4HJ+PSS OVZ[Z SHYNLZ[ (- :;,(4 +H` · the effectiveness of MeRT,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Scott...

Thursday, April 5, 2018

2 WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM Thursday, April 5, 2018 MACDILL THUNDERBOLT

Medical professionals from U.S. Special Opera-tions Command and the 6th Medical Group are partnering to provide a new, noninvasive treat-ment for post-traumatic stress at MacDill Air Force Base.

The treatment uses Magnetic Electroencepha-logram Resonance Therapy (MeRT,) which is a modified version of repetitive Transcranial Mag-netic Stimulation (rTMS) and is currently being researched at the clinic.

The study began at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, but has branched out to include col-laborative efforts with USSOCOM Surgeon’s Office, 6th MDG, Preservation of the Force and Family (POTFF), Uniformed Services University and Newport Brain Research Lab.

“This collaboration has allowed us to study the effectiveness of MeRT,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Scott Cota, the principal investigator of the study assigned to USSOCOM. “This technology has proven safe and highly effective for the treat-ment of medication resistant depression, and our studies aim to validate MeRT effectiveness for treating symptoms of PTS.”

Although rTMS has been used since 2008, the collaboration is focusing on using a different ap-proach by using MeRT.

“It is believed to help brain function by syn-chronizing the brain wave activity to each indi-vidual’s optimized potential,” said Manuel Halter, a social scientist assigned to USSOCOM, POTFF. “The optimization is determined by using quanti-tative EEG data collected several times through-

out the treatment process.”The qEEG measures brain activity in real

time, allowing researchers to study where there’s abnormal brain function, associated with PTS. Using MeRT, they can create a personalized treatment plan based on the baseline qEEG ob-tained from the patient.

“We’re looking to see if MeRT is beneficial as a personalized treatment for PTS based on the needs of the individual,” said MaLisa Lewis, a mental health technician assigned to USSO-COM Surgeon’s Office, POTFF. “Currently, rTMS is used but it’s administered at a fixed magnetic pulse rate and output frequency; every patient receives the same treatment, whereas our re-search is based on an individualized protocol that could potentially help a lot of people.”

After the baseline qEEG is gathered, the data is sent to third-party software where a complex algorithm is used to analyze the qEEG in order to develop a treatment protocol. The treatment involves an electromagnetic pulse being deliv-ered for 6 seconds every minute for approximate-ly 30 minutes, and it is aimed at a specific area of the patient’s scalp. Patients say the sensation feels like a light tapping on their head.

“The idea is to optimize brain function in the ar-eas affected by PTS,” said Halter. “The heart and brain ideally perform at a synchronous wave fre-quency, or harmonic, however, with PTS specific ar-eas of the brain are not operating at full potential.

“They are desynchronized or dysregulated, which is when the symptoms start showing up.”

Halter explained that through treatment, they’re studying if energizing the affected part of the brain will dissolve the symptoms, and per-

manently bring brain and heart waves back into harmony.

“We’re collecting multiple qEEGs throughout the eight-week study process, to monitor brain function and to adjust the protocol to continu-ously personalize the magnetic frequency emit-ted,” Lewis said. “The final data collection point at week eight is intended to see if any changes in brain activity obtained during treatment are maintained afterwards.”

Although the pilot study is still on-going, the team looks to prove the efficacy of MeRT as a treatment for PTS symptoms.

“If our findings show a positive response to the treatment that can be correlated to quantifiable changes in brain function, and that these ben-efits are maintained afterwards, I believe MeRT may become a viable, non-pharmaceutical, non-invasive treatment modality—which would be huge for the treatment of PTS,” said Halter.

COMMANDER’S ACTION LINE

The Action Line provides two-way communication between the 6th Air Mobility Wing commander and the MacDill community. Per-sonnel may submit questions, concerns or comments via email to [email protected].

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NEWS/FEATURES

MACDILL THUNDERBOLT Thursday, April 5, 2018 WWW.MACDILLTHUNDERBOLT.COM 3

Leadership – a quality that may come instinc-tively to some, can be learned. Since military members are charged with the responsibility of taking care of and connecting with the men and women serving alongside them, this quality is one of the priorities of military service.

