroad who had traveled from Pennsylvania to watch their son graduate. "It's been a long three years but the training is great," the captain said." He will be assigned as the brigade surgeon for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
Other EMRP graduates were: Capt. Jeffrey Adler, MD; Capt. David L. Heaton, DO; Capt. Tina Hills, DO; Capt. Jereme P. Long, DO; Capt. Joel A. Miller, MD; Capt. Dustin H. Tauferner, DO; and Capt. Joy C. Wethern, DO.
One of three Emergency Medicine Residency Programs in the U. S. Army Graduate Medical Education System, the program was established to take the opportunity of the high volume of critically ill and injured patients who come to the busiest Emergency Department in the Army Medical Department.
Like Goodroad, Capt. Chad E. Lamphere, DO, who graduated from the Family and Community Medicine Residency Program, will be assigned to the 1st CD. He will work as the brigade surgeon for the 4th BCT. He said he's excited to be assigned to the 1st CD because he wanted to be with a unit that is deployable. "The residency program is great," he said. "I had the chance to rotate in different areas and learn about different specialties."
Other graduates of the FCMRP were: Capt. Dagoberto Balderas, DO; Capt. Robert W. Byrne, MD; Capt. Mary DiGiulio, DO, Korea; and Capt. Miranda Fowler, MD.
Darnall accepted its first residency class for Family Medicine in June 2000. Family medicine physicians must complete three years of residency training before becoming board-eligible for board certification. Five residents per year are accepted into Darnall's Family Medicine Program.
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