The EPAC welcomes your suggestions. Meetings are open to all PHS Engineers, and those outside the Washington, D.C. metro area may attend via conference call by dialing 919-856-4188.

CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 1:05 p.m. EDT. Roll call was taken. Substantive comment was solicited for the July 22, 1999 meeting minutes, no further corrections were required, and the July meeting minutes were approved. The next meeting will be held Friday, October 29, 1999, at 1:00 p.m. in the National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health's Pittsburgh Research Laboratory in Pittsburgh, PA. To attend via conference call, dial 919-856-4188.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Office of the Chief Engineer: RADM Bob Williams reported the following:

AIChE Nuclear Engineering Division Robert E. Wilson Award: Congratulations were extended to CAPT William Holcomb (NIH) who was honored by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers with the Nuclear Engineering Division's Robert E. Wilson award. RADM Williams noted that it is special accomplishments of our colleagues, like this, that reinforce our realization of the truly great people who make up the USPHS.
CPO/PAC Meeting of September 23, 1999:

• Fitness Activity Initiative: Dr. Satcher attended the CPO/PAC Chair meeting, and was specifically interested in hearing about the Fitness Activity Initiative being lead by the Therapist Category. The Fitness Activity Initiative's three goals are to provide: (1) education on wellness; (2) training on safe and effective means of maintaining wellness; and, (3) motivation in making wellness an integral and permanent part of the participant's lifestyle. Phase I of the initiative is basically underway now, with the challenge for officers to begin participating in the Presidents Sports Awards program. This program is a self-administered and monitored program that emphasizes regular exercise. Dr. Satcher appreciated the efforts of the Therapist category and challenged them, and all of us, to go further by developing a program that would set the benchmark for all uniformed services by providing an example of the leading fitness and wellness program.
• Strategic Visioning Workgroup: A brief overview was presented on the efforts of the Strategic Visioning Workgroup, "The New Commissioned Corps for the Next Century." The concepts are (1) to identify public health needs of the nation, and then look to where the Commissioned Corps can be most effectively applied, (2) to provide central management for the Corps under the Surgeon General, (3) to provide extensive training and career development programs for officers. Work continues on the Strategic Visioning to move from concepts, through feedback from across the Corps, to future implementation of approved measures.
• PAC's and the Needs of Junior Officers: The Chief Professional Officers and the Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) Chairs discussed how the PACs are addressing the needs of junior officers. RADM Williams presented the EPAC's efforts currently underway in mentoring, career development, awards, new hire contacts, and website networking. He emphasized the importance of junior officers to the success and future of the Commissioned Corps and noted that we are not fully addressing their needs, and further that we sometimes do not listen. RADM Williams encouraged the PACs to accept responsibility for engaging junior officers and civilians in PAC activities, to embrace the issues of importance to junior members of their category, and to respond effectively to their needs. Others presented similar activities either underway or to be developed. Several suggested considering more junior members on PACs and/or development of Junior Officer/Civilian Subcommittees. RADM Moritsugu asked for two actions: (1) all PAC Chairs are to identify ways of increasing junior officer/civilians participation in PACs; and, (2) CPO/PAC Chairs are to nominate one junior officer (0-4 or below) to attend one or two Junior Officer Ad Hoc Workgroup meetings, convened by RADM Moritsugu.

2. EPAC Chair: CAPT Bedick reported the following:

October EPAC Meeting: The October 29, 1999 meeting of the EPAC taking place at the NIOSH Pittsburgh Research Laboratory (PRL) in Pittsburgh, PA was discussed. The meeting will emphasize issues relating to Civil Service engineers through the activities underway within the subcommittees, and should include an explanation of the purposes of each of the subcommittees and some of their past accomplishments. For attendees, the meeting will be preceded earlier in the day by an overview of the PRL including tours of a few of the laboratories and a research coal mine. Mr. Tony Iannacchione will be hosting the meeting for the PRL, and he has asked that those that will be attending in person notify him so that he can properly coordinate arrangements for the accommodations and activities.
Junior Officers: The EPAC is ahead of many of the other PACs in addressing the needs of junior officers. CAPT Bedick emphasized that the work that the EPAC is doing in this regard is very positive, and that it must continue to build upon these efforts to meet the needs of junior officers.
PAC Chair PAC Meeting:

• Promotion Issues: There has been a great deal of concern regarding a sixth precept. Also, the Pharmacy PAC has begun addressing the concern that officers are not receiving feedback regarding why they are placed in a particular quartile. The PAC Chairs will be undertaking the need for consistency among categories in addressing feedback to officers.
• PAC Contribution Awards: A draft document has been developed which provides a checklist for use in identifying the contributions to PACs over a member's term, for the purpose of determining the appropriate awards for that member's contributions. CAPT Bedick will distribute this document to EPAC members for their comments.

