Sailors who can't deploy will be moved to empty jobs under Navy program
The new EMPLOY program will focus on sailor 'employability, not deployability,' by filling empty jobs with sailors who cannot deploy and reducing the number of sailors separated from the service through the Disability Evaluation System, according to a Naval admin notice posted Monday.
'EMPLOY accomplishes multiple important objectives for the Navy: we keep sailors on their career track by providing them with meaningful assignments that match their skills, we fill critical gapped billets ashore, and as an organization we retain the valuable knowledge, skills and experience these sailors possess,' Navy spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Stuart Phillips told Task & Purpose. 'Everyone wins.'
The EMPLOY program is designed to place sailors into already-funded billets that would otherwise remain vacant. These assignments last for at least 24 months and include non-deployable, land-based jobs.
The Navy released formal instructions for the program this week but began a 'phased roll-out of the EMPLOY model last year,' to evaluate the program's effectiveness, Phillips said. In May 2024, the first sailor was approved for an EMPLOY program tour.
To date, 850 Sailors have been considered for EMPLOY with 303 selected so far. An average of 20 sailors are nominated each week, according to Phillips.
The program is designed to retain sailors who are non-deployable due to injuries or illnesses, but who are expected to eventually return to duty. Sailors who are 'medically incapable of continued service' are not eligible for the program, according to a Navy factsheet.
For example, sailors recovering from a musculoskeletal injury that will eventually heal, or who are undergoing treatment for cancer, could be eligible for the EMPLOY program, Phillips said.
The program could also be for sailors taking certain medications that make them non-deployable. Phillips gave the example of anticoagulant medications that prevent fatal blood clots but also increase the risk of uncontrolled bleeding 'which is even more dangerous on a deployed warship.'
'While sailors in these situations may not be suitable for a sea duty tour, they can continue to contribute from a shore billet,' Phillips said.
EMPLOY is open to sailors on active duty and those in the Navy's Training and Administration of the Reserve program, in which Reserve officers are put on active duty to manage and train the service's Reserve Component.
Sailors in specialized career fields that require special duty screenings, like submarine duty, will have to complete a screening and de-screening process before they can be considered for EMPLOY.
The process begins with a sailor's medical provider, who nominates the sailor for the program. Their case is reviewed by officials, including a Medical Evaluation Board. Sailors can work with detailers to negotiate their current orders or they can look for new opportunities through the Senior Enlisted Marketplace.
The jobs sailors can hold in the program include Type 1 and Type 6 duty stations. Type 1 stations are shore assignments at bases in the continental U.S., Hawaii and Alaska. Sailors are limited from leaving their station for more than 150 days per year, or attending schools that last 18 months or more. Type 6 duty stations are overseas and have similar limits for sailors not to be absent from their offices for more than 150 days each year. Examples of Type 6 can include overseas stations, like Naval Base Sigonella, Italy and some more-remote locations in the U.S., like Naval Air Station Key West, Florida.
Sailors may be cross-rated or redesignated into a new career field if the new job requires it. They may also be issued a conditional enlistment contract if they don't have enough time left in their current one.
The NAVADMIN recommends that they consult with career counselors on how these temporary jobs could affect future Navy opportunities within their job field or other non-traditional roles. However, sailors in the program are still eligible for promotion.
The Navy has faced similar recruiting challenges to other services in recent years but changes to how it recruits new sailors and a revamp of its medical waiver process have led to improvements. In February, the service announced in a post on X that it was on track to meet its highest recruiting goal in over 20 years with more than 14,000 future sailors joining in the first four months of fiscal year 2025.
In September 2023, the Government Accountability Office found that the Navy didn't have enough enlisted sailors to man its aircraft carriers, other surface ships, and attack submarines. As of November 2023, the Navy had 70,705 enlisted sailors, 16% fewer than the necessary 84,379 sailor billets.
