Lieutenant Jossen Kassus
Name Jossen Kassus MD
Position Medical Officer
Rank Lieutenant
Character Information
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | Vulcan/Romulan | |
| Age | 76 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 6'2" | |
| Weight | 175 lbs | |
| Hair Color | Black | |
| Eye Color | Blue | |
| Physical Description | Jossen stands at a commanding six foot two and weighs 175 lbs. He’s face is both firm and gentle, and upon looking into his striking blue eyes one usually finds peace. Like the typical Vulcan his ears are elongated, and many of his biological functions are Vulcan. He is physically fit and follows a rigorous workout regimen to maintain his physique. On his back is a tattoo of the Vulcan symbol and under it written Vulcan is T'Plana-Hath’s creed that “Logic is the cement of our civilization, with which we ascend from chaos using reason as our guide. |
Family
| Spouse | Fiona Maria Montessori (50) | |
| Children | Son: Sorahl Giovanni Montessori (21) Daughter: Asil Adelina Montessori (4) |
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| Father | D'deridex Kassus (100) | |
| Mother | T'Les (133) | |
| Brother(s) | Sorel Kassus (68) Teverek Kassus (60) | |
| Sister(s) | ||
| Other Family |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | Jossen tends to compartmentalize things in his mind and views the world through an analytical lens. As a result, he is rational, practical and adaptable. Like most Vulcans Jossen has a talent in science, linguistics and mathematics but prefers the social sciences. Additionally Jossen’s other talents include design and research. Jossen is a perfectionist and in whatever he does, he needs to do it thoroughly. Intelligence, modesty and diplomacy enable Jossen to get along well with most people, although he likes to spend time alone in meditation. Jossen can be critical of others and incredibly hard on himself. As a result, he can be relied on to keep his promises and fulfill his obligations, and has little tolerance for those who cannot. He is very cool under pressure and thus is great to have around in a crisis. Jossen has a strong desire to serve a good cause, and for this he will labor intensively, even for little reward. Jossen is willing and able to take on a difficult job. He possesses a lot of endurance and under the most traumatic of circumstances he can remain calm, cool and collected. His intellectual detachment prevents emotions from shaping actions, which usually keeps fights and destructive impulses to a minimum. However, this exceptional self control can make Jossen appear cold and this perception is exacerbated because he tends not to show emotion or express his feelings openly, in spite of only being half Vulcan. |
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| Strengths & Weaknesses | As a Vulcan Jossen is always calm under pressure which has made him an excellent surgeon and in turn able to handle most crises’ without much trepidation or fear. His bedside-manner can be lacking at times but he cares deeply for his patience and can at times be dogmatic in his protection of them. For a Vulcan he can be outspoken and willing to jeopardize his own social standing and career for what he views as the greater good. |
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| Ambitions | ||
| Hobbies & Interests |
| Personal History | Jossen Kassus was born on September 12th, 2321 to T’Les, a Vulcan diplomat, working as a negotiator-at-large on behalf of the United Federation of Planets and D’deridex Kassus, a Romulan ex-pat and medical researcher. Their coupling was not approved of by T’Les’ parents but they nevertheless accepted their grandchildren into their lives and raised Jossen as if he was their own. Owing to his status as a refugee following the Tomed Incident in 2311, D’deridex struggled to find secure work and developed a deep depression and instead spent more time drinking Romulan ale, so for most of Jossen’s adolescent life his forefather, S’rel, acted as his surrogate father. He spent his childhood in Raal on his family’s ancestral compound just adjacent to the Na’ree River, unlike the rest of Vulcan Raal was rich with greenery and faun and as a child he would travel with his forefather to the Voroth Sea to observe the bioluminescent whales when they breached the water at night. Jossen was tutored by their family priest, Voss, and excelled in his studies. He spoke with his mother nearly every day and while his father rehabilitated himself, he spoke to him once or twice a month and this pattern continued until Jossen was about six-years old. The birth of his younger brother meant that his parents had finally reconciled and he was asked if he wanted to live with his parents but Jossen opted to remain with his foreparents. The rest of his upbringing was kept in line with that of a traditional Vulcan child with moments of reprieve whenever his family visited, which was relatively frequent, eventually his mother and father settled in ShiKHar but Jossen remained in Raal. From his foreparents he learned the Vulcan tradition and became a skilled student, in his moments with his father he learned the humility and compassion that Vulcans so often lacked. Until his sixteenth birthday, Jossen would follow a traditional path after completing the Kahs-wan ritual; however, Jossen began to live more independently, choosing to see more of the Federation with his mother and father. In the