3. DCP Liaison: No report this month.

4. CCRF Liaison: CAPT Sven Rodenbeck reported the following:

Assistance to the OEP: CDR Kathleen Downs, Commissioned Corps Readiness Force (CCRF) Training Coordinator, sent an e-mail to all PHS CPOs requesting their assistance. In response, CAPT Sven Rodenbeck spoke with CDR Downs about how the Office of the Chief Engineer, the EPAC, and its Emergency Preparedness Subcommittee could assist. CDR Downs indicated that the EPAC has already provided her and the Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) with a great deal of information they can use to address the issues raised in her e-mail, specifically the EPAC's proposed revisions to the specialty codes. EPAC is one of the leaders among the PACs in this effort. CDR Downs indicated that she would like to have a meeting of the CPOs or their representatives to discuss how to better develop the CCRF database and how the CPOs and PACs can help. CDR Downs indicated that she would like to see the CPOs pre-approve officers rather than approving officers during the deployment phase as is currently done.
Hazard Training: CAPT Joe Cocalis (NIOSH) has developed a plan with the Phoenix Fire Fighters Academy to possibly train a group of CCRF PHS Officers during the 2000 Commissioned Officers Association (COA) Conference. They are willing to provide training in "command and control," bio-terrorism, HAZMAT, and perhaps other areas. The Phoenix Fire Fighters Academy will work with the PHS on this and will provide anything it can, including the training at no cost. This information has been passed along to CDR Downs (OEP). There will be future meetings to develop this idea further. Many thanks to CAPT Cocalis for developing this idea.

5. COA Liaison: No report this month.

6. Job Vacancies: The PHS Engineers web site has links to vacancies within all the DHHS OPDIVs at http://www.usphsengineers.org/joblists.htm, and also maintains a list of vacancies at http://www.usphsengineers.org/vacancy.htm.

FDA: The Food and Drug Administration is currently advertising for a GS-12/13 Consumer Safety Officer in San Jose or Irvine, CA, and a GS-9/11 Interdisciplinary position (including Materials, Mechanical or Biomedical Engineers) in Rockville, MD.
IHS/ES-Dallas: Engineering Services-Dallas is currently advertising for a GS-12/13 Mechanical Engineer.

OLD BUSINESS

EPAC Nominations for 2000: Two current EPAC members will complete their first term in December 1999 and have elected not to continue for a second term, while two other current EPAC members will complete their first term in December 1999 and declared their intention to seek a second term.

The following self-nominations were received:
 

OPDIV/Agency	Membership Slots Open	Number of Nominees
FDA	2	4
CDC	1	5
IHS	1	7
ATSDR	1	2
NIH	1	2
EPA	0	1
At-large	1	-
TOTAL	7	21 (including 2 second term nominees)

The Rules Subcommittee had a difficult job due to the excellent slate of nominees and wished to select more members, but was limited by the number of slots available. The Rules subcommittee recommended nominees for selection as follows, and these recommendations were approved by the EPAC membership:
 

OPDIV/Agency	Selections
FDA	2
CDC	1
IHS	1
NIH	1
ATSDR	1
At-large	1

The names of those recommended for membership will be released following approval by the Office of the Surgeon General. CAPT Bedick, as PAC chair, will send a letter to all self-nominees who were not selected for membership, thanking them for their interest and encouraging them to become actively involved in subcommittee work.

NEW BUSINESS

Engineer Category Article for CC Bulletin: The Engineer category will be preparing an article for the April 2000 issue of the Commissioned Corps Bulletin. Topics for articles suggested by the Office of the Surgeon General included those relating to the Surgeon General's priorities, awards and promotions, and the Surgeon General's reports. It was noted that these were only suggested topics, and that they did not address category-specific issues. The deadline for submission of the article is March 1, 2000. Those with ideas for the topic of the article should submit those ideas to Ms. Lisa Hayes (Office of the Chief Engineer at ATSDR-Chiefeng@cdc.gov).
OPDIV/Agency Metrication: RADM Williams has referred the issue of what the OPDIVs/Agencies are doing with regards to metrication to the EPAC. CAPT Bedick is referring this issue to the Building Design and Construction Subcommittee to determine the status of metrication among the operating divisions and agencies, asking that the subcommittee poll the various agencies for this information.
COA 2000 Meeting - Category Specific Sessions: There is a need to ascertain that there is coordination of the COA, the Career Development Subcommittee, and the OCE regarding the category-specific sessions for the COA meeting scheduled for June 2000 in Phoenix, AZ. The primary issue is to identify the best ideas for the sessions, and to eliminate the duplication of efforts in preparing for the session.
 

SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

1. Awards: CAPT Rodenbeck (for CDR Maurice West) reported the following:

Engineer of the Year Awards: The Awards Subcommittee is in the process of providing the information on the OPDIV, PHS, and NSPE Federal Engineer of the Year Award and the Call for Papers for the Literary Awards. Criteria and nomination procedures will be posted on the USPHS Engineers web page (http://www.usphsengineers.org) and will be included in the upcoming Chief Engineer's News Report. This information will also be e-mailed to all PHS engineers in the first week in October. Nominations for OPDIV, PHS and Federal Engineer of the Year should be submitted to the OPDIV awards coordinators as soon as possible. OPDIV selections are to be sent to the Office of the Chief Engineer by November 19, 1999. Literary Award papers are due to the Awards Subcommittee by December1, 1999.
Recognition of Contributions to the EPAC: The Subcommittee is continuing to develop methods of recognizing contributions to the EPAC.
Next Meeting: The next meeting of the Awards Subcommittee will be October 19, 1999 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

2. Building Design & Construction: CDR Ken Martinez reported the following:

Leadership Conference - Biomedical Research and the Environment: The Subcommittee continues to work with the National Association of Physicians for the Environment (NAPE), which is sponsoring the symposium to take place at the National Institutes of Health on November 1-2, 1999. Registration for the conference is free, and additional information, including online registration, can be obtained from the NAPE web site at http://www.napenet.org/con99.html.
NIH Healthy Building Experiment: The NIH is performing a renovation of its Building 13 utilizing new technologies that will allow investigations and monitoring of healthy building criteria. The project should result in an excellent laboratory for the investigation of factors affecting indoor air quality and other issues relating to healthy buildings.
Next Meeting: The next meeting of the Building Design & Construction Subcommittee will be November 9, 1999 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

3. Career Development: Ms. Lisa Hayes reported the following:

Welcome Packages: The Subcommittee has obtained the final count on the welcoming calls made to new engineers: calls were made to fourteen (14) of the nineteen (19) new engineers hired in FY 1998; and, calls were made to four (4) of the five (5) new engineers hired to date in FY 1999. Feedback from the callers and the new engineers was overwhelmingly positive. Engineers hired in the 2^nd quarter of FY 1999 are being assigned for calls now, so EPAC members may be receiving an e-mail message from LT Sean Boyd asking them to call a new engineer in their OPDIV or geographic location. The welcome letters for the new engineers hired in the 3^rd and 4^th quarters of FY 1999 will be mailed soon.
2000 Engineer's Symposium: Planning for the 2000 symposium has begun. The tentative theme for the symposium is "The Engineer's Role in Emergency Response," and potential speakers are currently being identified. The Phoenix Fire Department is willing to provide training, but it is unclear whether their training would be a part of the COA meeting agenda, before or after the COA meeting, or if we would offer it as part of the Engineer's Symposium.
Junior Engineer Involvement: The subgroup working on getting more junior engineers involved with the EPAC is preparing for a mass mailing to junior engineers. They intend to add a flyer to the welcome package to advertise the web site and the portions that are (or soon will be) dedicated to junior engineers. The subgroup hopes to have a kick-off of this junior engineer web site by having a "chat" with the Chief Engineer, RADM Williams. The subgroup plans to develop a Q&A bulletin board, with junior engineers' questions answered by a group of senior engineers, as a regular part of the PHS Engineers web site.
Next Meeting: The next meeting of the Career Development Subcommittee will be October 19, 1999 at 2:00 p.m. ET.

4. Emergency Preparedness: CAPT Rodenbeck reported the following:

CCRF Training Modules: The Emergency Preparedness Subcommittee is continuing to develop the training materials that will be provided to CCRF engineers. The materials should be ready for distribution by the winter of 2000.
Water Environment Federation 2000 Conference: The Subcommittee continues planning for a Chemical Bio-Terrorism session at the 2000 Water Environment Federation Conference.
Next Meeting: The next meeting of the Emergency Preparedness Subcommittee will be October 7, 1999 at 3:00 p.m. ET.

5. Information: CAPT Kevin Chadwick reported the following:

PHS Engineers Web Site Revisions: The Subcommittee is working with the OCE in revising the PHS Engineers web site. The Chief Engineer's office is providing personnel to update the site, and the Subcommittee will be working with the OCE to review the look of the web site, including reorganizing the site, updating the contents, and deciding what will be contained on the site.
Photo Archive: The Subcommittee is working with the OCE to index photos, and is investigating the possibility of transferring the photos to the DHHS Program Support Center (PSC) historian. Transferring the photos to the PSC would require paying for future copies of the photos.
Global Engineer E-mail List: The Subcommittee is working with the OCE to update the global e-mail list and transfer that list to the OCE, so that future e-mails would originate from the Chief Engineer's office. Anyone with information about engineer specific e-mail lists for their OPDIV is asked to contact CAPT Chadwick at kevin.chadwick@phx.ihs.gov.
Next Meeting: The next meeting of the Information Subcommittee will be October 21, 1999 at 10:00 a.m. ET.

