U.S. Air Force Governor's Newsletter October 2025
In this Issue:
- From the Governor
- ACP Chapter Gold Excellence Award
- Highlights from the 2025 Tri-Service Annual Scientific Meeting
- Chapter Members
- Governor's Council
- Final Thoughts
Brian E. Neubauer, MD, MHPE, FACP, Col(s), USAF, MC, ACP Governor
From the Governor
Greetings ACP members! It is with great excitement that I write to you this month in my first newsletter as your AF Chapter Governor. This is long overdue! I assumed the role and responsibilities of Governor of our chapter in April from Dr. Collamer. I hope you will join me in thanking Angie for her four years of dedicated service as our chapter leader. Her leadership efforts stabilized our chapter finances, helped to grow our membership, ensured a top quality annual scientific meeting, and achieved overall chapter excellence as recognized by ACP with the Chapter Silver Excellence Award. She will be missed!
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to those members who do not know me. I am a general internist currently serving at JBSA Fort Sam Houston as the Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency, a position I have held since 2020. In Jan 2026, I will take over as the AF Associate Dean at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC) and Director of Medical Education for the 59MDW. I completed residency here in San Antonio at Wilford Hall Medical Center (“Big Willie”) and subsequently served as Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency program there. After a deployment to Iraq during Operation Iraqi/Enduring Freedom, I moved to Uniformed Services University (USU) where I served as a Pre-Clerkship Module Director for the Cardiovascular-Pulmonary-Renal Module and as faculty at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. During my time in the National Capital Region (NCR) I also spent time as the Chief of the General Internal Medicine at Walter Reed. I was fortunate in my time there to be able to earn a Masters in Health Professions Education (MHPE) degree from USU. I have an academic appointment as Clinical Professor of Medicine at USU. From a personal perspective, I have three children (two adult daughters and one son in high school). I enjoy reading, cooking, woodworking and am an avid Buffalo Bills fan (Go Bills!). I grew up in the Buffalo, NY area.
Enough about me! There are a lot of exciting updates to share about our chapter. For starters, our chapter was recently recognized with the Gold Level of the 2025 Chapter Excellence Award! This is a first for us and reflects the amazing contributions of all our chapter members and our Past Governor, Dr. Collamer. Congratulations! I hope to be able to continue to meet this high standard that Angie has set for us. I have shared more details about this recognition later in this newsletter.
We also just concluded our annual Tri-Service Scientific Meeting. This event was held at the Sheraton Oceanfront Hotel in Virginia Beach and was a resounding success! I cannot thank our planning committee enough for all their hard work and dedication to the success of the meeting. Lt Col Joseph Yabes served as the Air Force Meeting Planner. Thanks, Joe, for an incredibly well-done job! There were 311 attendees at this year's meeting. Participants delivered 96 poster and 31 podium presentations. Our service project at this year's meeting was in support of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore and I am proud to share that we exceeded our goal, donating over $1,500! Please read on to see highlights from the meeting including Chapter Award Winners and our Air Force Doctors Dilemma championship team!
Finally, we need to elect new officers for our Chapter, as well as select other individuals who are interested in serving in the Governor's Council. I have included details about these positions later in the newsletter. One of my goals this year is to build a strong team to help identify goals for our Chapter and improve our service for all members. Please consider volunteering to serve in one of these positions if you feel called to.
For now, thanks for reading and thanks for all you do for our Chapter. If you would like to reach out to me, please feel free to do so by sending an email to bneubauer001@gmail.com. I am looking forward to your message!
ACP Chapter Gold Excellence Award
I am pleased to announce that our chapter is in receipt of the Gold Level of the 2025 Chapter Excellence Award! The award recognizes truly extraordinary chapters that surpass excellence in chapter management. We are in the company of 68 other outstanding chapters. To achieve the Gold Level of the Chapter Excellence Award, chapters must meet 22 Bronze criteria, 12 Silver criteria and 25 Gold level activities. Criteria include such activities as having a legislative action plan or agenda, holding a volunteerism/community service activity, holding multiple stand-alone meetings, having revenue sources outside of dues and meeting registration fees, implementing a strategic plan, implementing a formal recruitment and retention plan and measuring outcomes, conducting various activities for Medical Students, Residents and Early Career Physicians. I would like to extend special thanks to those chapter members who assisted us in all these endeavors!
