Physician earns AFA top award for health care

  • Published
  • By Chrissy Cuttita
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  An Eglin doctor was selected for making the most significant contribution to the continued good health of the men and women of the Air Force last year.

Lt. Col. Christopher P. Paulson, 96th Medical Operations Squadron, was presented the Air Force Association's Paul W. Myers Award for an Air Force medical corps officer Sept. 13 in Washington, D.C.

"The AFA Paul Myers award is a very competitive award for physicians," said Col. Robin Squellati, deputy director, congressional and public affairs for the Air Force surgeon general. "Even though we received several packages, the decision for the AFMS was unanimously in favor of Colonel Paulson."

Physicians are initially selected and nominated through their medical groups.

"Colonel Paulson deserved this award due to his commitment to the education of the next generation of Air Force physicians," said Col. James Haynes, the doctor's supervisor. "He has consistently been recognized by our residents as being in the top 10 percent of our faculty for years running. He takes on many of the toughest tasks whether administratively or clinically."

Once they leave base, nomination packages go to higher headquarters, are reviewed and ranked by several qualified officers including the Air Force Surgeon General and his team.

"I am sure the competition was quite impressive," Colonel Paulson said. "I did not expect to win this award and I am quite humbled to be recognized."

Although  he enjoys providing direct patient care the most, the doctor said he feels his ultimate contribution on Airmen's health happens here at Eglin's hospital where he served as the flight commander for family medicine residency last year.

"I believe my greatest impact to the good health of the men and women of the Air Force have been through instruction of family medicine residents over the past decade," said Colonel Paulson who is currently in his ninth year of teaching at Eglin. There is no better way to impact the good health of Airmen than teaching those who will be caring for our troops at home and deployed. It is uniquely rewarding to provide medical care for our Airmen, dependents, and retired population."

As the assistant residency program director, the physician is responsible for meeting national guidelines for medical education, shaping curriculum and acting as faculty advisor.

"Colonel Paulson's most significant contribution is in the training of family medicine residents who will soon be taking care of AF members and their families," said Colonel Haynes. "He is able to humbly and respectfully elucidate individual resident needs and move them to the next milestone of learning to practice medicine."

The AFA award recognized him for instructing 29 resident physicians and 50 medical students during his time at Eglin last year. Colonel Paulson also provided a variety of healthcare to patients at the hospital to include outpatient, inpatient, surgical and obstetrics.

"The most gratifying and memorable aspects of clinical care revolve around prenatal care and care of our newborn patients, although my experiences while deployed to Iraq have helped define me as a military family physician first and foremost," the colonel said. "I think I was recognized because of the sheer volume and magnitude of what I accomplished in 2009. I had the unique opportunity to work in two very different locations with quite different responsibilities."

While on remote assignment to Osan Air Base, Korea, the doctor focused more on a contingency mission as he did during the Operation Enduring Freedom deployment in 2003.

"At Osan, my job entailed overseeing clinical care that provided 24/7 care with over 9,000 visits annually," he said. "Much of my work in there directly impacted mission readiness and joint operations with both the Army as well as the Republic of Korea."

The doctor left for Osan in the summer of 2009 to serve as the 51st Medical Operations Squadron's chief of emergency services.

"The emergency medicine aspect at Osan was very nice to have following eight years of continuous faculty work in graduate medical education programs," said Colonel Paulson. "I am glad to be teaching at Eglin again and will be able to use my experience from Osan to further enhance our next generation of Air Force family physicians."

During his tenure there were 287 ambulance runs, 166 facility transfers, and 101 admissions. He secured 24-hour access to ultrasound imaging and critical lab equipment dramatically improving patient care. Furthermore, Colonel Paulson acquired a cardiac monitoring capability for the hospital which will recapture 120 transfers per year and save an estimated 388,000 in outsource expenditures. He oversaw the medical training and skills verification for 10 independent duty medical technicians.

"Dr. Paulson makes every effort to ensure the members of our unit and their families are taken care of," said Colonel Haynes.

In addition to being awarded for the work at both assignments, the physician has picked up other honors, to include editing and authoring nine articles for a national research consortium. He received the Air Force Medical Service's award for Special Experience Identifier for Excellence in Clinical and Academic Teaching and was further honored as Eglin's 2009 Family Medicine faculty of the year. Colonel Paulson will also serve as the hand-selected Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians Program Chair for the 2011 Scientific Assembly.

"I was motivated to become a physician I believe out of a strong desire to serve others," Colonel Paulson said. "I'll continue to serve for several reasons; a desire to continue to contribute to the mission of the AFMS and produce the next generation of military family physicians, my enjoyment of teaching and full spectrum clinical care, and working with the finest group of individuals I could imagine."