Warrior of the North named 2014 Scientist Responder of the Year Published Feb. 13, 2014 By Staff Sgt. Susan L. Davis 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- U.S. Public Health Service Cmdr. Anthony Tranchita, 319th Medical Operations Squadron Behavioral Health Flight commander, was recently named the 2014 Scientist Responder of the Year. Over the past year, Tranchita has been on the front lines of many mental health crises across the country, where he directed about 50 deployment officers in support of four highly diverse operations including Hurricane Sandy, the Boston Marathon bombing, the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting and the Wanblee, S.D., Indian Health Service mission. Tranchita filled roles both in disaster response and Community Health and Safety Missions. In November 2012, Tranchita deployed to New York following Hurricane Sandy where he served as the first-ever Behavioral Health Liaison Officer to the Incident Response Coordination Team. In this capacity, he advised the IRCT on the distribution and utilization of 36 mental health officers who were assigned to multiple shelters throughout New York City. "So much of it was a blur," he said. "There were lots of long days making lots of phone calls, coordinating with the Red Cross and other agencies." Under Tranchita's direction, mental health personnel addressed a wide range of mental health concerns, providing more than 7,500 direct contacts with shelter clients, including more than two dozen related to suicidal ideation. They even logged more than 900 direct contacts with National Disaster Medical System personnel and other shelter and hospital workers, helping them process their own emotional responses to the circumstances and providing them with tools and skills to aid others. "The officers I led did so much during this response, they did most of the work," he said. "My role was not direct care, but I was truly blessed to be able to lead such a great team." Tranchita said he was truly impressed by how eager and willing people were to pull together and do their part, but his greatest concern was making sure the region would be in good hands once he and his team pulled out and went home. "It's not enough to respond in the moment--we have to ask ourselves how we can help in the long-term. The biggest question we have to ask ourselves is what is going to happen when we leave." In addition to the direct coordination of behavioral health activities in New York City, Tranchita also provided consultation to the emergency management group and the behavioral health liaison in New Jersey. This consultation facilitated the allocation of mental health team members across both states. Tranchita's execution of his duties in this role has become the benchmark for future responses, leading to his nomination for the award. In October of each year, the Commissioned Officers' Association of the U.S. Public Health Service calls for nominations for Responder of the Year in several categories, including nursing, dental, pharmacy, and others. Winners in each of these categories go on to compete for the Commissioned Corps Responder of the Year Award. These nominations are received by the Director of the Office of Force Readiness and Deployment no later than close of business on Dec. 31 of that year. Nominees must be active -duty or retired members of the Commissioned Corps of the USPHS. In February of the following year, a selection committee convenes to review nominations and select the award winner. Criteria considered are: * One-time impact on public health preparedness and response * Career contributions to emergency preparedness and/or disaster response * Nominee's role in deployments and the impact thereof * Training and education applicable to preparedness and response * Publications and presentations in the public arena related to preparedness and response * The nominee's willingness to give credit to the U.S. Public Health Service for deployment activities Tranchita primarily wants others to understand that he genuinely loves what he does, and that he passes much of the credit for his success to his team members. "Most of what I do is behind the scenes," he said. "My passion is helping people overcome the issues they are facing and helping them succeed, especially Airmen. This award was given to me based on my ability to lead and prepare for future responses, but it's really not about me. Across these responses, there were people who have had a real impact on the lives of others. I was just blessed enough to be in a leadership role."