year he traveled with his parents he traveled aboard two starships, the USS Bon Venture, an excelsior class vessel, and the USS Griffith, an aging centaur class vessel. Jossen developed an appreciation for both Starfleet and the diplomatic process, moreover, he got his first exposure to his father’s latent genius. Despite his bout with alcoholism D'deridex maintained a keen analytical mind which made him a brilliant medical researcher, with his area of expertise being in immunology and public health. Once he found sobriety his father became a consultant to Federation colony worlds battling pandemics. Six months into their stay aboard the Bon Venture, his parents were assigned to support the ship and its crew in their efforts to provide relief to Turkana IV, a failing Human colony on the brink of societal collapse. He watched his parents as they worked tirelessly, his father providing medical support to the residents of Turkana City, and his mother trying to negotiate a peace treaty to keep the government intact. The needs of Turkana IV were overwhelming and Starfleet was forced to pull-out, but the experience left an enduring impact on Jossen’s life. The rest of his sojourn was far less eventful but he used the rest of the time to prepare his application to the Vulcan Science Academy, although it was not required, Jossen submitted a personal essay about his experiences on Turkana IV. The essay entitled “A Society Collapse”, was less a critique on humanity and more a manifesto for Jossen’s belief that in order for a society to function it requires not only a logical system of beliefs or ideology but also a healthy populace to ensure that said society endures. For Jossen both science and social development were intertwined and his essay was the basis for the field of study he developed called Health, Society & Social Policy at the Vulcan Science Academy. Unlike other students who chose a tract, Jossen worked closely with instructors to develop a study of the science of public health and its role in the creation of societies. In essence he sought to create a biomedical map for developing a healthy society, an audacious undertaking, Jossen began his studies in 2338 and graduated from the VSA in 2343. As a student in the VSA Jossen studied biological and biomedical science, biophysics, bioarchaeology, environmental sciences, history, philosophy, virology, immunology, and engineering. During his studies he traveled extensively and completed most of his practical studies remotely and was even mentored by his father and for a time considered pursuing bioarchaeology professionally. His studies would occasionally take him to Earth where he studied at Starfleet Medical for a semester, and following his graduation from the VSA Jossen applied for and was subsequently accepted into Harvard Medical Schools Masters program where studied Clinical Service Operations and Clinical Investigations, earning a Masters of Science in both. In Clinical Service Operations Jossen was taught how to become an effective administrator of medical services, learning the ins and outs of optimizing the hospital experience for patients, and in Clinical Investigations Jossen refined his research skills and strengthened his knowledge in epidemiology. During his time living in Cambridge, MA Jossen began to work on his application to Starfleet Medical Academy. Upon graduation from Harvard Medical School in 2347, Jossen was admitted into the class of 2347 as a candidate for the MD/PhD program. As an MD student Jossen decided to follow Starfleet Medical Academy’s Health Sciences and Technology tract which would allow him to focus on medical research and biomedical engineering and earned his PhD in Population Health Sciences with a focus in Social and Behavioral Sciences. The Health Science and Technology tract had a number of core-courses that pushed students to their limits, even for a Vulcan the workload proved to be a challenge but Jossen would make a number of acquaintances that would make the work bearable. Jossen led his year in immunology, molecular medicine, and biochemistry and fared well in others including epidemiology and psychiatry. As for his medical research, Jossen was interested in developing medical models for terraforming, in essence continuing his research from the VSA; he relished the opportunity to watch a world be created from a biomedical standpoint. In his fourth year he completed his clinical trial at the L.H. McCoy Starfleet Medical Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia where he was an intern studying Internal Medicine and General Surgery. Jossen initially had not given much thought to becoming a practicing clinician and thought becoming a medical scientist seemed more apt, however, his internship changed his opinion entirely. Although well read Jossen initially lacked the acument for actual patient-treatment and in lieu of pursuing clinical research that would propel his career Jossen opted to extend his internship. After his graduation in 2355 Jossen was offered a spot in McCoy Hospital’s residency program, which he did not hesitate to accept. Although Vulcans cannot feel joy, Jossen appreciated the time he spent learning to be a clinician. His matter-of-fact way of delivering news often rubbed his human patients and peers the wrong way but they learned to accept that it was just the Vulcan way of doing things; to Jossen’s credit however, he learned how to emulate a southern accent