Highlights from the 2025 Tri-Service Annual Scientific Meeting
The 2025 meeting was held in Virginia Beach, VA. It was a wonderful event! Thank you to all who were able to make it out to the meeting. You are the reason this was so successful! If you did attend the meeting, don't forget to claim your CME and MOC points.
Awards
Below are only some of the outstanding accomplishments of our members who were recognized at the meeting.
ACP Chapter Laureate Award
Col(ret) Heather C. Yun was honored with our Chapter's Laureate Award for her years of dedication and valuable service to the Air Force Medical Service and our Chapter. The Laureate Award is designed to honor those Fellows and Masters of the College who have demonstrated, by their example and conduct, an abiding commitment to excellence in medical care, education, research, and service to their community, their chapter, and the ACP.
Heather Comer Yun, MD, FACP, FIDSA, a board-certified internist and infectious disease specialist, currently serves as the Chief of Staff at South Texas Veterans Health Care System. She is a Professor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and Adjoint Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at UTHealth San Antonio. She is a retired United States Air Force colonel and previously served as the Deputy Commander for Medical Services at Brooke Army Medical Center.
Her research has focused on multidrug-resistant bacteria, infection prevention and hospital epidemiology, travel- and deployment-related infections, and respiratory viral infections. She has served as Medical Director of Infection Prevention at two referral military hospitals and while deployed to Afghanistan.
Dr. Yun is on the Board of Directors for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Board of Trustees for the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation, and has previously chaired the IDWeek Program Committee, served on the ABIM Infectious Disease Board, and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Residency Review Committee for Internal Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America and has received numerous teaching and leadership awards.
Dr. Yun earned her bachelor's degree at Colorado College and her medical degree at Yale University. She completed residency and infectious disease fellowship training at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium.
Major General Archie Hoffman Awards
This year's Major General Archie Hoffman Awards for excellence were awarded to Lt Col Joseph Yabes (MTF award) from SAUSHEC/Brooke Army Medical Center and Major Max Barnes (Field unit award) from the Air Force Academy.
Dr. Yabes earned his undergraduate degree at Hawaii Pacific University and attended USU for medical school. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at SAUSHEC in 2017 and fellowship in Infectious Disease at SAUSHEC in 2019. He currently serves as the Associate Program Director for the SAUSHEC Infectious Disease Fellowship Program and Director of the United States Air and Space Force HIV Medical Evaluation Unit. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at USU. Dr. Yabes is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and served as the Air Force Tri-Service meeting planner for the past two years. He deployed to Saudi Arabia in 2022 in support of Operation Spartan Shield/Inherent Resolve. An award-winning teacher and researcher, Dr. Yabes is a star of Air Force medicine!
Dr. Barnes is a proud Wisconsinite and a 2011 USAFA distinguished graduate. He completed medical school at USU in 2017 and IM residency at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. He currently serves as the flight commander and medical specialties director of the Medical Specialties Flight at the 10th Medical Group, USAFA where he oversees the care of 2,000 patients across 4 primary and specialty care clinics. Additionally, he is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado, the 44M Career Field Functional Manager, and chair of the Pharmaceutical and Therapies Committee. Prior to this assignment he served as the Assistant Medical Director of the Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center Internal Medicine Clinic as well as a Core Faculty member for the SAUSHEC Internal Medicine Residency Program.
Lieutenant General (Dr.) Monte Miller Award
The Lieutenant General (Dr.) Monte Miller Award recognizes an early career physician for their contributions to the Air Force Medical Service in clinical investigation. This year the award was given to Lt Col Kathryn Burtson from Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB). Dr. Burtson served for nine years as the Air Force Internal Medicine Program Director at WPAFB. She currently is the Director of Medical Education there. She has advanced graduate medical education through publications in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education (JGME), the Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM) and Military Medicine. Dr. Burtson co-founded The Researchers' Journal of Internal Medicine, offering a new platform for emerging physician-scholars in the military. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine at both USU and Wright State University in Dayton, OH. Her scholarship spans health professions education, point-of-care ultrasound, vaccine hesitancy, and coaching for self-directed learning, often grounded in the unique operational contexts of military medicine.
