[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9516-9517]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DR. CHARLES L. RICE

 Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I wish to recognize a great 
American who has honorably served our country as president of the 
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, USU, in Bethesda, 
MD, on the campus of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

[[Page 9517]]

  Dr. Rice began his service at USU in 2005. During the past 11 years 
as president of the University, he also served for 6 months as Acting 
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, March to August 
2010.
  During his tenure, Dr. Rice has worked to improve the USU's 
curriculum, research portfolio, external relationships, board, and 
physical plant. The results of these efforts are exhibited by the 
recent full accreditation of the School of Medicine and the Graduate 
School of Nursing. Dr. Rice recognizes the institution's unique 
military and public health care missions and has worked to ensure that 
lessons learned in a decade of conflict were incorporated into the 
curriculum and the fabric of the institution, along with the 
Department's fundamental humanitarian mission. These important lessons 
include advances in trauma care, developing strong leadership skills 
among Military Health System officers, and increasing diversity in the 
medical corps of the three military services.
  Dr. Rice has collaborated closely with the leadership of the Walter 
Reed National Military Medical Center and the leadership throughout the 
Military Health System. He has reached out to provide more support to 
the national network of Military Treatment Facilities to forge a 
``unity of effort.'' Dr. Rice has also worked with the National 
Institutes of Health and other Federal agencies to advance education, 
research, and health care for our Nation's military beneficiaries and 
civilian communities.
  As president, Dr. Rice founded the Post Graduate Dental College and 
created several new graduate degree programs, including public health 
educational activities. Through these efforts, Dr. Rice has helped USU 
to become a multidimensional health sciences university dedicated to 
advancing the mission of the Military Health System.
  Prior to USU, Dr. Rice had a distinguished career in academic 
medicine and public service. He served as vice chancellor for Health 
Affairs and vice dean of the College of Medicine, University of 
Illinois at Chicago. Previously, he was professor and chairman of 
surgery at University of Texas Southwestern. Dr. Rice also was a Robert 
Woods Johnson Fellow for former majority leader Senator Tom Daschle 
from 1991 to 1992.
  Dr. Rice was professor and vice chairman, University of Washington 
Department of Surgery. Before that, he was director of the intensive 
care unit at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago. 
Prior to Michael Reese Hospital, Dr. Rice was assistant professor of 
surgery at the Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago. Dr. 
Rice has had extensive training with the U.S. Navy Medical Corps in 
Bethesda and in San Diego.
  Dr. Rice has deep experience with the Nation's civilian academic 
health community and the Military Health System. He has brought this 
knowledge to benefit the USU, and he leaves it a better place. I wish 
to commend Dr. Rice for his service to the Uniformed Services 
University and to the Nation.

                          ____________________