and found a way to sound-less emotionless to his patients. Jossen’s analytical skills were nearly unmatched, allowing him to quickly diagnose patients and develop into a talented surgeon. As a resident he was being groomed by nearly every surgical expert in the hopes they could claim him as their protege, instead he chose to remain a resident in internal medicine and general surgery in order to become more versed in a multitude of practices. By 2357 Jossen was selected to become the Chief Resident for Medical & Surgical interns, overseeing the training of future Starfleet medical officers, much like his mentor, Dr. Eliana Sloan, had done for him. As a teacher Jossen was stern but always taught by example, he rarely chided his students for their mistakes and instead used everything as a teachable moment. In 2359 he was elevated to attending physician but eight months into his promotion, by order of Starfleet Medical, he was immediately reassigned to the USS Phlox, an aging Constellation class ship that was converted into a hospital ship. His training in biomedical engineering and public health is ultimately what led to his prompt reassignment as the Phlox was part of an emergency mission to provide medical support to Bajoran refugee colonies. Aside from his expertise as a physician and surgeon, Jossen also functioned as medical technician and was an essential part of the engineering team responsible for converting the Phlox’s computer systems for medical purposes. While en route to the colony world Jossen and the engineering team quite literally built new sickbays from scratch, picking up their supplies along the way via Federation outposts and freighter ships. By the time the USS Phlox arrived at Valo II it was fully equipped and prepared to render support to the refugees;who were being ravaged by plague, famine, and malnutrition. Jossen was tasked with supporting pediatrics and getriatric patients, the colony’s most vulnerable populace, his work ranged from treating flus and infections to removing cancerous growths or mending a broken arm or leg. On Valo II Jossen became interested in establishing a sustainable triage clinic, Valo II had all the necessary requirements for establishing a long term out-post, and Jossen posited that if permanent medical facilities are established throughout the planet it would inevitably lead to a healthy workforce capable of supporting future farming and terraforming efforts. Jossen spent nearly two years as a junior medical and surgical officer aboard the Phlox but on Valo II he led the efforts to establish triage clinics and medical centers, even going so far as to train former Vedics and other refugees as nurses and medical technicians, he also learned which of the planets natural flora provided medical treatment. Starfleet Medical deemed the Phlox’s mission a success and redirected their efforts to providing aid to Federation colonies in the newly created Demilitarized Zone. Based on Jossen’s calculations Valo II was far from where it needed to be to ensure sustainability and in spite of his protests he was forced to abandon his work, but still maintained a close connection with the refugees and continued to offer medical advice via long-range comm-link. Despite being promoted to Asst. Chief of Medicine & Surgery, he still felt dissatisfied with the decision to effectively abandon Valo II. In 2365 when presented with the prospect to collaborate with the Vulcan Science Academy to develop a new colony he quickly accepted. The joint effort was led by the Federation Science Council, Jossen was assigned as both the liaison officer for Starfleet Medical and the Chief Medical Researcher. For his part Jossen directed the efforts to determine which flaura should be grown on the planet in order to produce medicine that would easily treat common ailments among the many members of the UFP. In addition Jossen helped to design and construct the Josephine Bonaparte Starfleet Medical Hospital. By 2370 the work of terraforming the colony was completed and colonists were encouraged to establish homes on Outpost Bonaparte, and Jossen was made the Chief of Internal Medicine and General Surgery of the newly built hospital, becoming the de-facto administrator for the facility. Having learned how to effectively manage hospital operations and curate a positive experience for patients, the hospital quickly became a notarized facility in the region, eventually receiving patients from other Federation worlds. As the Chief of Internal Medicine & General Surgery Jossen also initiated the efforts to make it a teaching hospital offering a myriad of certification programs to the general public. In addition, he was keen to recruit and retain young physicians that he could mold into his ideal medical staff, one that approached medicine both clinically and holistically, forcing doctors to apply a cradle-to-the-grave approach to ensuring public health was maintained. He chided doctors who simply wanted to find a quick solution or who only sought to establish names for themselves, believing that no matter how brilliant the physician, ego should never dictate why physicians work. Within the Starfleet Medical circle he was considered a maverick but was a leading expert in the field of Public Health, Emergency Medicine, Epidemiology, and General Surgery. Although less highlighted than his research Jossen was a prodigious surgeon, although tract for general surgery Jossen was well