Many leadership courses are offered in the armed forces. While most involve classrooms on the ground, some new and unique opportunities exist at an altitude in excess of 35,000 feet.

More than 20 Air Force Reserve Officer Train-ing Corps cadets with Detachment 640 from Mi-ami University, Ohio, traveled from Wright-Pat-terson Air Force Base, Ohio, to MacDill Air Force Base to receive an in-flight leadership course, March 19, and attend STEAM Day hosted at Mac-Dill, March 21.

During their flight aboard a C-17 Globemaster III, the cadets participated in leadership exercises, and received mentorship from Senior Master Sgt. Byron Hayes, the career assistance advisor as-signed to the 6th Force Support Squadron at Mac-Dill. “Cadets have a lot on their plates while go-ing through AFROTC; they’re juggling collegiate schoolwork, while maintaining their goal of com-missioning in the Air Force,” said Hayes. “Oppor-tunities like this do not happen very often, and it’s

The 6th Medical Group officially opened a new treatment clinic and added new capabilities to treat burns and scars March 9 at MacDill Air Force Base.

Maj. (Dr.) Thomas Beachkofsky, a board-certified dermatologist assigned to the 6th MDG, opened a scar clinic in an effort to minimize the impact of these life-changing events. The clinic specializes in scarring from chemical burns, thermal burns, blast injuries, traumatic amputation, and surgery.

Although his primary motivation is to improve the quality of life for wounded warriors, he can apply his practice to helping anyone with unwant-ed or symptomatic scarring regardless of the cause.

“Wounded warriors are often young, motivated, goal-oriented, and oth-erwise healthy before having their lives suddenly impacted by traumatic injury and scarring,” said Beachkofsky. “They are used to being in control of their lives; these individuals often want to return to the fight as soon as pos-sible and want to resume normal daily activities without impediment from their injuries.”

Beachkofsky began his training in laser and procedural dermatology in 2011 during his dermatology residency at the 59th Medical Wing under the supervision of Col. (Dr.) Chad Hivnor. Subsequently, he went on to become

See SCARS, Page 12

See CLASSROOM, Page 14

NEWS/FEATURES


WEEK IN PHOTOS


Just as the human spine provides stability and support to the structure of the body, the aviation resource managers provide stability and support to accomplishing our mission of unmatched air refueling and executive airlift.

Due to its exceptional performance in supporting the mission, the Host Aviation Resource Management (HARM) office at MacDill Air Force Base was recently recognized as the Air Force Outstanding Aviation Resource Management Sergeant Dee Campbell Small Unit of the Year for 2017.

“Every base that has an active runway will have aviation resources man-agers there, so it’s pretty competitive,” said Senior Master Sgt. Surita Ro-rie, the HARM superintendent assigned to the 6th Operations Support Squadron. “I think what put us above was not just coming to work every day and clocking in and clocking out, but putting 100 percent in everything that we do.”

A hidden gem that often goes unnoticed when it comes to operational success, MacDill’s HARM office is responsible for monitoring and maintain-ing accurate flying records not only for the 6th Air Mobility Wing, but also U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Central Command, and 26 other countries that operate out of the MacDill runway. Essentially, HARM is the backbone of the operational mission; without it the mission would not be executed, as service members would not be cleared to fly.

“We are fortunate to have a unique mission here at MacDill.” said Tech. Sgt. Ryan McGovern, the NCO in charge of the HARM office assigned to the 6th OSS. “The uniqueness of the challenges here brings a lot of high-

light and extra kudos to what we do.”Some of HARM’s most notable accomplishments include being coined

seven times for excellence, recognized with two other individual Air Force-See AWARD, Page 14

NEWS/FEATURES


Between Feb. 27 and March 3 MacDill Air Force Base hosted Pa-triot Sands, a joint-force exercise to train contingency response person-nel and maintain operational pro-ficiency.

