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JBSA medical team members earn Air Force-level honors

  • Published
  • By Robert Goetz
  • 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas --  The Air Force Medical Service honored eight active-duty members and two units from Joint Base San Antonio with its 2016 individual and team awards announced last month by the Air Force Surgeon General.

The awards recognized the honorees’ expertise, leadership and commitment across the full breadth of the support the AFMS provides to the Air Force mission and the joint team.

Individual honorees from JBSA-Fort Sam Houston were Master Sgt. Kenneth Steinbeck, 959th Clinical Support Squadron, Diet Therapy NCO of the Year; and Senior Airman Megan Thibodeaux, 959th CSPS, Diet Therapy Airman of the Year.

Individual award winners from JBSA-Lackland were Capt. Maira Malhabour, 59th Medical Support Group, Biomedical Specialist Category II Officer of the Year; Staff Sgt. Jesenia Vega-Rivera, 59th Radiology Squadron, Air Force Diagnostic Imaging Airman of the Year; and Staff Sgt. Leona Rodriguez, 59th RSQ, Diagnostic Imaging NCO of the Year.

JBSA-Randolph’s individual award winners were Capt. Melanie Johnson, Air Force Personnel Center Medical Personnel Reliability Program Cell, Competent Medical Authority of the Year; Tech. Sgt. Casey Berry, 359th Medical Operations Squadron, Physical Medicine NCO of the Year; and Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Deinhart, AFPC Medical PRP Cell, Outstanding PRP Technician of the Year.

JBSA units earning team awards were the 59th Medical Wing Medical Resource Management Flight at JBSA-Lackland, Outstanding Resource Management Team of the Year; and the AFPC Medical PRP Cell at JBSA-Randolph, PRP Team of the Year.

Malhabour, director of lab operations at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, said she owes the award to her family and medical teams at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, and JBSA-Lackland.

“I couldn’t do it without the people: family, supervisors, coaches, mentors and co-workers,” she said. “They pushed me every day so I can reach my max potential, and I learned that patience is really a virtue.”

Malhabour, who supervised more than 100 team members during the award time period, said she motivates through “the gift of attention.”

“Really listening and understanding people establishes trust and empowers them at the same time,” she said. “I tell them every day that it is okay to make mistakes and take a risk, but it should correlate with the price of progress, quality and overall safety of the patient.”

Rodriguez, mammography section supervisor at Wilford Hall and a mammography course instructor, said she felt honored to be recognized.

“But I realize that I did not achieve this recognition alone,” she said. “I’ve been surrounded by excellent leadership and very strong and supportive mentors, all who have given challenges and the autonomy to improve outcomes for patient care and services.”

Rodriguez said she was thrilled that an Airman she supervises-Vega-Rivera-also won the Air Force-level award.

“I think both of our awards together speak volumes about what our team is accomplishing overall,” she said.

Thibodeaux, a diet technician at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, said she was “extremely happy” about her award.

“It was not because of getting credit for what I accomplished this past year, but for my leadership noticing and taking the time out of their schedules to put me up for the award,” she said.

Thibodeaux said her job allows her to have a lasting effect on a patient.

“Some of my patients see me on a monthly basis and I am more excited than the patients are when they reach their goal,” she said. “Everyone knows the basics of nutrition and can point out items that they should not be eating, but as diet technicians, we get to explain the reason behind it.”

Berry, who supervises 13 staff members for a flight that handles 1,800 to 2,000 appointments per month, said his award was an accomplishment for the team.

His duties include managing manning and authorizations for the physical therapy clinic and ensuring that physical therapy assistants are properly trained and moving forward in career development.

“I love helping people, whether it be my Airmen or patients,” Berry said.