versed in cardiothoracic, neuro, trauma, and oncological surgery. Early in his career he received notoriety for performing open-heart surgery on a ranking-Admiral in the middle of an active combat zone while serving aboard the Phlox, it was said he worked so quickly that his hand motions were a blur. His superior officers frequently expressed frustration with what appeared to be a lack of ambition, despite being highly awarded and the publisher of numerous research papers, he turned down every major posting at Starfleet Medical. However, Jossen was content with simply doing what was sustainable and ensured longevity, earning him respect from Starfleet medical officers who served on the frontlines during the Dominion War. When Jossen was pulled from Outpost Bonaparte to serve as a medical officer with Starfleet Medical’s Search and Rescue Team he did not protest. His unique medical expertise made him an essential war-time doctor and a vital member of the SAR Team, often doubling as medical technician and an emerging leader in developing new methods of triage to account for the Dominion’s preference for polaron weapons. Owing to his experience Jossen was placed in charge of his own twenty-person SAR group, consisting of medical, security, and marines fresh out of the Academy. Jossen traveled extensively throughout the frontlines and even participated in several key battles including the Second Battle of Vulcanis (2374), the Battle of Rigel (2375), the Siege of AR-558, and the Battle of Cardassia Prime. Jossen’s SAR Team, aptly named; the Angels of Mercy, were well regarded throughout the war for their efforts to render aid to both allies and enemies alike, save for the Jem’Hadar soldiers and Vorta. Whether his staff were trained physicians or not, Jossen, taught everyone basic triage and medical maintenance skills so that even without his direction they could focus on their primary function, rescuing survivors after they have been found. Although he was not a formally trained tactician or security officer Jossen proved to be an able combatant and was awarded for his services. Despite being Vulcan the war and the amount of death Jossen witnessed was too much even for him, his silver lining would come in the form of the woman who became his first wife, Fiona, a human nurse who volunteered to support Starfleet’s war efforts. Following the war’s conclusion in 2375 Jossen took an extended leave of duty from active-service in order to focus on starting his family. The leave only lasted a year before Jossen applied for and subsequently gained acceptance into the Interspecies Medical Exchange, where he was assigned to the Federation embassy as a Medical Advisor, and helped to coordinate the Cardassian Reconstruction effort. His expertise in public health was tapped on extensively by the joint effort to restore Cardassia. Unlike many in the Federation, who allowed their emotions to cloud their judgement, Jossen could entirely commit to the Cardassian effort, and would frequently chide his superiors when they told him his requests were too gracious to a people who turned their backs on the entire quadrant, to which Jossen always asked rhetorically if the UFP and Starfleet sought revenge or justice, embarrassing Starfleet Admiralty and Federation dignitaries alike. While stationed on Cardassia Prime Jossen lived in the Coranum Sector, an aged neighborhood in Cardassia City, just a short walk away from the Central Hospital of Cardassia. In his capacity as Medical Advisor, Jossen also saw patients on a regular basis just so he could get a better sense of what the true scale of damage to the Cardassian infrastructure was. Disease ran rampant through the Cardassian Homeworld and their colony planets, and in Jossen’s assessment the entire Union would collapse in less than a generation if the right resource distribution did not take place immediately. As much as Jossen wished to continue to practice practical medicine his role on Cardassia took him further and further away, however, it did establish him as something of a burgeoning diplomat. Jossen traveled extensively between Bajor, Cardassia, and other neighboring systems in his efforts to negotiate on Cardassia’s behalf, although guided entirely by logic and medical science, Jossen gained attention for being a passionate and convincing orator. In addition to his public speaking, Jossen also published a number of papers during this time that explored the evolution of medical science and public health post the Dominion War, likening the mobilization effort to Earth’s second world war and a necessary one if the galactic powers are too endure. By 2378 Jossen in collaboration with the VSA, the Federation Science Council, and the Cardassian Science Consortium proposed an audacious terraforming effort which, if completed, would be a home for refugees of the war. In 2379 Jossen left his posting as Medical Advisor to become the Chief Medical Researcher for Terra VI, the proposed name for the planet. Jossen chose to purchase the home he lived in while on Cardassia so that his wife and young son could have a stable environment to thrive in while Jossen worked on Terra VI, using the weekends to travel back to Cardassia and spend time with his family. The project was off to a great start before Jossen was pulled off the project by Starfleet Medical in order to become the Chief Medical Officer/Chief of Emergency Medicine aboard the USS Grace, a refitted Olympic