Sailors will be re-evaluated during their EMPLOY rotation and assessed as either fit for return to duty, a new EMPLOY assignment or referred to the disability system, or separated from the service. The Navy does not have any specific limits on how long a sailor could remain in the EMPLOY program.
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Miami Herald
a day ago
- Miami Herald
Navy Pilots with ALS Fight for Access to the Stem Cell Therapy That Can Help Them Live
Matt Bellina Regained Function After Receiving NurOwn via the Right to Try Law He Fought to Pass and Now He is Fighting for All Americans with ALS to Get the Same Chance He Did BREMERTON, WA / ACCESS Newswire / July 11, 2025 / The Backstory Twenty-two years ago, Matt Bellina and Jamie Warack, along with a group of ten college midshipmen, checked onto a destroyer in Yokosuka, Japan. They set off on a navy summer cruise to visit a war memorial in Busan, South Korea. As with many experiences in the navy, they left each other after a month with shared experiences and memories, not knowing if their paths would ever cross again. Both Matt and Jamie went on to become naval aviators: Matt on the EA-6b Prowler, and Jamie on the P3 Orion. But neither Matt nor Jamie could have imagined they would meet again through the shared heartbreak of ALS. Matt was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. Jamie's husband, Nick, also a P3 Orion pilot, was diagnosed with ALS in the fall of 2020. ALS is a cruel disease. As motor neurons die, the brain can no longer communicate with the voluntary muscles, which slowly become paralyzed. Ultimately, people lose the ability to walk, talk, move, eat, drink, swallow, and eventually, breathe. These two naval airmen who had once controlled our country's most elite aircraft would soon lose the ability to control their own bodies. As only the few unlucky people who have navigated this diagnosis can know, Nick and Jamie waffled through feelings of despair and hopelessness, but hung onto every word the doctors said, hoping for a change in tone or the possibility that they got the diagnosis wrong, hoping for any new drug that could slow the lethal march to death. Hope was soon to come in an unexpected way, not from a doctor's office. Shortly after his diagnosis, Nick learned of a Navy pilot from Whidbey Island who had become a powerful advocate for ALS patients, especially for the Right to Try law and a stem cell treatment called NurOwn. And then came the day that hope was restored. Nick showed Jamie a video of that same man with ALS standing up from his wheelchair for the first time in two years. Even then, Jamie didn't realize the man in the wheelchair was the same Matt Bellina she'd known from that summer decades before. It wasn't until Nick publicly shared his diagnosis on social media that the connection clicked. Matt, already years into his own battle with ALS, commented on Nick's post, offering prayers and heartfelt support. Tucked away in boxes were photos of the much younger Matt and Jamie. The young Matt in those photos was the same naval aviator, Matt Bellina, who stood up out of his wheelchair. That moment, that unexpected connection, and Matt's journey with NurOwn, gave Nick and Jamie a spark of hope when they needed it most. In the years since, their path with ALS has been filled with uncertainty and heartache, but hope has remained at the center of their story - thanks in part to Matt Bellina's courage and the possibilities offered by the groundbreaking stem cell therapy called NurOwn. Nick's Fight As Nick said to his family and friends when sharing the news of his ALS diagnosis: "Today is but one day in my fight. Tomorrow will be the next." Nick and Jamie believe tomorrow holds the promise of more time, more memories, and more strength - for all the people and families fighting this disease. They are holding on to that promise - believing in the power of tomorrow. But as pilots they also knew that the hope for tomorrow is based on the actions you take today. So a few weeks after the heartbreaking FDA Advisory Committee, Jamie reached out to another ALS advocate and pronounced: "We are not the type of people to sit back and do nothing, especially when so much is on the line.... We want to do something drastic to get some positive attention for ALS and the treatments…. This sounds crazy, but we are prepared to do something crazy to hopefully facilitate change…. We are in this fight with you now." That "something crazy" was about to come to fruition. A few months earlier, when Nick had published a story in the American Bar Association Journal, talking about his law firm's pro bono program, he never anticipated how much their guidance would play