A Small-World Connection: USU Link Emerges in Care Following Serious California Accident

April 23, 2026 by Sharon Holland

Sometimes, even in the most unexpected moments, connections surface that make the world feel a little smaller.

On April 16, a nearly head-on collision on a highway outside Sacramento, California sent Dr. June Ruse rushing to the Sutter Roseville Medical Center trauma bay. A contract psychologist at Beale Air Force Base, Ruse supports service members and their families in addressing the emotional and psychological challenges associated with military service. This time, however, she found herself on the receiving end of care-arriving by ambulance as a patient in a large civilian healthcare system.

In an unexpected turn, the incident revealed a connection to the Uniformed Services University (USU) community. Ruse is the sister of USU interim Vice President for Research Dr. Laura Brosch.

Medical staff immediately evaluated Ruse upon arrival, and she experienced a sudden role reversal as she transitioned from clinician to patient in acute trauma care.

Across the country, Brosch was notified of the accident and began seeking information about the facility treating her sister. She reached out to her friend, Dr. John Holcomb, a retired Army trauma surgeon and USU Department of Surgery national faculty member. Holcomb, widely regarded as one of the nation's leading trauma experts, reviewed the Sutter Roseville staff directory and immediately recognized the name of the department chair overseeing the trauma unit: Dr. Jon Perlstein.

Holcomb relayed this connection to Brosch, who promptly relayed the reassuring news to her sister. He also offered to consult directly with the attending medical team. After Brosch provided his contact information to the Sutter Roseville nursing staff, with Ruse's permission, a second-year resident contacted Holcomb to review the technical details of Ruse's injuries and discuss the plan of care.

During Saturday morning rounds, Perlstein formally met his new patient. By that point, Ruse already understood his background through information shared by her sister. She also described her own military connections, including her work with the Air Force, her sister's role at USU, and the recent consultation with Holcomb.

Perlstein graduated from the USU School of Medicine in 1994. He brought decades of military medical experience to Ruse's care as a former U.S. Air Force officer. After leaving the university, he completed his surgical residency at David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, California, followed by a fellowship in surgical critical care, building a career centered on trauma care, critical care medicine, and surgical leadership.

Under Perlstein's watchful eye, Ruse was treated and later discharged to continue her recovery at home.

This chance "six degrees of separation" encounter in a California hospital reflects a broader reality of the military medical network. USU alumni deploy globally, forming a wide-reaching safety net. They serve in combat zones, federal facilities, and civilian trauma centers, carrying the training and instincts of military medicine into every patient encounter.

"It is always a privilege to care for members of our military family," said Perlstein. "I am deeply grateful for the world-class education and strong foundation for my career that I received at USU, and I am equally as proud to serve as a member of the faculty at my alma mater."

For Brosch, the experience carried a personal resonance.

"It was great to know she was in the capable hands of a member of the USU trauma care family-military medicine touches our lives in unexpected personal ways," she noted.

In the end, what began as a frightening and uncertain situation became a reminder of the strength and reach of a shared professional community-and how, even within a vast healthcare system, it can still feel like a small world.