Patriot Sands is an annual, five-day training exercise that the Air Force Reserve Command and other affiliations use to improve opera-tional readiness through joint co-operation.

Among the forces involved were the AFRC, Air Mobility Command, the Federal Bureau of Investiga-tion, the Coast Guard, the Florida Advanced Surgical and Transpor-tation team, and the Federal Emer-gency Management Agency.

“We use the exercise Patriot Sands to maximize efficiency by identifying limiting factors in our training process,” said Lt. Col. Anita West-Werner, the commander of the 512th Con-tingency Response Squadron at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. “Throughout Patriot

See EXERCISE, Page 10


Team MacDill welcomed students and local partners during the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) Day at MacDill Air Force Base March 21.

“We are very proud to have the largest STEAM Day in the Air Force,” said Col. April Vogel, the com-mander of the 6th Air Mobility Wing. “We welcomed more than 1,300 students from the state of Florida and as far away as Ohio.”

What started as STEM Day in 2016 evolved to incorporate the arts in 2018 and become what is now known as STEAM Day. During that span, attendance increased by almost 400 percent and with that, wel-comed new attractions such as the Tampa Bay Lightning’s mascot, Thunder Bug, and the Tampa Bay Rays’ mascot, Raymond.

In addition, attendees were able to experience U.S. Special Operations Command’s tactical assault light operator suit, also known as TALOS or the “Iron Man” suit, several tactical explosive ordnance robots, a Se-cured All-around Flotation Equipped (SAFE) boat static display, and a KC-135 Stratotanker static display along with other technological advancements from various units around the base.

“Through the importance of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, we are building in-novation,” said Vogel. “We want to continue the heritage that the Air Force has had as technological leaders and never before in our nation’s history have we depended more on that dominance in science and technol-ogy than we do today.”

For modern warfare, technological innovation is important and the U.S. military takes great pride in its

technological advancements.“Our technology is what makes us great,

future and combat the problems we face as To generate this innovative technology an

tary needs the brightest personnel. “We have the greatest students, teachers,

personnel,” said Jeff Eakins, the superintenjects covered today provide some of the best

This event also taught hands-on, problemstudents.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience fomilitary base, to see military aircraft and te

The event was more than just a field tripSTEAM-related career field while learning

“We have a great partnership with MacDstudents to what the world is like and the tthe military.”

While the Air Force hopes to recruit someinspire future leaders to take an interest in

“If we can get one little thing here that spogy, and inspires them to study a little bit h


it is what makes us better, and it will help us win the wars of the a country,” said Vogel. nd overcome the challenges of today and tomorrow, the U.S. mili-

, and staff in the world along with the greatest military base and ndent of schools in Hillsborough County. “These important sub-t careers for our students.”

m-solving education that provided real-world application for the

or the students,” said Eakins. “They are really excited to be on a echnology, as well as meet military personnel.”

p, it was an opportunity for students to find inspiration in a about what the Department of Defense has to offer.

Dill Air Force Base,” said Eakins. “We trust MacDill to expose our type of jobs and opportunities they can expect in and outside of

e of the most innovative young minds of tomorrow, it also hopes to n important career fields. parks their attention, draws them towards science and technol-

harder,” said Vogel. “Then I think it was worth the effort.”


Sands, we develop and maintain unit readiness and evaluate our capability to rapidly deploy by air, as well as operate in austere conditions.”

During the exercise, the 512th CRS operated as the lead unit at MacDill.In addition to the 512th CRS, the 46th Aerial Port Squadron and 712th Aircraft Main-

tenance Squadron from Dover AFB sent personnel, four C-17 Globemaster III and a C-5 Galaxy to MacDill.

“We are training to increase our rapid air mobility efficiency,” said Tech. Sgt. Kurtis Crawford, an aerial ramp coordinator assigned to the 512th CRS. “We validate load plans, provided validated loan plans to contingency response commander, perform joint inspections on all cargo, and process passengers.”

Crawford said that one of the initial items hauled and unloaded as cargo was a hard-side expandable light air mobility shelter, also referred to as HELAMS.