a role in his fight to get access to the stem cell therapy that could help him live. Nick and the pro bono team at Davis, Wright & Tremaine spent months meeting, strategizing, researching, reading Supreme Court briefs and listening to oral arguments. They repeatedly challenged the status quo that the FDA could deny approval of a drug that had compelling evidence of helping some people live longer and live better. They were unwilling to accept the answer that there was no hope for Nick. When Matt Bellina stood up out of his wheelchair, he showed the world that the impossible was now possible in ALS. Was it also possible that the real-world data gathered by citizens with ALS could ever support an FDA approval, and if so, how could they get that evidence before the FDA? The legal answer was the Citizen's Petition filed with the FDA one week ago. Just as they served our country for years - fighting to protect all of us - these naval aviators are still fighting today … fighting to change regulatory law … fighting to protect the 32,000 people with ALS… and still fighting for approval of the stem cell therapy that can help them live. The Citizens' Petition launches their fight. Matt's Right to Try Story In 2007, Brig. General Tom Mikolajcik testified before Congress and warned that the risk of ALS was skyrocketing. According to a recent Military Medicine study, in post-9/11 veterans, the highest risk is among pilots like Matt, Nick and the several C-141 pilots in Gen. Mik's own squadron who were stationed at the Charleston AFB. General Mik demanded that we "give our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines an opportunity to fight this disease with a medical arsenal." Then he challenged Congress and the FDA to step up its commitment to veterans and to act with urgency: "We owe our veterans treatment now. If these soldiers were dying in the field rather than quietly at home… we would leave no stone unturned. We would use the best existing resources to make sure they had whatever they needed to survive … to ensure that no man or woman is left behind." Just four years later, when Matt was diagnosed with ALS, there were no disease-modifying drugs in the medical arsenal. As he described in the 2016 HBO Vice documentary, "Die Trying: the battle for ALS treatments," promising drugs were stuck in clinical trials, but Matt was unable to qualify for any of those trials from the moment he was diagnosed. So Matt did what veterans do; he fought to change the law. On May 30, 2018, President Trump signed the Matt Bellina Right to Try bill into law. President Trump tweeted: "With Right to Try, patients with life-threatening illnesses will finally have access to experimental treatments that could improve their conditions." The Citizens' Petition reports that's precisely what happened for Matt Bellina. Matt's NurOwn Story The Citizens' Petition documents Matt Bellina's real-world evidence (RWE) and real-world data (RWD) on NurOwn. He received 7 doses of NurOwn via Right to Try from December 2018 through 2020. Matt is the only person in the US who received 6 consecutive doses at the recommended two-month dosing interval. The seventh was received nine months later. But sadly, after his seventh dose, Matt couldn't get more. It's now been nearly 5 years since his last dose of the stem cell therapy that was helping him live. Today Matt is dying waiting. Matt has publicly released clinical data from his VA medical records in both his blog and on social media. Before NurOwn, Matt was losing about 0.45 points per month on the 48-point functional scale. Although he had been a slow progressor, his ALS was already advanced as demonstrated by his functional score of 21/48. Matt had already lost over half of his measurable function. But once he received NurOwn, that lethal trajectory changed. Matt's VA medical records document that instead of losing nearly 3 points in 6 months, he regained 6 points of function. This is a 9-point delta. This doesn't happen in ALS. But it did on NurOwn. And those changes started happening almost immediately. Just two weeks after his first NurOwn dose, Matt shared that his legs were stronger; his family propped him up against the kitchen counter and he was able to stand. In February 2019, Matt posted on Facebook and shared his improvements in all four domains on the functional rating scale used for ALS trial endpoints: gross and fine motor function, bulbar function and most importantly breathing function: "I have been given a gift…. Only one month after my first round of treatment, I have improvement in the clinical strength of my right deltoid and my left bicep. My forced vital lung capacity is 23% higher and I am seeing subjective