Save the Date

USU Turns 40!

40th Anniversary Activities

Friday September 21, 2012

  • Starts at 8:00 a.m.

Opening ceremony:
Army's Fife and Drum Corps & USU's own Color Guard, President's welcome, distinguished speakers including The Honorable Jonathan Woodson, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, panel presentation & a remembrance ceremony for USU personnel. Activities conclude with a reception.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

  • Starts at 8:00 a.m.

USU Alumni Day:
Plenary sessions, breakout sessions with students & faculty, a cookout & sport-filled afternoon, & a screening of "Fighting for Life," along with self-paced & guided tours & a brick unveiling ceremony. Evening concludes with dinner and dancing.

Contact Ms. Anne Dimke
301-295-3791 or anne.dimke@usuhs.edu with questions.

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) was established by Congress in 1972. Four years later, USU enrolled 32 students from its administrative location above People's Drug Store in downtown Bethesda, Maryland. Today, as we celebrate our 40th anniversary, nearly 5,000 physicians have successfully passed through our doors, as well as hundreds who have been educated in our graduate degree programs, our Graduate School of Nursing, and our new Postgraduate Dental College.

USU was initiated by Louisiana Congressman F. Edward Hébert, who recognized the need for a cadre of men and women to become career military physicians. He also envisioned that "...there will be nurses, ...technicians, ...corpsmen - the whole vast field of medical care specialists will be there...by the time it has grown out to its great, global institution, one will find doctors and scientists from all over the world coming to visit this great institution..." I believe the University has not only met but exceeded its original Congressional mandate. It has flourished to become a central and critical resource for the Department of Defense, the Military Health System, and other health care institutions. In addition to providing top quality military medical education and training programs, USU plays a significant role in medical research and consultation within and beyond the military community.

While our reach and scope have expanded over the past 40 years, USU remains committed to the original intent: learning to care for those in harm's way. Since our first graduating class in 1980, our alumni have become integral to operational medicine and have assumed significant leadership positions. Whether serving as the personal physician to the President, leading medical assistance teams in response to disasters, terrorism or life threatening disease epidemics, or providing emergency surgery on the front lines of combat, our graduates have a direct impact on the future of military medicine and public health.

USU's nationally ranked faculty conduct cutting edge research in the biomedical sciences and in areas specific to the DoD health care mission. According to the National Science Foundation, USU ranked number 84 among the top 100 institutions in Federal research and development expenditures, with the most significant change in rank over a five-year period. The University is committed to technology transfer to ensure that the results of research are made widely available, and currently holds more than 500 patents or pending patents.

In only 40 years, USU has expanded from our modest beginnings into a vast center of excellence in education and training, consultation and research. Our graduates are a daily reflection of the high quality education they received - proof that USU is indeed meeting the essential needs of our service members and veterans, their families, and the nation.