Dr. George Crawford Distinguished Medical Educator Award
The Dr. George Crawford Distinguished Medical Educator Award was presented to Lt Col David Lindholm, Associate Dean for Regional Education, USU. David is a graduate of Cedarville University, USU School of Medicine, and the SAUSHEC Internal Medicine Residency and Infectious Disease Fellowship Programs. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at USU. Dr. Lindholm has demonstrated a sustained and profound commitment to excellence in medical education, marked by innovation, leadership, and a passion for mentoring. His contributions span undergraduate, graduate, and continuing professional development. His teaching acumen has been recognized throughout his career as the USAF Academic Physician of the Year 2024, the SAUSHEC PK Carlton GME Faculty of the Year Award, and an Infectious Diseases Society of America Featured Educator. He recently earned a graduate certificate in Foundations of Health Professions Education from USU. A prolific scholar and teacher, David has made significant contributions to the Air Force Medical Service.
Col Rechell G. Rodriguez Award for Mentorship of Women in Medicine
The Col Rechell G. Rodriguez Award for Mentorship of Women in Medicine was presented to Lt Col Amanda Deans, Program Director, Keesler Internal Medicine Residency Program. She is the Internal Medicine Consultant to the Surgeon General of the Air Force and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at USU. Dr. Deans is a prior winner of the Chapter's Dr. George Crawford Distinguished Medical Educator Award. An award-winning educator, Amanda spends her time running with her dog, chasing around 3 small kids, and asking her residents “what is on your differential for that?” She invites anyone to ask her about service at Keesler Air Force base and general internists to ask about their next assignment location. We were fortunate to have Col (ret) Rodriguez on hand at the meeting to help deliver her award!
The Philip G. Kiel Lecture Award
This award is given to a senior active duty or recently retired physician to commemorate their leadership in a specific specialty. This year's recipient was Col (ret) Brian White for his lecture titled Transition Guide for Physicians Exiting the Military.
The Malcolm C. Grow Memorial Lecture Award
This award is presented annually to an eminent civilian consultant chosen by the Chapter. This year we are pleased to award James Sall, PhD for his contributions to the plenary presentation titled VA/Dod Clinical Practice Guideline Forum.
The Arthur Grollman Award
This award is presented to the outstanding resident research podium presentation. The winner at this year's meeting was Capt James Marsh, SAUSHEC, for his podium presentation Rates of Follow-up Testing for Active-Duty Service Members with Syphilis at Joint Base San Antonio.
Competitions
The Tri-Service meeting hosted a variety of resident competitions. The winners of our resident events were:
Resident Clinical Vignette Podium: Capt Scott Clawson, SAUSHEC, Ganglionic Plexi Ablation for Vagally-Mediated Atrial Fibrillation: a Potential Durable Adjunct to Preserve the Military Tactical Athlete
Resident High Value Care Podium: Capt Ben Curry, Wright Patterson, Teaching Residents to Communicate More with Less
Resident Process and Quality Improvement Podium: Capt Audrey Garza, Wright Patterson, Enhancing Feedback Quality thru a Structured Intervention in an Internal Medicine Clinic.
Resident Physician Well-Being and Professional Fulfillment Podium: Capt Garet Melton, Wright Patterson, Internal Medicine Resident Perceptions on Wellness Efforts and their Impact.
Doctor's Dilemma 2025
This year the winner of the AF Doctor's Dilemma competition was the team from Keesler Air Force Base. Team members included: Capt Espen Earl, Capt Rachel Pray, and Capt Tanner Van Es. Congratulations Team Keesler!
Chapter Members
Please join me in welcoming our newest Fellows!
- Maj Gregory Buchek
- Lt Col Dianne Frankel
- Dr. Bradley Beeler
- Dr. Lacy Lowry
- Maj Michael Haggard
- Maj Kyle Blasser
- Maj Evan Manning
While on the topic of Fellows, I wanted to highlight the pathways by which one may attain Fellowship in the College. There are three such pathways:
- Traditional Pathway
- Invited Pathway
- Guided Pathway
The traditional pathway requires members to be in an ACP membership status of Resident/Fellow Member or Member and in good standing for at least three years since completion of residency training. Additionally, your dues must be paid in full for 36 out of the past 48 months, you must be board certified in internal medicine, have an active medical license in good standing, and demonstrate professional activity in three of the four pillars of Fellowship: Continuing Medical Education, Community Service and Engagement, Practice Improvement or Scholarly Activities, Teaching/Coaching/Mentoring/Leadership. For more details on this pathway, please click here.