6. Mentoring: Mr. Mitchell Williams reported the following:

Mentoring Program Development: The Subcommittee has finalized criteria to be used in matching mentor-protégé pairs, and a listing of qualifications expected of potential mentors. Draft applications for both mentors and proteges have been prepared and are being reviewed and commented upon. The program will be announced in the upcoming Chief Engineer's News Report with information on obtaining applications which are expected to be available on October 15. A tentative deadline for applications of November 15, 1999 is anticipated, to allow selection, pairing and notification by the January 3, 2000 program start date. The Subcommittee is working to develop a web site.
Mentoring Program Package: A draft of a package to be distributed to mentor and protege participants in the program is expected within the next week, and will be reviewed at the next subcommittee meeting. The package is largely taken from a CDC mentoring program, with supplements from other programs that have been reviewed by the Subcommittee, and is being developed to provide training that might normally take place if the participants were available at a central location. The Subcommittee intends to present the package to the EPAC at the next meeting.
Next Meeting: The next meeting of the Mentoring Ad Hoc Subcommittee will be October 12, 1999 at 2:00 p.m. ET.

7. Recruiting and Retention: CDR Eric Crump reported the following:

Recruiting and Retention Documents: The Subcommittee discussed comments on the three recruiting documents presented at the July EPAC meeting ("U.S. PHS Engineering Programs - Choosing a Career", "Complete Your Staffing Needs "Puzzle" with PHS Commissioned Officers", and "Engineers and the Public Health Service Overview"). The Subcommittee agreed to revise the documents and make them available for use. It will revise the document on bringing a Commissioned Officer on board ("Complete your Staffing Needs Puzzle") and provide it to the Chief Engineer, so he can discuss its distribution with the DCP.
Recruiting and Retention Initiatives: The Subcommittee briefly discussed subcommittee priorities for next year, as well as ways to enhance COSTEP recruiting, encouraging Commissioned Officers to recruit and promote PHS engineering at nearby universities. The ideas will need to be fleshed out further. After the meeting, the idea to recruit "reporters" from each OPDIV to draft articles for the Chief Engineer's newsletter (rather than begging engineers to write their own) was floated via e-mail. The Subcommittee's consensus was that the idea had merit, providing it could find engineers willing to draft the articles.

8. Rules: CAPT Cris Kinney reported the following:

EPAC Chair-Elect for 2000: CAPT Kevin Chadwick has indicated his interest in seeking the position of Chair-Elect for 2000. CAPT Chadwick's is the only nomination received thus far. Nominees for this position will have an opportunity to give a short speech during the October general meeting, at which time the election will be held.
Junior Engineer Involvement: The idea to expand the EPAC membership to include more junior engineers was presented. This will be discussed at the next Rules Subcommittee meeting, and presented as an agenda item at the next general meeting.
 

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 2:45 p.m. ET.
 

EPAC Meeting Participation
Participants (Members in bold, with alternates attending matched by number to the members absent):
CAPT Thomas M. Bedick (NIH), CAPT Kevin S. Chadwick (IHS), CAPT Terry L. Christensen (NIH), CAPT Joseph Cocalis (CDC), CDR Eric L. Crump (EPA), CAPT James A. DiNovo (FDA), CDR Robert W. Faaland (FDA), LTJG Alan R. Fogarty (IHS), LT David Harvey, Ms. Lisa Hayes (At Large), Mr. Anthony Iannacchione (CDC), CAPT E. Crispin Kinney (IHS), CDR Louis A. Lightner (HRSA), CDR Kenneth F. Martinez (At Large), LCDR Kenneth R. Mead (CDC), CDR Ronald Mickelsen (CDC)¹, LCDR Jacqueline Parker (IHS), CAPT Sven Rodenbeck (At Large), CDR James Simpson, CAPT Gene Sullenger (FDA), Mr. F. Mitchell Williams (Ex Officio)

Members Absent:
CDR Kevin R. Dermanoski (Ex Officio), CDR Jo Ann Griffith (EPA), CAPT Larry Reed (CDC)¹, CDR Maurice C. West (ATSDR)
 

Authorization

I have recorded the above EPAC meeting minutes:

            /s/                                  October 29, 1999
F. Mitchell Williams, P.E.                    Date
Executive Secretary, EPAC

I have read the above minutes which accurately describe this meeting, and on behalf of the EPAC approve their distribution:

            /s/                                  October 29, 1999
CAPT Thomas M. Bedick, P.E.          Date
Chairperson, EPAC

I authorize distribution of these minutes:

            /s/                                  October 29, 1999
RADM Robert C. Williams, P.E.         Date
Chief Engineer, USPHS
 

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