improvement in my speech & swallowing. I no longer need a bi pap at night. Due to increased core strength & coordination, I am now able to pull myself up to standing." By May 2019, Matt publicly shared videos demonstrating his profound increase in function and added this commentary: "What is remarkable is that I was not able to get out of my chair on my own before NurOwn. After my second treatment I was able to pull up to standing using both my legs and my arms. Since the third treatment I am able to stand from my chair without the aid of my arms. I have not been able to do this for over 2 years and it feels great. We all need to push the FDA to approve this treatment. It is simply unacceptable that I am the only one receiving this treatment outside of the trial. All people with ALS deserve this chance." Additionally, before NurOwn, Matt's ability to swallow food and liquids was also becoming compromised. In her Public Comment, Matt's mother described a choking incident documented in his VA hospital records in December 2018. After receiving NurOwn, Matt's choking stopped. He was once again able to enjoy his favorite foods and was still able to enjoy a cold beer on a hot Philly summer day. Matt didn't get a feeding tube until last month - that's 6.5 years after his first dose of NurOwn. As profound as all these changes were, Matt's improvements in breathing function were the most clinically meaningful as they were life-sustaining. After 6 doses of NurOwn, Matt's lung capacity was 37% higher than it was before his first injection and Matt stopped using a non-invasive ventilator to breathe at night. This doesn't happen in the normal lethal and unrelenting progression of ALS. It did happen on NurOwn. Matt's Real-World Evidence Is Supporting Evidence of Efficacy for FDA Approval The Citizens' Petition asserts that Matt's Right to Try data is "supporting evidence" of efficacy demonstrating that NurOwn works on some people with 100% fatal ALS. At multiple patient-focused drug development meetings and in hundreds of emails with former FDA leadership, Matt and the entire ALS community repeatedly shared his data and videos - documenting his unprecedented improvements in function. And yet, Matt's data was not discussed in the FDA's briefing documents or presentation at the NurOwn Advisory Committee (AdComm) meeting in September 2023. The AdComm voted against approval and instead recommended another Phase 3 trial limited to the trial population that had shown hypothesis-generating promise in the post hoc analysis. Ultimately, the AdComm vote was based only on data from the 28-week trial and did not include the RWE/RWD over the 8 years for those in EAP nor the real-world data from Matt Bellina's Right to Try dosing. The prior FDA Administration ignored Matt Bellina's evidence. Consider this irony. The Navy entrusted Matt with a $50 million aircraft and the lives of fellow crew members, but the former FDA didn't trust him to know if a stem cell therapy was helping his own paralyzed body regain function. Matt's real-world data is critical, not only because of his profound improvement, but it is also informative because it provides unique evidence not captured in the NurOwn Phase 3 trial data. As detailed in the Citizens' Petition: Matt is the only person in the US to receive 6 consecutive doses and his functional improvements evidence a dose-dependent impact in both durability and magnitude of baseline score of 21/48 illustrates that NurOwn can work on some people later in ALS disease was a slow progressor and this population was excluded from the NurOwn trial (and most ALS trials) because it's hard to assess changes in slow progressors in short 6-month trials; and thus it tells us that NurOwn can work on some people in this subset of slower ALS received his first dose of NurOwn more than 7 years after onset, demonstrating that it can work on some people like his friend and fellow naval aviator, Nick Warack, who has had ALS for 5 years. Matt's RWD from Right to Try also aligns with the clinically meaningful impact and "progression-free survival" that trial investigators observed in the NurOwn Phase 3 trial and EAP. At the FDA Advisory Committee meeting, Mayo's Dr. Anthony Windebank opined that NurOwn works: "I would now like to provide my clinical perspective on NurOwn …. I think this data is compelling & it should be approved….While not everyone responds to the treatment, there are clearly a SIGNIFICANT number who do. I have clearly seen SOME people stabilize in a way that I have never seen in any other trial…. There were some who IMPROVED their score!" In 40+ years working as a neurologist and clinical trialist, Dr. Windebank said NurOwn caused improvements like