Accomplishments During Service:

Navy RHO/RS Retired Affairs
CAPT Mike Taylor

CAPT(ret) Mike Taylor (at the helm?)

Contact Information:

Michael A. S. Taylor Sr.

Inova Fairfax Hospital

Department of Radiation Oncology

3300 Gallows Road, Falls Church Va. 22042

(703) 698-3705

Accomplishments During Service:

For most of my Naval career I was on the team of medical physicists that brought the Naval Medical Treatment Facilities to the cutting edge of technology. This team included CAPTs Jerry Thomas, Rick LaFontaine, Paul Blake, Karl Mendenhall and CDR Larry Parr. Because of the dedication of this team, the Naval Hospital’s had diagnostic and therapeutic equipment equal to or better than their civilian counter parts. Each of us at one time served on special assignments with DPSC or for the Surgeon General for promoting such systems as: MRI, CT, ultrasound, PACS, RIS (TriRad, CHCS), Fleet Hospital’s radiology systems, and Resident & Technologist Training programs. Obtaining the budgets for these very high cost systems took great initiative and planning.

To my great surprise, I found myself stationed at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard as Head of the Health Physics Code (105.5). I consider surviving that assignment as an accomplishment (08 said I was “too medical”). However, in my time at Pearl, I developed great admiration for the Health Physics Profession. Since I became a “dirt counter”, I found the difficulty in providing meaningful counting information a challenge. Leading the radiological Superfund evaluation of Pearl and Guam really was an eye opener for how our legal system works in environmental (science) solutions.

Training was always high on my list of accomplishments. I was involved in the training of Radiology Residents and Nuclear Medicine Fellows at all of my assigned Naval Hospitals. At Pearl, I was able to get my home grown HP’s formal training at Oak Ridge (that CDR Robe Enge started). I was the Director of the Basic X-ray School in Oakland (NEC 8451) and got formal recognition of the school by California so the techs could apply for limited State License. On Fulton, I found out that the indoctrination training I received at NSHS was inadequate for going to the fleet. From Fulton, I wrote a white paper on a proposed indoctrination program that was used by our Specialty Leader, CDR Bill Beckner, to aid in the establishment of RHO’s going to mini-OCS at Newport. Lastly, I hope I’ve motivated junior RHO’s to stay in the Navy and get their graduate degree.

RHO assignments included:

Commands	Dates
USS FULTON (AS-11), New London	July 75 - Aug78
National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda	Aug 78 - Jul 81
Naval Regional Medical Center, Oakland	Jul 81 – Aug 85
National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda	Aug 85 – Oct 91
Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard	Oct 91 – Jul 95
National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda	Oct 95 – Nov 97

Awards:

Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal

Accomplishments Since Retirement:

I took over as Director Medical Physics, Inova Fairfax Hospital, from a very fine physicist named Jim Deye. I was approached about the job thanks to my Navy mentor, CAPT Doug Bennett and my first Navy Radiation Oncologist (never underestimate the power of your Navy connections). Fairfax treats over 135 patients per day plus brachytherapy workload. I also have Rad Safety worries over two other hospitals in the Inova system, but I have Dave George at Fairfax to keep me on track.

Words of Wisdom:

I have had this posted with me most of my career, I never found out who was the author.

“What I do today is so important

because I am paying for it with a day of my life.

What I accomplish today must be worthwhile

Because the price for it is so high”

Commands

Dates