The Invited Pathway allows Chapter Governors the opportunity to assist highly qualified candidates who meet the requirements for Fellowship achieve that status. This pathway reduces the paperwork burden associated with the traditional pathway. According to my records we have 75 Members who are potential Fellowship candidates! If you are interested in pursuing this pathway, please email your CV to me at bneubauer001@gmail.com. I will take an initial look and if I can confirm eligibility I will forward it to ACP for a final review. I will also reach out to those on the list to gauge your interest.
The Guided Pathway provides an opportunity for those physicians who have recently completed residency training to be able to achieve election to Fellowship over a three-year timeline. Through this program, participants will receive individual guidance and assistance on the best practices to further their professional and leadership development through completion of each pillar. We currently have 11 Members or Resident/Fellow Members pursuing this pathway. They are:
- Capt Ashley Barasa
- Maj Jacob Burlew
- Capt Lisa Dykes
- Maj Joseph Glendening
- Capt Shawn Kim
- Capt Daniel Shields
- Maj Jason Thomas
- Maj Julia Timm Intili
- Capt John Henry Dean
- Capt Stephanie Howes
I know our Chapter is full of amazing physician mentors and it is my hope that we can be of assistance to these fine early career physicians. For those members currently in this pathway, feel free to reach out to me for help! For others who are interested, please find additional information and the enrollment link here.
Governor's Council
The Governor's Council is made up of the following positions:
| Governor Brian Neubauer | Elected | 4 year term | • Presides at meetings of the members and Council• Attends committee meetings• Acts as a liaison between the Chapter and the College and between other Chapters• Reports periodically to the College Board of Governors on activities of the Chapter• Promotes applications for membership, Fellowship, and Mastership in the College• CEO of the Chapter |
| Governor-Elect (Officer) | Elected | 1 year position | • The Governor-Elect is elected in the 3rd year of the Governor's term and replaces the Governor on completion of the term• Performs the functions of the Governor in their absence |
| Vice President (Officer) | Elected | 3 year term | • Performs the functions of the Governor in the absence of the Governor or Governor-Elect. |
| Treasurer (Officer) | Elected | 3 year term | • Maintain custody of Chapter funds and securities• Keep full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements• Deposits all funds in such depositories as shall be designated by the Council• Provides a written report of the Chapter's finances at each meeting of the Governor's Council• Provides an annual report to ACP and the Council at the Annual Scientific Meeting• Pay all bills and expenses of the Chapter |
| Secretary (Officer) | Elected | 3 year term | • Attends all sessions of the Council and documents meeting minutes• Records all votes of the Chapter• Provides notice of meetings to Chapter members |
| Immediate Past Governor Angelique Collamer | Elected | 4 year term | • Attends Chapter and Council meetings• Advises Governor and other officers on Chapter business and activities• May serve on committees as desired |
| AF Chair of the Tri-Service Early Career Physician Council | Appointed | 2 year term | • This is part of a broader Tri-Service Early Career Physician Council• Purpose: provide a forum for early career physicians (ECP) to communicate, collaborate, and receive mentorship. Council can form its own specific goals.• Definition: An ECP is defined as a physician member of ACP who is within 16 years of medical school graduation and who is not a medical student or resident/training fellow member of ACP.• Council consists of early career physicians from all three services (three physicians from each service, at least one member must be academic or field).• The Tri-Service Council will have three chairs (one from each service) and three chair-elects (one from each service)• The AF Council Chair will be a member of our Chapter's Governor's Council |
| AF Chair of the Tri-Service Resident/Fellow Council Elena Crouch | Appointed | 2 year term | • This is part of a broader Tri-Service Chief Resident Council• Purpose: provide a forum for resident and fellow members to communicate, collaborate, and receive mentorship. Council can form its own specific goals.• Council consists of residents and fellows from all three services (one resident from each IM program/service, one fellow from each MTF that trains fellows).• The Tri-Service Council will have three chairs (one from each service) and three chair-elects (one from each service)• The AF Council Chair will be a member of our Chapter's Governor's Council |