he had never seen before. Similarly, when people with ALS saw videos of a wheelchair-bound man rising out of his wheelchair, and taking steps with a walker again, they too knew it was like nothing they had ever experienced or witnessed before. And just as Jamie and Nick said, Matt's video evidence provided a ray of hope in a disease that has had none since ALS was discovered in 1869. Commissioner Makary recently told the roomful of esteemed scientists at the Gene and Cell Therapy Forum that researchers and regulators can learn things from "n of 1" data. And as one former CBER official said, when making decisions about a therapy's efficacy, regulators like to see a treatment response so obvious that you don't need to be a statistician to interpret it. Matt Bellina's Right to Try data exemplifies the obvious. NurOwn works. Thus, the Citizens' Petition is asking this new FDA to consider Matt's real-world data derived from his Right to Try dosing. Compare it to the NurOwn Phase 2 or 3 randomized controlled data that demonstrated efficacy in some. Compare it to the ALS clinical trial database; compare it to the natural history databases. How many times in ALS natural history or ALS clinical trials have people regained 6 points in function and risen up out of a wheelchair? How many times have people with ALS stopped needing a bi-pap to breathe? The Citizens' Petition urges the FDA to compare Matt's "n of 1" RWD to whatever data you want. But at least consider it. In a 100% fatal and paralyzing disease, any evidence of efficacy - all evidence of efficacy - should be considered. Gold standard science and common sense demand nothing less. In 2022, Matt so believed in NurOwn's efficacy that he co-authored a press release asking the FDA for an Advisory Committee meeting so veterans' voices could be heard. "Veterans with ALS have a unique stake in the fight for a NurOwn AdComm. We sacrificed our lives for every citizen's right of due process. It is the antithesis of all we fought for if we, now, were denied that same right." Today the Citizens' Petition makes this same request. Please give Matt his due process; give Matt his first opportunity to be heard; give the 5,000+ veterans with ALS a chance to fight the disease they got from serving our country; give the new CBER team the first chance to consider Matt's unprecedented improvements before deciding the fate of Matt, Nick and the other 32,000 Americans with ALS. And then, just as General Mik implored Congress, the Citizens' Petition implores the FDA to please add NurOwn to the medical arsenal for all Americans battling ALS. About these Naval AviatorsMatt Bellina served as a Naval Officer and aviator for nearly 10 years. As an Electronic Attack Pilot in Whidbey Island, Washington, Matt flew the EA-6B Prowler, and deployed to Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Following his flying career he worked in Operations intelligence, before medically retiring due to ALS in 2014. Nick and Jamie (Nelson) Warack both served as Naval Officers and aviators, serving as flight instructors and mission commanders on the P-3 Orion. Jamie ultimately rose to the position of Weapons and Tactics Instructor (the P3's equivalent of "Top Gun"). Nick and Jamie flew operational missions in Iraq, the Horn of Africa, South East Asia, and the Mediterranean, combining for over 100 combat missions and earning eight strike flight air medals between them. Matt, Nick and Jamie are approaching ALS with the same dedication and tenacity that carried them through their time in the Navy. They now lead a coalition of people who have been advocating for approval of NurOwn. They are committed to expediting access to all promising treatments for ALS, and to implementing policy changes to benefit everyone in the ALS community. Contact: Nicholas Warack, Esq.(mail to: Veterans4NurOwn@ Klingenberg, BSN RN(mail to: NurOwnWorks@ Copy of Citizens' Petition and Exhibits Filed with the FDA:( About the FDA Approval Pathways Nick, Jamie and Matt assert that the survival, respiratory and functional data from the EAP, Right to Try and randomized controlled trials are part of the "totality of the evidence" that support NurOwn's approval. Traditional ApprovalSurvival data are the gold standard in FDA approvals. NurOwn's survival data meet both the quality and quantity requirements of "substantial evidence." (See Petition's Emergent Fact section C and Memorandum section II).Accelerated ApprovalNurOwn meets the standards for accelerated approval. The survival and respiratory data are "reasonably likely to predict" a favorable impact on the mortality of the 32,000 people with ALS. This survival data far surpasses survival data supporting the accelerated approval of many cancer therapies. (See Petition's Emergent Fact section C & D; Memorandum section I and II.C; and Exs. A & B).Conditional ApprovalNurOwn's "plausible mechanism of action" also meets the threshold for Commissioner Makary's proposed conditional approval pathway. (See Petition Fact section N, pgs. 173-176 and Memorandum section II.G at pgs. 234-241). SOURCE: NurOwn Citizen's Petition
