News of Members
March 2010
Focus on Members
Colonel Christopher S. Williams, D.O., M.P.H., retired from the U.S. Air Force on January 1, 2010. He served over 21
years and was honored at his retirement ceremony in October 2009 at the U.S. Air Force Memorial in Washington, DC, by the presence of the
USAF Surgeon General, Lt.Gen. Bruce Green, and the Joint Chief of Staff Surgeon, Rear Admiral David Smith. His ceremony was presided
over by U.S. Army Brig.Gen. Loree Sutton.
Dr. Williams, a Board Certified Neurologist and Clinical Neurophysiologist (Epileptologist), is also a Board Certified
Aerospace Medicine Specialist, having completed the Aerospace Medicine Residency at the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine in
1995. He most recently served as Senior Executive Director for Traumatic Brain Injury at the Defense Centers of Excellence for
Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury in Washington, DC. He was also the USAF Surgeon General Consultant for
Aerospace Neurology from 2004 until retirement and a Senior Flight Surgeon with over 650 hours military flying time, including 50
hours of combat and combat support time.
During his distinguished career, he served as Commander of the 506th Expeditionary Medical Squadron/Joint Expeditionary
Freedom Hospital at Kirkuk, Iraq, and as Commander of the 10th Medical Operations Squadron at the USAF Academy. He also was
Deputy Chairman, Department of Neurology, Wilford Hall Medical Center from 2002-2004 and Assistant Professor of Neurology, Edward
Hebert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, from 2003-2009. Upon retirement, he was awarded the
Legion of Merit by the AF Surgeon General for his “personal endeavor” that “leaves an indelible mark on the Department
of Defenses’ treatment of post-concussion syndrome” and for his “great strides toward the first definitive treatment of the
‘invisible signature wound’ of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.” Dr. Williams joined Colorado
Springs Health Partners, a 100+ physician primary care and multi-specialty group in Colorado Springs, CO, as a neurologist on
January 1, 2010.
News of Members
Robin Dodge, M.D., Director of the Division of Aerospace Medicine in the Department of Community Health at Wright
State University, Dayton, Ohio, has announced his intention to retire next year. His announcement has triggered a cascading effect within
the Division that will see a smooth transition of responsibilities and authority for various organizational activities over the next year.
The first and most notable event occurred on January 1, 2010, when he handed off the residency in aerospace medicine to his current
colleague, Farhad Sahiar, M.D. Dr. Dodge says that the time is right for new ideas and someone with a longer fix on the horizon. He wishes
continued success for many years to Dr. Sahiar and the program.
Air Commodore (AIRCDRE) Tracy Smart was posted into a new role on February 1, 2010, as Director of General
Garrison Health Operations in the Australian Defence Force’s Joint Health Command. She will also continue with her previous role of
Director General of Air Force Health Services, Royal Australian Air Force.
In Memoriam: James L. Goddard
Former member James L. Goddard, M.D., has died. He was a member from 1959-1970 and served as a Vice President on Council
from 1960-1964. Born in Alliance, OH, Dr. Goddard received a Bachelor’s degree in 1944 from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA,
while serving in the Army during World War II. He earned an M.D. in 1949 from George Washington University, served a 1-year internship
at the U.S. Public Health Service Marine Hospital in Cleveland, OH, then ran a private practice until 1951. In 1955, he earned an
M.P.H. from Harvard University.
From 1956-1959, Dr. Goddard ran the Public Health Service Accident Prevention Program in Washington, DC, then was the
director of the medical program for what is now the Federal Aviation Administration for 3 years. He was named the Chief of the Centers
for Disease Control in 1962, at that time the youngest person to hold that post. In 1966, he was named the head of the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), where he accomplished a wide variety of tasks. He addressed inadequate drug research, which meant that
drug recalls grew by 75% during his first year. He also launched investigations of about 4000 medications, cracked down on drug advertising,
and instituted “Dear Doctor” letters, which pharmaceutical companies had to send out to address false or misleading claims
about drugs.