A HELAMS is able to unload into a fully-functional mobile command center. This is where the 512th CRS conducted its operations for the entirety of the training exercise, and it is needed for operational success.

At the completion of Patriot Sands, a total of 29 sorties took place, 245 passengers were transported, 322 tons of cargo was hauled, and a total of 3,920 training hours were executed at MacDill AFB alone.

“A great part of this exercise is that we are able to work with our local partners, sister services, and affiliates to be able to handle national threats, such as a natural disaster,” said West-Werner.

After MacDill evacuated last year due to Hurricane Irma, maintaining mission pre-paredness and readiness is crucial for the AFRC and its partners for future emergency situations.

“Any emergency situation can’t be handled by just one unit or one branch of service,” said Crawford. “It’s the collaboration and communication of multiple units through train-ing exercises like this that is required to get the job done.”


the director of its laser clinic and was responsible not only for the care of his patients, but also the medical education of the dermatology residents and other medical providers that rotated with him.

Upon his arrival to MacDill this past summer, he wasted no time obtain-ing the necessary supplies and equipment to make these resources available locally and has now officially opened the clinic with these capabilities.

To kick off the opening of the scar clinic, dermatology technicians received hands-on training from Hivnor.

“For me it was a priceless experience,” said Senior Airman Lucky Jeanni-ton, an aerospace medical technician assigned to the 6th Medical Operations Squadron. “I got to work with someone who is so dedicated to improving the quality of life for our wounded warrior population.”

When asked why he was determined to set up a scar clinic at MacDill, Beachkofsky recalled his experience at the 59th Medical Wing.

“As a resident, I rotated through many of the various dermatology spe-cialty clinics and something special clicked with me while working with the wounded warriors in our laser clinic,” he said. “The men and women I had the honor to meet and care for in this clinic became my heroes and their stories are still vivid in my mind; if there was ever a patient population I felt drawn to support, it was this group.

“Dr. Hivnor started something special at the 59th Medical Wing in terms of his wounded warrior scar clinic. I am glad to have been a part of it and am glad to now offer this level of care to patients at MacDill Air Force Base.”

When it comes to scarring, there are many types and each requires thoughtful evaluation and consideration.

“Through the use of different treatment types including multiple laser and light platforms, surgical treatments and multi-specialty care consulta-tion including physical therapy, occupational therapy and plastic surgery,

most if not all patients can expect to achieve improvement in their scars,” Beachkofsky said. “Additionally, if we determine a patient needs therapy that is outside of our scope of practice or is not supported by our local re-sources, we have the connections and relationships to get them where they need to go to get better.”

No two cases are the same when it comes to the laser treatment of scars and burns.

“A unique aspect of our care is that we begin each encounter with the knowledge that there is no one-size-fits-all treatment when it comes to the injuries we evaluate and treat,” said Beachkofsky. “Everything we do is adapted to the individual needs of each patient and their type of scarring.

“It is not uncommon for one scar to require the use of two or more laser platforms with a wide range of treatment settings.”

Aside from scarring, patients the clinic can treat are those with amputated limbs. These patients often encounter potentially devastating skin problems related to the regular wear of prosthetics devices. Excessive sweating, follicu-litis and skin infections are all too common and can frequently be prevented or easily treated in the clinic.

Common therapies for this patient population include laser hair removal and treatments to limit and stop sweating in the areas of prosthetic wear.

“My goal is just to make sure patients and providers alike know this ser-vice is now available at the 6th Medical Group and my team is ready to help,” said Beachkofsky.

If there are TRICARE eligible patients that would like to be seen for pos-sible treatment of their scarring or other traumatic injuries, their primary care providers need only submit a dermatology consultation request to the referral management center. Alternatively, patients or providers with ques-tions can call the front desk at 827-9372 for further assistance.


amazing to see cadets get immersed in what the Air Force has to offer, and allow them to experience its capabilities up close.”