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Navy Dentist Details Life at Sea, from Tooth Emergencies to Rarely Seeing the Sun (Exclusive)
Growing up, Kelsey Smith developed a passion for science and a strong desire to help others From a young age, she dreamed of becoming a dentist. After high school, she attended Gonzaga University, where she discovered a unique opportunity: a U.S. Navy scholarship that covers dental school tuition and provides a living stipend After being accepted into the program, she served as a Navy dentist aboard an aircraft carrier for two yearsLiving on an aircraft carrier was like a never-ending sleepover with her best friends — just a little louder. At least, that's how Kelsey Smith describes her life as a U.S. Navy officer and dentist aboard the USS Carl Vinson. For two years, Smith left her Washington State roots and university life behind for the tight quarters and constant motion of life at sea. 'I shared a bathroom with other women and bunk beds with my best friend. It was kind of like college, but with jet engines overhead,' she tells PEOPLE exclusively over Zoom. Smith's journey to the high seas began with a simple dream: to become a dentist. Growing up in Washington, she developed a passion for science and a desire to help others. After high school, she attended Gonzaga University, where she discovered a unique opportunity: a U.S. Navy scholarship that covers dental school tuition and provides a living stipend. If accepted, graduates join the Navy as commissioned officers and commit to serving at least two years on active duty, or one year of service for every year of scholarship support. While in undergrad, Smith applied to the program, was accepted and enrolled at the University of Washington's dental school in Seattle. After finishing dental school, Smith attended Officer Development School, where she was sworn into active duty as an officer and learned all about the Navy. She was then stationed in San Diego to complete a one-year residency in general dentistry. Following that, Smith, 26 at the time, was assigned to the USS Carl Vinson — a massive aircraft carrier that doubles as a floating city. The flight deck — where aircraft take off — is about 4.5 acres, and when the ship is full, there are about 5,000 people on board. 'What was going through my mind is, I'm going to get lost because it's just a metal box —everything looks the same,' she says, recalling her first time on the ship. 'The hallways, everything's metal, and you can't see outside or windows. So it's like you don't know what's left and right. It is a maze.' "But it is pretty crazy," she adds. "Every day I would go — if we weren't out at sea — just thinking, 'This is my office.' You're parking your car and walking up, and you're like, 'Whoa, this is big.' ' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. At first, the ship was docked in Coronado, Calif., so Smith could live at home and commute to work. But after a while, the USS Carl Vinson began heading out for 'underways,' which she describes as training missions lasting from a week to a month, designed to keep the crew and ship ready for deployment. Not long after, the ship deployed into the waters. While at sea, Smith's days followed a steady rhythm. She'd wake up at 6:30 a.m. in her bunk, get dressed in her uniform, put her hair up and head upstairs to breakfast, where the food was already prepared. The best part? She didn't have to do the dishes. From there, she'd walk down a narrow hallway known as the P-Way, or passageway, to the dental offices. Each morning began with a team meeting to make sure everyone was aligned for the day ahead. 'We'd start at 7:30 a.m. or 8 a.m. and see patients for a full eight hours,' Smith says. 