| Co-Chairs of the Chapter Medical Student Council (one USU and one HPSP student)HPSP: Hao Nguyen | Appointed | 2 year term | • Purpose: provide a forum for medical student members to communicate, collaborate, and receive mentorship. Council can form its own specific goals.• Council consists of HPSP and USU medical students who are members of the chapter. One HPSP and USU student will serve as Co-Chairs of the Council. The Council may have up to 9 student members• The co-chairs will be members of our Chapter's Governor's Council |
| Chief Resident Council | Appointed | 1 year term | • This is part of a broader Tri-Service Chief Resident Council• Purpose: to provide a forum for all chief residents to communicate, collaborate, and receive mentorship. Council can form its own specific goals.• Council consists of the chief residents from all AF Internal Medicine residency programs• The Tri-Service Council will have three chairs (one from each service)• The AF Council Chair will be a member of our Chapter's Governor's Council |
| SAUSHEC IM Program Director Brian Neubauer | Appointed | Variable term | • Attends Chapter and Council meetings• Advises Governor and other officers on Chapter business and activities• May serve on committees as desired |
| Wright Patterson IM Program Director Kelsey Wilson | Appointed | Variable term | • Attends Chapter and Council meetings• Advises Governor and other officers on Chapter business and activities• May serve on committees as desired |
| Keesler IM Program Director Amanda Deans | Appointed | Variable term | • Attends Chapter and Council meetings• Advises Governor and other officers on Chapter business and activities• May serve on committees as desired |
| Travis IM Program Director Daniel Slack | Appointed | Variable term | • Attends Chapter and Council meetings• Advises Governor and other officers on Chapter business and activities• May serve on committees as desired |
The Chapter includes the following committees:
| Membership | Appointed | 2 year term | • promote and advance the continuing growth and diversity of all classes of membership• responsible for implementing chapter recruitment and retention initiatives to improve member satisfaction and increase the chapter membership• support advancement to Fellowship |
| Awards Kristen Bader | Appointed | 2 year term | • identify Laureate, community service-volunteerism or other local award candidates and select the recipients• identify Master candidates and those eligible for the College's national awards |
| Scientific Program (Chapter Meetings) Joseph Yabes | Appointed | 2 year term | • plan the chapter's scientific meeting |
| Physician Well-being and Professional Fulfillment Chair: Ryan Collier Members: Alicia Latta, Erin Currey | Appointed | 2 year term | • Provide ongoing advice to management to enhance member well-being and professional fulfillment• identify opportunities for further integration of well-being best practices into ACP initiatives |
| Medical Student Council HPSP Chair: Hao Nguyen | Appointed | 2 year term | • develop and maintain programs that expose medical students to the lifestyle of an internist and the practice of internal medicine |
| Resident/Fellow Member Council | Appointed | 2 year term | • planning Resident/Fellow Members' activities and programs (at either the chapter meeting or a freestanding meeting) and assisting the Governor in matters that pertain to residents and physicians-in-training |
| Early Career Physician Council | Appointed | 2 year term | • develop educational programs that assist Early Career Physicians with their academic and professional needs• recognize ECP contributions to the profession• represent Early Career Physicians, foster their involvement in activities, and ensure that their unique needs are being met |
If you are interested in being considered for one of the Chapter officer roles (Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer), please email me at bneubauer001@gmail.com I would like to organize elections, which we will conduct electronically, by early November.
I am also looking for interested individuals to serve in the following positions:
- Chair of the Chapter Early Career Physician Council
- USU Chair of the Medical Student Council
- Chair of the Chief Resident Council
- Membership Committee Chair
- Scientific Program/Chapter Meeting Chair
And we are looking for people interested in participating in the committees or councils listed above. Please let me know!
Final Thoughts
In closing, I am very interested in hearing from Chapter members about what direction you would like to see our Chapter go! I would like to see us better serve our field members (those individuals who are stationed in non-academic centers). I would also like to see us tackle a national service project and improve the utility of the Chapter and ACP for all of us. Please send me your ideas on how we can best accomplish this!
Yours in service,
BRIAN E. NEUBAUER, MD, MHPE, FACP
Col, USAF, MC
Governor, Air Force Chapter of the ACP