Medical Group wins innovation award Published March 1, 2016 By Ilka Cole Team Eglin Public Affairs EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- A 96th Medical Group team, recently won the Air Force Medicine Service's 2015 Outstanding Achievement in Innovation Award. The Air Force Surgeon General recognized the 96th MDG's collaboration in creating the United States Transportation Command's first Ebola transport isolation system as their most notable achievement. The team's mission was to figure out how to transport Ebola patients from primitive areas where the virus is present without contaminating the aircraft and its crew. "How do you decontaminate a C-17? That's very difficult," said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Janelle Robertson, an Eglin infectious disease doctor. From the start, 96th MDG Airmen worked with project engineers in Missouri and at the 53rd Wing to offer key input. The information they provided was instrumental in the design and operation of the infectious disease flying intensive care suite. They assisted the engineers in design processes and provided them information about the virus; how it spreads and what equipment was needed to contain it. The engineers designed an isolation pod that fit within an aircraft that allowing for quarantine of infected patients and containment of viral particles they release. The suite also provides an area for medical personnel to safely change in and out of and dispose of protective gear. In essence, medical personnel can go inside and through the suite to care for infected patients. After the prototype was complete, the team mixed and splashed themselves with fluorescent 'glow germs' to conduct first-hand proof of concept for the pod. According to Robertson, Ebola patients produce over seven liters of vomit, diarrhea and other bodily fluids daily. Their goal was to exit the pod without any contamination. "The glow germs made the pod trials more realistic and helped us figure out how to get in and out of the pod and how to remove our protective gear without contaminating ourselves," said Robertson. "The biggest win was when we switched to a different Tyvek suit when we learned the first suit leaked when it was saturated." Robertson and her team also trained C-17 air crews at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina and at Scott AFB in Illinois, as well as critical care air transport teams in Ebola protocols and the operation of the TIS. "We thought, 'Let's fly with this pod and see how well it works in concept,'" she said. The 96th MDG's team's work did not end there. Later, they were selected as subject matter experts to participate in the West Africa disease prevention initiative. The program develops and ensures disease containment and education plans are in place for countries at risk for Ebola and other infectious diseases. Roberts said her team led three courses on every aspect of the Ebola virus and provided a public health perspective about what the infection means. Countries in attendance were Liberia, Nigeria, Guinea Basau and Mali. The following 96th MDG members were part of the team selected for the award. Lt. Col. Janelle L. Robertson Lt. Col. Joseph P. Forester Lt. Col. Melissa M. King Maj. Sean M. Marts Maj. Benjamin Stermole Maj. Christopher M. Stauch Maj. Anthony C. Brown Maj. Kelly D. Heegard Capt. Julie Root 1st Lt. Alana N. Rayon Senior Master Sgt. Melissa L. Gee Master Sgt. Rachel J. Dellapietro Tech Sgt. Robert R. Ayala Tech Sgt. Roslyn M. Evans Staff Sgt. Jessica L. Fillingame Staff Sgt. Leah A. Medlenka Staff Sgt. Alicia D. Ringlehan Staff Sgt. Bethany A. Burger Staff Sgt. Luz D. Blanco Senior Airman Chassidy D. Wade Senior Airman Thomas K. Maher, Jr. Senior Airman Eric P. Downes Senior Airman Karen A. Galante Senior Airman Monica E. Hipsher Leslie R. Shore Naomi Strano Robin Kressin Abby M. Kiser Nancy N. Lavigne Dawn L. Rousse Terry T. Swartz Jeffrey Moreland