November 2021 COA/COF Monthly Update

As the days get shorter and the temperatures drop, we are very busy at COA Headquarters getting many things wrapped up before the holidays. November is the time to be thankful, a time to remember, and to embrace those who enrich our lives. Here at COA Headquarters we’re thankful for a lot of things, one of those being our COA members. You are the strength of our Association, and we appreciate you! I hope you enjoy this edition of Frontline. Until next month!

Jacqueline Rychnovsky, PhD, CAE
Captain, USN (Retired)
Executive Director, COA/COF

COA STRATEGIC PLAN ROLL OUT
On behalf of the Board of Directors I am pleased to share the new COA Strategic Plan for 2021-2026. I want to give a special shout out to (in alphabetical order) CDR David Bales, CDR Jennifer Bornemann, LCDR Courtney Drevo, CAPT Violette Ganoe, CAPT Michael Johnson, CAPT Paul Jung, LT Thornell Lewis, CAPT (Ret.) Hugh Mainzer, LCDR Gabriela Ramirez-Leon, and LT Bryan Wimer for their early work on this plan. While ongoing deployments precluded this team from finalizing the project, their initial efforts laid the groundwork for what is certain to be strategic way ahead for the Association.

BYLAWS REVISION
Please don’t forget to vote yea or nay on the proposed bylaws changes. Notably, these proposed bylaws changes create a new position on COA’s Board of Directors for a Ready Reserve officer.

DECEMBER COA GATHERING, DECEMBER 7, 2021
We hope you plan to join us on December 7, 2021, at 7 pm ET for our COA Gathering “Authentic Officership” featuring RADM Kis Robertson Hale. This event is open to COA members and non-members, so please invite a friend or colleague!

2022 COA AWARDS
COA is announcing nomination opportunities for the following awards.

• Health Leader of the Year (civilian, retired active duty, or active duty)
• Civilian Outstanding Support of the USPHS (civilian, contractors)
• Retiree of the Year (retired civilian or retired active duty)
  • Local Branch of the Year
  • Local Branch Member of Year Award
  • Local Branch Leader of the Year Award

Applications details can be found soon on the COA website under the Awards tab. Please consider nominating deserving individuals and COA Branches for a COA award!

2^nd ANNUAL COA HOLIDAY OPEN MIC NIGHT–DECEMBER 15, 2021
Back by popular demand, it’s impossible to not get in the holiday spirit after experiencing a COA Holiday Open Mic event. Register now! If you’re interested in performing, reach out to CAPT Karen Munoz at NationalCOALocalBranch@gmail.com.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS CLOSING NOVEMBER 29, 2021
The planning committee for the 2022 USPHS Scientific and Training Symposium (May 23-27 in Phoenix) is currently accepting abstracts for track presentations.  The submission deadline is November 29.  Don’t miss out!

ADVISORY COMMITTEE OPPORTUNITY
The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) is launching a job task analysis for the Certified Public Health (CPH) exam. They are assembling an advisory committee of 10-15 subject matter experts and are seeking nominations for panelists from a variety of roles such as federal government, health departments, non-profits, etc. The time commitment is a two day, in-person meeting in late January and two more virtual meetings in the spring and summer (all expenses paid). The panelists should be familiar with the day-to-day tasks of public health professionals and should have substantial public health experience at a supervisory level. If interested, you can self-nominate here. Nominations are due by 11/29/2021.

SG5K LOGO COMPETITION
The Surgeon General’s 5K (SG5K) committee is soliciting designs for the 2022 SG5K race logo. This can be a solo effort or an officer team effort (no more than 3). There is no specific theme for the event other than promoting health and supporting officers, so entrants can use their full creative talents in creating the design. The sketch can be done electronically or on paper, then scanned in for submission. If the entry is a team effort, please submit names of all officers that contributed with the design. Send designs to LT Austin Van Horn(austin.vanhorn@tchealth.org) and LCDR Matthew Ellis (matthew.ellis@IHS.gov) by COB on November 30.

ARE YOU STILL MISSING IMPORTANT EMAILS FROM COA?
We’re hearing more and more from COA members that they are missing important emails due to spam and junk mail filters, especially from those using CDC, BOP and FDA email addresses. Please consider either switching your primary email address to a personal one or adding your personal email address in the secondary field. If you’re having trouble, please call the office at (301) 731-9080. After signing into your account, click “Manage Profile” at the top of the page.

SAVE THE DATES

• Call for Abstracts for the 55^th Annual Scientific & Training Symposium, 11/29/2021
• COA Gathering featuring RADM Kis Robertson Hale, 12/7/2021 at 7 pm ET. Register here.
• 2^nd Annual Holiday Open Mic Celebration, 12/15/2021 at 7 pm ET. Register here.
• 55^th Annual USPHS Scientific & Training Symposium, 5/23/2022-5/27/2022 in Glendale, Arizona.