In 1968, Dr. Goddard joined a private dataprocessing firm, and then spent 2 years as a program advisor at the Ford
Foundation in New Delhi. He also did consulting work. He was active as a member of the Atlanta Federal Executive Board, chairman of the
Combined Federal Campaign for the Atlanta area in 1966, and a member of the Advisory Committee for the Fernbank Natural Science Center. He
was also a member of quite a few societies, among them the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, the
Aerospace Medical Association, the Civil Aviation Medical Association, the Scientific Research Society of America, the American
Association for the Advance-ment of Science, and the Association of Food and Drug Officials of the United States.
Dr. Goddard was a consultant to various groups, including the American Board of Preventive Medicine, the Advisory
Committee to the Institute of Agricultural Medicine at the University of Iowa, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and a
member of the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Occupational Health. His awards included Honorary Doctor of Science degrees from Emory
University, the University of Michigan, and Mount Union College; the Federal Bar Association’s Liberty Bell Award; the George Washington
University’s Award of Merit and Alumni Achievement Award; the John Jeffries Award for 1962; the Public Health Service
Meritorious Service Medal; and the Distinguished Service Award from the Federal Aviation Administration.
In Memoriam: Daniel W. Repperger
Daniel W. Repperger, Ph.D., P.E., died suddenly in January. He received his B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. degrees from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, in 1967 and 1968. After receiving his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering
from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, in 1973, he became a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the Air Force
Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. In 1975, he joined the federal government as a civil servant at the Air Force Research
Laboratory, where he worked until his death. In 1985, Dr. Repperberger developed patented technol ogy for a force-reflecting
“haptic” control stick, which can assist and help protect pilots in a high-turbulence (vibration) environment
by using virtual force to augment the pilot’s neuromuscular control. This assists pilots both in tracking control and disturbance
rejection.
Dr. Repperger worked in government service with the U.S. Air Force for about 35 years. He was also an adjunct professor
(Electrical Engineering and/or Biomedical Engineering) at Wright State University, the Air Force Institute of Technology, University of
Dayton, and the Ohio State University. Additionally, he worked with the Commonwealth of Kentucky, supported NATO meetings and meetings in
New Zealand, and was a keynote speaker at a major engineering conference in China in 2008.
Dr. Repperger authored 434 publications, including 14 patents and 28 inventions, 65 journal articles, 4 book chapters,
230 conference papers, and 17 tech nical reports. He was a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, a Research
Fellow of the Air Force Research Laboratory, a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, a Fellow of the
Ohio Academy of Science, and a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA). He also served in numerous professional organizations
as an officer as well as on publications boards of five international journals as an Associate Editor. In 1998, Dr. Repperger’s career
achievements in aerospace technology were recognized when he received the Life Sciences and Bioengineering R&D Innovation Award.
He was elected a Distinguished Member of the IEEE Control Systems Society and received the IEEE Third Millennium Medal. He
also received the John Paul Stapp Award in 2003 from AsMA.
Obituary Listing
AsMA has just learned that M. Young Stokes III, M.D., died in January 2009. He earned his M.D. from Southwestern
Medical School in Dallas, TX. He was President of the Civil Aviation Medical Association from 1987 to 1989 and also served on CAMA's Board
of Trustees. He was President of the Flying Physicians Association, a member of the Order of the Daedalians, and a member of the
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, as well as other organizations. He owned and flew his own plane and joined AsMA in 1995.
New Members
- Kanashiro, Ricardo, Lt.Col., BAF, MC, Santos SP, Brazil
- O’Sullivan, Terance, M.D., Shanghai, China
- Raniolo, John S., D.O., Scottsdale, AZ
- Tomaro, Michael, Ph.D., New Berlin, WI
- Tullet, Rachel B., BMBS, Lyttelton, Christchurch, New Zealand
