Physician earns AFA top award for health care

  • Published
  • By Chrissy Cuttita
  • Eglin Air Force Base Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --  A doctor here has been honored for making the most significant contribution to the continued good health of the men and women of the Air Force last year.

Lt. Col. (Dr.) Christopher P. Paulson, from the 96th Medical Operations Squadron, was presented the Air Force Association's Paul W. Myers Award Sept. 13 in Washington, D.C.

"The AFA Paul Myers award is a very competitive award for physicians," said Col. Robin Squellati, the deputy director of 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 the nomination packages leave a base,  they 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," Dr. 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 has been through instruction of family medicine residents over the past decade," Dr. Paulson said. "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, Dr. Paulson 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 Air Force members and their families," Colonel Haynes said. "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 AFB last year. 

Dr. Paulson also provided a variety of health care procedures for patients at the hospital including outpatient, inpatient, surgical and obstetrics care.

"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 doctor 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, South Korea, the doctor focused more on a contingency mission like he did during the Operation Enduring Freedom deployment in 2003.

"At Osan (AB), 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 (South) Korea."

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

"The emergency medicine aspect at Osan (AB) was very nice to have following eight years of continuous faculty work in graduate medical education programs," Dr. Paulson said. "I am glad to be teaching at Eglin (AFB) again and will be able to use my experience from Osan (AB) 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 also secured 24-hour access to ultrasound imaging and critical lab equipment. 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," Colonel Haynes said.

In addition to being awarded for the work at both assignments, the physician has picked up other honors, including 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 AFB's 2009 Family Medicine faculty member of the year. Dr. 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."