'Sometimes, probably a few times a week, we'd have night clinic from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. because those are the hours when people are just waking up for their shifts. The ship runs 24/7, so there are night workers who need dental care. So we'd keep the clinic open at night. And when we were out at sea, we worked six days a week, including Saturdays.' "Every day, even when I wasn't working, I'd walk by my patients and they'd say, 'Oh, hi.' They'd talk about their tooth or something," she adds. "I really don't remember faces. I just remember teeth.' Aside from work, some of Smith's most memorable moments came during port calls and traveling to places she'd never been to before, including South Korea, the Philippines and Singapore, to name a few. While at sea, she also ran her first 5K race on the ship, fired a .50 caliber gun off the back, hosted a college basketball game — where she got to see Gonzaga, her alma mater, play Michigan State — and helped with burials at sea. Another highlight was celebrating holidays on board the ship, including a 'crossing the equator' ceremony held on Christmas Day that began before sunrise. 'We crossed the equator, and we do a ceremony — that's where it's called you become a Shellback,' she explains. 'Before that, you're a 'Pollywog,' and then when you cross the equator, they do this ceremony where you become a Shellback." "You kind of have to go through this whole process … they slime you and make you do silly things,' she adds. "There's King Neptune, they have him over the loudspeaker, and they're dressed up. There was Neptune's throne and everyone is dressed up, and you have to go through this whole course. Then you get to the end — and you're a Shellback. That was really fun to do.' But despite all the fun moments, life at sea came with logistical curveballs and challenges. For two years, Smith, now 30, navigated living away from her family — including her boyfriend, now husband— for extended periods. Although there was WiFi on the ship, it wasn't always reliable. Smith also lived below deck, so she'd only go outside about once a month. Despite there being little peepholes where you could see the sun below deck, they were still covered, so it wasn't the same as stepping outside. 'I would kind of go see where I worked out — in an area where you could see outside, but you're not getting sun on you," she says. "You can see the ocean. That makes sense because they're doing a lot of drills flying jets and maintenance on the top. You can't actually go to the flight deck unless they allow you or call all hands.' For Smith, another hurdle was dealing with unpredictable supply logistics. While she and the other dentists onboard didn't perform major surgeries, their scope of care was broad, so having a wide range of supplies for exams, fillings and crowns was necessary. But often, they'd run out of things. 'You order it, and maybe you're not going to get it,' Smith says, recalling supply issues. 'The stuff goes to where you say you're going to go. The ship's like, 'Yeah, we're going to South Korea,' and your ship's heading there but then decides to change course. So now your stuff's in a completely different country.' "But I never felt like it completely limited our abilities," she adds. "I like to say that dentistry is very ... you can make things work.' After completing her two-year deployment last October, Smith was stationed in Naples, Italy, where she will serve as a Navy dentist for the next three years. This is her final duty station for her commitment, after which she'll decide whether to continue in the Navy or pursue dentistry elsewhere. Since arriving in Italy, Smith has been sharing her experiences online, posting videos about life as a Navy dentist. She wanted to shine a light on the scholarship program and Navy dental careers — topics she says many people know little about. What started as a way to inform quickly went viral: one video alone has garnered more than 7 million views and nearly 5,000 comments. "This is so interesting! My daughter LOVES the military and also wants to be a dentist so I'm going to show her your TikToks!! 🤍" one mom writes. Another viewer adds, "It's cool that you can go into the military to be a dentist." Someone else notes, "This video and others like it are a great way to give this kind of career more exposure." Smith says, "I had a mix of people who didn't even know that was a job on an aircraft carrier, to folks in the Navy saying, 'Oh, that's an officer life,' or sharing their own thoughts. It was pretty intense how much it caught on. But now, I'm motivated more than ever to keep sharing my Navy career journey.' 'I just want to inspire people and give them information, because most don't have it,' the dentist adds. Looking ahead, Smith is ready for whatever comes next — whether that means more time in uniform or a new chapter beyond the Navy. One thing is clear: she's learned to meet every challenge, from navigating the complexities of life at sea to navigating the unexpected spotlight of viral videos, with resilience and a smile. 'The best part,' she reflects, 'was that while my friends were anxious about interviews and next steps, I already knew where I was headed for the next four or five years — the Navy. That security was invaluable. Now, it's time to put on my big girl pants and figure out what's next.' Read the original article on People