Hayes went on to explain the importance of learning from senior-enlisted leaders as newly commissioned officers, which was shared by Lt. Col. Jeff Guttman, the operations officer with Detachment 640.

“The cadets learned that as brand new second lieutenants they should lean on their senior NCOs for guidance,” said Guttman. “Those men and women know their craft well and are glad to help shape new officers into great leaders for the future.”

Additionally, this event marks the first time an Air Mobility Command Wing has utilized the “flying classroom” setting for one of its courses.

“Air Mobility Command is committed to working with schools to advance the science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics skill sets. These skills are foundational to success as an Air Force and nation,” said Gen. Carl-ton Everhart II, commander of AMC. “We want to partner with schools to help share our experiences and let students know that if they work hard, there is a place for them on our team.

“Partnering with schools to develop everything from classrooms in the sky, to getting our Airmen into school classrooms, will build interest and enthusi-asm in our Air Force.”

This partnership between the Air Force and schools was highlighted when the 6th Air Mobility Wing hosted its third-annual STEAM Day, which in-vited local schools and organizations to explore the many career options the Air Force provides. STEAM, adds arts to the popular science, technology, en-gineering and math programs around the world.

“Miami University began as a liberal arts school, but over the years, engi-neering and other scientific-based programs have worked their way into ac-tion,” said Guttman. “Quite a few of our cadets are pursuing an engineering degree, and with this opportunity for them to interact with Airmen who do amazing things every day is a priceless experience.

“Most of the cadets on this trip are underclassmen, who might not know what they want to do, so being able to witness the vast amounts of career fields the Air Force has to offer, gives them a better idea of what’s to come and sparks their excitement.”

One freshman cadet from Detachment 640, Duncan Burke, showed his excitement throughout the event.

“I’ve never flown on a C-17, let alone a military aircraft, so it was amazing to be a part of that,” said Burke. “I saw this trip as a great way to experience the Air Force, and I will definitely hold on to the lecture that was given to us.”

level awards, a MAJCOM-level award, two wing-level awards, three group-level awards, two squadron-level awards, and four team awards, along with supporting the 91st Air Refueling Squadron in its win of the Air Mobility Command’s best tanker unit.

“Our Airmen love coming to work every day,” said McGovern. “They love it because they’re not just learning our job, they’re learning about the Air

Force and how to be a better person.”As a small unit, comprised of less than 25 Airmen, the office is manned

by mostly junior enlisted members.“Our Airmen crush it and it teaches us old-heads humility because they

come in and teach us the newest tricks,” said McGovern. “Really, righteous-ly, they’re the ones that allowed this award to happen.”


COMMUNITY

For all other faith groups or for any questions, please contact the Chapel by visiting http://www.macdill.af.mil/macdillchapel or calling 828-3621

Surf’s Edge ClubMembership Breakfast from

6:30-9 a.m. Club members free; non-members: $8.45. Call 828-1466.

Annual Month of the Military Child Parade

9 a.m. Please come out and cheer the children along the pa-rade route from the Youth Center to the Fitness Center.

MacDill Lanes & Family Fun Center

Glow-a-rama Family Fun Night from 5-9 p.m. 50-cent games for all bowlers under the age of 15.

Wings 75 cents, cheese pizza $9 and pepperoni pizza $10.50. Kids meal $2.99 - nuggets and fries with fountain soda (12 and under). Call 828-4005.

MacDill LanesUFC 223 Ferguson vs. Khabib.

Fee entry. Doors open at 9 p.m. Fights begin 10 p.m. “Smack Down Chow Down” food specials. Club member exclusive deals. Call 828-4005.

Base TheaterFree movie: “The Greatest Show”

(PG). Doors open at 1:15 p.m. Mov-ie starts at 2 p.m. Overflow park-ing available in the SOCOM park-ing garage.

4HJ+PSS OVZ[Z SHYNLZ[ (- :;,(4 +H` · the effectiveness of MeRT,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Scott...

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Transcript of 4HJ+PSS OVZ[Z SHYNLZ[ (- :;,(4 +H` · the effectiveness of MeRT,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Scott...