Rear Adm. Guido F. Valdes, commandant of Naval Medical Forces Pacific and a treble alumnus of the University of Miami, visited the University arsenic portion of Miami Navy Week and its signature outreach program.
Three decades ago, Rear Adm. Guido F. Valdes, commandant of Naval Medical Forces Pacific and main of the Medical Corps, received a glossy brochure successful the mail. At the time, Valdes was conscionable a young pupil completing his Bachelor of Science successful biology astatine the University of Miami and had precocious been admitted to the University’s Miller School of Medicine.
The brochure contained an accidental to articulation the United States Navy to go a aesculapian officer. The connection included his attendance of 4 years of aesculapian school, 2 weeks of grooming a year, and active-duty grooming astatine a subject aesculapian facility.
“And so, I said, ‘Where bash I sign?’ ” Valdes recalled.
The rear admiral, a treble alumnus of the University and autochthonal of San Juan, Puerto Rico, visited his alma mater for 2 days arsenic portion of Miami Navy Week and its signature outreach program, which acceptable sail done South Florida this week.
On Monday, Valdes arrived astatine the Coral Gables Campus, met with President Julio Frenk, and toured the University of Miami athletics facilities. Valdes, who attended the University from 1984 to 1988, reminisced connected his years arsenic a pupil attending athletics events and sharing clip connected field with respective student-athletes. He adjacent picked up a fewer amusive facts portion connected the tour—including the root of however the University’s beloved mascot, Sebastian the Ibis, received his name.
Valdes’ sojourn was a peculiarly peculiar infinitesimal for the community, Frenk noted during their meeting, due to the fact that helium is an alumnus and a respected subordinate of the Navy.
To reason the day, Valdes spoke with seasoned and ROTC students from the Veterans Student Organization and seasoned alumni of the University.
“It was bully to person to accidental to talk with the rear admiral. We talked astir assorted places we’ve some been stationed and what it means to america to beryllium a treble ’Cane,” said Dan Brennan, a pupil successful the Miami Herbert Business School pursing his Master of Business Administration. Brennan served for 11 years successful the U.S. Army earlier returning to get his master’s degree.
On Tuesday, Valdes dropped by the Medical Campus, wherever helium spent the day touring the Gordon Center for Simulation and Innovation successful Medical Education with Dr. S. Barry Issenberg, prof of medicine and Michael S. Gordon Chair of Medical Education; Dr. Amar Deshpande, prof of objective medicine successful the Division of Gastroenterology; and Angel Brotons, manager of objective grooming operations.
Valdes was besides greeted by Dr. Henri Ford, dean and main world serviceman of the Miller School, and Dr. Nicholas Namias, main of the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery.
“I told them, ‘I consciousness that the University of Miami prepared maine precise good for what laic ahead, albeit unknown,’ but that's what we ever say,” helium said. “You larn for the known, but you bid for the unknown, right? You trained due to the fact that you privation to beryllium acceptable for what’s coming. And I deliberation that moving present and being exposed to the caliber of professionals that worked here, and proceed to enactment here, was large preparation.”
In summation to his travel to the University, Valdes spent clip during Miami Navy Week astatine the Miami VA Medical Center, wherever helium did 1 of his archetypal rotations arsenic a University aesculapian pupil 30 years ago.
The lad of Cuban immigrants, Valdes was calved successful San Juan, Puerto Rico. He arrived successful Miami erstwhile helium was 13 years aged and has maintained adjacent ties to the metropolis ever since, noting that overmuch of his household inactive lives successful Miami. “You tin ne'er tally distant from your Cuban family! They’ll find you,” helium joked. “We are a precise adjacent family.”
Upon graduation from the present Miller School of Medicine successful 1992, Valdes completed a transitional internship astatine the National Naval Medical Center Bethesda and an exigency medicine residency astatine the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth.
Throughout his distinguished career, Valdes held assorted positions wrong navy medicine. He was wide aesculapian serviceman astatine Branch Health Clinic Gaeta, Italy. He besides was unit exigency doc astatine U.S. Naval Hospital Naples, Italy; U.S. Naval Hospital Rota, Spain; and the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. In addition, Valdes was enforcement serviceman astatine Naval Hospital Pensacola, commanding serviceman astatine Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi, and lawman commandant astatine Naval Medical Forces Atlantic. During his clip successful Italy, helium met his wife, Barbara, who was serving arsenic a Navy nurse.
Valdes besides served arsenic the officer-in-charge of Fleet Surgical Team Six, unit surgeon for Riverine Group One, and enforcement serviceman for the Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit successful Kandahar, Afghanistan, during Operation Enduring Freedom.
“[Being successful Afghanistan,] you spot a batch of atrocious stuff. At the aforesaid time, it was precise rewarding to beryllium capable to prevention lives and nonstop immoderate radical location astatine slightest successful 1 piece. For me, that was the astir rewarding and fulfilling deployment I've had,” helium said.
Currently, Valdes serves arsenic commandant of Naval Medical Forces Pacific, overseeing 10 Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Commands connected the West Coast and Pacific Rim. He is besides the manager of the San Diego Medical Market, overseeing the transportation and integration of wellness attraction astatine Naval Medical Center San Diego and Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. He is qualified arsenic a Fleet Marine Force Warfare Officer and has garnered aggregate awards for his service.
Miami Navy Week features much than 60 events passim Miami-Dade and Broward counties, bringing much than 50 sailors to South Florida. Navy Week was designed to amended radical successful cities passim the U.S. astir the Navy, including what beingness is similar for sailors, the types of jobs that are available, and wherefore the Navy is important to communities similar Miami. This Miami Navy Week besides highlighted the value of STEM acquisition done unpaid activities with section assemblage partners.
In summation to Valdes’ sojourn to the University, the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard performed connected Thursday evening astatine the Miami Hurricanes women's hoops crippled arsenic portion of Miami Navy Week festivities successful South Florida.
“I bash deterioration the azygous with pride. Those of america who deterioration the uniform, we cognize what we represent,’’ Valdes said. “And we effort to correspond that arsenic good arsenic we tin to the community. And I deliberation that hopefully, we'll permission Miami folks present with an sentiment of the Navy oregon cognition astir the Navy that they didn’t person before.”
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