- LT Victor L. Ruterbusch, MD
- Diving Medical Officer
Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU)
Dr. Ruterbusch has served as an Undersea Medical Officer (UMO) and Biomedical Researcher at the Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU) since December 2002. During that time, he has excelled as a diving medicine subject matter expert, frequently lecturing on diving medicine and recompression therapy at NDSTC in Panama City, Florida, and abroad, at the Partnership for Peace (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Ukraine) in Talin, Estonia (September 2004). His many diving research projects at NEDU have included a novel approach for divers “locking–out” of the Advanced SEAL delivery system (ASDS) from 60 fsw utilizing the MK 25 UBA and a seminal work evaluating diver thermal status as a risk factor for decompression sickness (DCS). Dr. Ruterbusch says that he “has stood on the shoulders of giants”, advancing work in thermal DCS already established by many talented scientists to include Dr. Edwin Long and Dr. Wayne Gerth of NEDU. Dr. Ruterbusch firmly believes in the “team approach” to diving research. Among those he credits most are: Dr Wayne Gerth, who has been his constant mentor over the past 3 years, CAPT Charles (Chip) Auker of ONR who has funded most of this important research, CAPT Jim Wilkins NAVSEA/OOC, CAPT John Murray, CAPT Pat Keenan, and CAPT David Southerland. Most of all, Dr Ruterbusch owes a huge debt of gratitude to the U.S. Navy divers at NEDU who have selflessly volunteered to supervise and participate in these demanding research protocols, even in the face of substantial physical risk. (22 U.S. Navy divers suffered varying degrees of DCS during his research, which was lightheartedly referred to as the “cold pretzel” in deference to the large number of divers bent during the cold decompression portion of the thermal study.) The impressive results of the thermal DCS research is being submitted to a peer review journal for publication and is also being transitioned to the fleet.
Dr. Ruterbusch has also conducted non–diving research at NEDU. His NEDU Technical Report, “The Evaluation of Self–Applied Tourniquets for Combat Applications” conducted for MARCORSYSCOM exceeded the sponsor’s expectations and has provided the template for all future military tourniquet testing and will directly influence final acquisition decisions for fielding of new tourniquets deployed with U.S. ground forces. He has presented his wide–ranging research results at numerous U.S. and international conferences to include: the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS), the U.S. Navy Working Divers Conference, Navy Environmental Health Conference (NEHC), the Advanced Technical Applications for Combat Casualty Care (ATACCC), and several ONR/NAVSEA/BUMED program reviews.
LT Ruterbusch has been a U.S. Navy diver since 1993. He was a diving medical technician (DMT) aboard the USS Grasp and earned the Navy Achievement Medal for his contributions to the recovery of human remains following the TWA flight 800 disaster. During his tenure at NEDU, he has participated as a diver test subject in nearly every diving protocol undertaken, including a 1000 fsw saturation dive. He has also served as the Institutional Review Board (IRB) chair, responsible for the safety of all experimental diving operations at NEDU, and the protection of all human subjects for the past 3 years.
Before joining the Navy, LT Ruterbusch attended Princeton University, where he majored in Physiological Psychology and competed as an All–Ivy Heavyweight wrestler and linebacker in football. He led the Princeton football team in tackles 3 of 4 years and was selected as team captain (and All–American honorable mention) in 1982. After leaving Princeton in 1983, LT Ruterbusch worked as a high school English teacher and coach in Tempe, AZ. He also worked briefly for Michigan National Bank before entering the Navy in pursuit of a Medical School scholarship. Although his medical school application was rejected seven straight years, he continued to apply and eventually gained acceptance to Wayne State University Medical School in Detroit, Michigan on the Navy Health Professional Scholarship Program (HPSP), graduating in June of 2001. He then went on to complete a Transitional Internship at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, and has just been selected to attend Psychiatry residency training at Naval Medical Center San Diego beginning in July 2006.
Dr. Ruterbusch grew up in Linwood Beach, Michigan, the second of 3 sons. His parents were both high school teachers (now retired in Bentley, Michigan) and they encouraged him to pursue not only academics, but athletics, art and music. His wife Robyne is an electrical engineer with a degree from Auburn University, and together they are enjoying the challenges of raising their 2–year–old daughter, Hanna.