CNET
24-06-2025
- CNET
Fatty15 is Backed by Exciting New Scientific Research on Longevity
If you want to feel better, look healthier and live longer, supplements may be part of your daily wellness routine. But it's rare to find a longevity supplement that's backed by peer-reviewed scientific research. Fatty15 is the world's first supplement containing pure, patented and bioavailable C15:0. This "longevity nutrient" is the first essential fatty acid to be discovered in over 90 years, and it's been clinically proven over a decade of research to strengthen cells—that means potential benefits ranging from healthier aging and improved lab results to deeper sleep and better energy. Science-backed longevity support Fatty15 works by strengthening and protecting your body's 30 trillion cells against lipid peroxidation, which degrades the cell membrane over time. C15:0's cell-armoring process slows down cellular aging—and it's the source of Fatty15's potential to slow age-related breakdown, boost longevity and support long-term health. Fatty15 was developed by a team of scientists led by co-founder Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson in collaboration with the U.S. Navy. While researching ways to improve the health and lifespan of Navy dolphins, she discovered C15:0, a naturally occurring essential fat found in milk, cheese and fatty fish. Fatty15 Since it was first reported in 2020, C15:0's ability to slow biological aging has been validated by peer-reviewed studies. Dr. Venn-Watson co-founded Fatty15 to bring this discovery's potential to extend life and health to the public. She shares the story behind these findings in her recently released Simon & Schuster book, The Longevity Nutrient: The Unexpected Fat That Holds the Key to Healthy Aging. Results you can see and feel It's one thing to get results in a lab, but it's another to experience those benefits in real life. After all, you don't just want to live longer—you want to stay healthy, feel good and look youthful while you're at it. The everyday benefits of Fatty15 may extend far beyond longevity support. In a survey of 2,446 Fatty15 customers, 72% of users felt changes like deeper sleep, calmer mood and better-balanced energy within 16 weeks. Users also reported improved joint comfort and visible effects like healthier-looking hair and skin within this period. Because it's been clinically proven to raise C15:0 levels, Fatty15 may also result in better health overall. Users have reported better blood test results, including improved biomarkers like hemoglobin levels, metabolic health and red blood cell health—all of which may indicate slower rates of biological aging. Higher C15:0 levels may also lead to other long-term health benefits, including lower LDL cholesterol, a stronger gut microbiome and improved liver function. Safe, effective and award-winning Fatty15 isn't the only longevity supplement out there, but it does seem to be the most effective. In a peer-reviewed study, the active ingredient in Fatty15 matched or outperformed three other potential longevity-boosting compounds in more than 36 areas of cellular activity. This means that C15:0's anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial properties may even target accelerated age-related breakdown related to metabolic, heart, immune and liver health—which studies show have been rising in young people in recent years. This essential fatty acid even outperformed a leading Omega-3 fatty acid in one peer-reviewed research study, which found C15:0 to be safer and more broadly effective. fatty15 Research also shows that taking Fatty15 may carry lower risks than some other longevity supplements. Clinical trials found no side effects and no safety concerns for long-term use, unlike other cell-supporting compounds like rapamycin. And because C15:0 isn't limited by genetic differences, it's possible that the benefits extend to everyone. Even better, each small, daily capsule of Fatty15 is vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free and allergen-free, and every batch is tested by a third party to ensure its purity. The possibilities of Fatty15 aren't just backed up by clinical research. The product has more than 5,000 positive reviews from satisfied customers, and it received the Mindful Award in 2025 for Best Overall Supplement. Experience the possibilities of Fatty15 Ready to try Fatty15 and experience the potential of pure C15:0? Save 20% when you subscribe to a 90-day supply of this award-winning longevity supplement and start strengthening your cells today.
