Sears Award Nominees 2008

Below are the narrative biographies of the Sears Award nominees for 2008. Please read all of the bios before making a selection. Take your time; you have until COB Tuesday. The accomplishments of each of these Navy psychiatrists are truly inspiring. You will see that each has a mixture of academic and operational credentials. Finally, if you are eligible to vote, you should vote. Lack of personal acquaintance of the nominees is not a reason to avoid voting.

CAPT Robert Alonso holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree cum laude from the University of Louisville, a Master of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, and a Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He completed his Family Practice Internship at Naval Hospital Charleston, then reported as Battalion Surgeon, 5th Bn, 11th Marine Artillery Regiment at 29 Palms Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. He was ordered to Naval Hospital Portsmouth for his psychiatry residency, graduating in 1993. From 1993 to 1996 he served first as Inpatient Director, then as Department Head of the Psychiatry Department of U. S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, leading the Navy’s largest OCONUS psychiatry department. In 1996 he reported as Division Psychiatrist and Assistant Division Surgeon for the 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton. He became Group Surgeon for 1st Force Service Support Group in August 1999. In 2000 he deployed with 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade to Kenya and Tanzania as the Combined-Joint Task Force Surgeon for Exercises Natural Fires/Native Fury. In 2002 he reported as Command Surgeon with Joint Task Force-Civil Support (JTF-CS). JTF-CS is the headquarters command tasked with providing command and control of all DOD resources deployed in support of civil authorities for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear events. During this tour he was became a Plank Owner of Northern Command, participating in the development of the mission scope, concept of operations, and manning requirements for the NORTHCOM Surgeon’s Directorate. In 2005 he was selected to lead Navy Psychiatry's largest clinical and training operation as Department Chairman at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. Concurrently at Portsmouth, he was appointed Department Head for Contingency Planning, developing hospital contingency plans and functioning as the hospital’s emergency manager. In October 2006 CAPT Alonso reported to FIRST Naval Construction Division where he currently serves as Force Surgeon. CAPT Alonso’s awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three awards), Global War on Terror Service and Expeditionary Medals, and the Fleet Marine Force Ribbon. Vote Here.

Captain Robert Koffman graduated with a B.S. Degree from Whittier College in 1976. He received his Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of Santo Tomas in 1982 and his MPH Degree from the Harvard School of Public Health in 1995. He completed residencies in psychiatry in 1991 and aerospace and preventive medicine in 1997. With a demonstrated interest in psychiatric epidemiology, CAPT Koffman's dedication to improve the delivery of mental health care in operational settings is noteworthy. He implemented one of the first Naval Combat Stress Centers during Operation Desert Storm sixteen years ago. Over more than two decades, CAPT Koffman's largely operational career has spanned a wide variety of clinical and operational settings, including serving at Antarctica's McMurdo Station (Operation Deep Freeze), embarked aboard aircraft carriers and amphibious vessels, and most recently, several deployments to Al Anbar Province, Iraq. As a former Marine Division Psychiatrist, he helped champion and develop the current OSCAR program. CAPT Koffman deployed during OIF-1 as the first Combat Stress Control (CSC) Consultant for First Marine Expeditionary Force. As the Seabee Force Surgeon, he pioneered a revolutionary in-country three-day Warrior Transition redeployment program now considered the gold standard for Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. Collaborating with the VA, CAPT Koffman is a member of the VA's Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Centers (MIRECC 6), and he was also a member of the blue ribbon panel that crafted the current ASD/PTSD Clinical Practice Guidelines. He is frequently consulted as the Navy's expert in operational psychiatry by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and has collaborated on numerous studies and projects (Hoge et al) to include the Mental Health Assessment Teams (MHAT). Personally recruited and selected to stand up Navy Medicine's first Combat and Operational Stress Control consultant position at BUMED, Capt Koffman continues to ensure that the behavioral health needs of the war fighter are understood and met. Vote Here.

Captain Kevin D. Moore graduated magna cum laude from Western Kentucky University with a B.A. and a B.S. Degree, completing both degrees in four years. He obtained his Doctor of Medicine Degree from University of Kentucky College of Medicine. He completed internship and residency training at National Naval Medical Center in 1991. As Third Marine Division Psychiatrist from 1991 to 1994 he held additional responsibilities as Assistant Division Surgeon, and he deployed as Winter Over Debriefing Psychiatrist for McMurdo Station, Antarctica. He completed a forensic psychiatry fellowship in 1995, after which he returned to National Naval Medical Center as the command's first billeted forensic psychiatrist. He served as a consultant to a number of national bodies, led the SPRINT team, mentored residents in the training program and served as a member of the credentials committee. From 1998 to 2000, he served in a series of Director positions at Naval Hospital Charleston. In 2001 he was selected as Division Surgeon, First Marine Division. Responsible for all medical operations in support of the Ground Combat Element during the Global War on Terrorism, he deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. After redeployment he reported to Naval Medical Clinic Pearl Harbor in November 2003. Initially appointed Director for Ancillary Services, he was reassigned as Director for Clinical Services in June 2004. Captain Moore served as Specialty Leader for Psychiatry from December 2001 to December 2004. He was hand selected by the Navy Inspector General to serve as the medical representative for the Secretary of Defense's Special Task Force on Interrogations in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Iraq, and Afghanistan from June to September 2004. Captain Moore reported as Executive Officer, Naval Hospital Guam in July 2005. He assumed command of Expeditionary Medical Facility and Medical Task Force Kuwait in May 2007. Currently he is the prospective Commanding Officer of U. S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka in Japan. He is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in General, Forensic, and Addiction Psychiatry, and has completed the APA's Certification in Psychiatric Administration and Management. He is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, and faculty for the Military Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship. Vote Here.

Captain Peter K. True received a B.A. in History from University of Chicago in 1972. He taught school in grades 5 through 9 from 1973 to 1980. He graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1984. He completed his psychiatry internship and residency at Naval Hospital Portsmouth from 1984 to 1988. He served his utilization tour on Okinawa as 3d Marine Division Psychiatrist and Assistant Division Surgeon. In 1989 he reported back to Naval Hospital Portsmouth, where he served successive roles as an inpatient attending and Outpatient Division Head. For five years he led SPRINT Team II Portsmouth, with approximately 55 interventions during that time period. In 1990 he deployed to Al Jubayl, Saudi Arabia, Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, as Staff Psychiatrist with Fleet Hospital FIVE. He also deployed with Joint Task Force 160, GTMO, where he was Director of Mental Health Services and Head of the Mental Health Department. He transferred to Naval Hospital Jacksonville in 1996, where he served as Head, Mental Health Department, and later as Assistant Director of Medical Services. In 1999 he deployed to Fleet Hospital, Port-au-Prince, Haiti Detachment, where he was Director of Medical Services and Staff Psychiatrist. In 2002 he transferred to U. S. Naval Hospital Guam, where he served as Staff Psychiatrist and Director for Medical Services. In 2004 he returned to Naval Hospital Jacksonville, and shortly afterward deployed as Staff Psychiatrist, Combat Stress Team, Taqaddum Surgical Team (SSTP), Al Taqaddum, Iraq. For almost all of 2006 and 2007 CAPT True served as the only psychiatrist at Naval Hospital Jacksonville due to deployments of others, and he registered more RVUs in that two year period than any other Navy psychiatrist. He is currently serving as Staff Psychiatrist with Combat Logistics Battalion 6 and the 325th Combat Surgical Hospital at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. CAPT True is the author of several journal articles, and as a resident, he was a two-time recipient of the Hogan Award for scholarship. Vote Here.