class hospital ship. The circumstances of his rushed reassignment troubled Jossen as neither Starfleet Medical nor his contacts were quick to share information, but the Grace was one of several ships being prepped for a mass humanitarian effort. The Grace spent a year in drydock for its retrofit, during which time Jossen oversaw the upgrades to the emergency units throughout the vessel. In 2381 the Grace along with the humanitarian armada was launched, with their coordinates being set toward Romulan space. Upon arrival at the neutral zone, Grace’s first assignment was to establish emergency units on class-m or near class-m moons in the region. When news of the destruction of the Romulan homeworld spread, Jossen's mission became clear, to prevent as much loss of life as possible. The USS Grace's mission was changed from setting up hospitals to emergency response throughout the rest of the late 2380s, with Jossen’s role becoming essential to the ship’s humanitarian efforts. His expertise in public health administration led to his taking on the role of Chief Strategic Operations Officer so that he could co-coordinate efforts with CMOs throughout the humanitarian fleet, peaking his interest in seeking further command opportunities. Despite being enlisted in Starfleet for thirty-five years Jossen never pursued the bridge officer certification examination but he finally passed, six months into his promotion to Chief of Strategic Operations. Jossen appreciated the dual roles he took on and in 2385 he was elevated to the role of Chief of Public Health Administration at Starfleet Medical to provide further support to the humanitarian efforts of the Romulans. A practiced physician and expert in efficient patient care, Jossen used the role to help streamline the treatment experience to make the effort both cost efficient and to increase the number of patients successfully treated. Radiation poisoning and malnutrition were just some of the issues plaguing the Romulan refugees and where Jossen focused most of his attention, although he had a wide reach he felt stifled by not being in the field and seeing for himself what the refugees needed. Instead he became a consummate bureaucrat, negotiating with his colleagues day in and out. When the decision was made to abruptly cease rendering support to the Romulans following the attack on Mars, Jossen protested, maintaining the stance he held when supporting the Cardassian reconstruction efforts. When his protests were met with silence by many of his peers Jossen resigned from Starfleet and took the cause to the Vulcan Science Council. Though there were some who failed to see the logic in Jossen’s requests he found a sympathetic ally on the Council who donated a refitted T’Karath class ship which Jossen renamed the S.S. Rok - the Vulcan word for hope. His wife and child joined him aboard as did many of his peers who felt like he did. After his foreparents died Jossen inherited their lands and any wealth tied to them, which he used to help fund his venture, however, he found that he would receive many donations from sympathetic allies who had to remain silent. When the Rok was fully stocked Jossen departed Vulcan and began working with refugee camps throughout Romulan space, no fool to reality, the Rok was well armed and heavily shielded to protect itself from privateers. Although Jossen knew of his Romulan heritage he never embraced it, but when his father joined him aboard the Rok he began to learn more and discovered there were commonalities between their embrace of emotion and Vulcan logic. Parting from Starfleet was not easy but it was necessary and even helped Jossen to strengthen his bond to his wife and child. Due to his work he gained both allies and enemies alike but found that he earned the support of the Fenris Rangers and struck a deal with them to provide aid to any Ranger in need and in return they would provide protection and supplies. On occasion Jossen ran afoul of rogue Tal-Shiar agents trying to establish themselves as warlords but with the support of the Rangers they were able to push a few back. His doctors-without-borders approach caught the attention of Starfleet Security so much that they issued him a formal warning if he continued to support the Rangers, who they viewed as extremists. Nevertheless, Jossen pressed on supporting Romulan refugees and expanded his operations to other worlds in need. While he was the de-facto leader he never took on the title of Captain and preferred to continue to practice medicine, ensuring that even in his time away from Starfleet Medical he continued to hone his skills as a physician. His time aboard the Rok felt far more rewarding than any role he had taken on till this point. His opposition to both the UFP and the Vulcan Confederacy’s stance on Romulan support earned him the reputation of being something of a maverick, especially by Vulcan standards but in earnest Jossen was merely just a doctor who did not believe in accepting loss of life when it could be avoided, to do so was illogical in its own right. His work earned him numerous humanitarian awards and in turn he used any monies donated to establish a network of freelance hospital ships. He never ceased in his criticisms of Starfleet’s admiralty and their inability to think beyond the immediate, often citing that no matter how large the military might it cannot function without a healthy populace to support it, especially in light of the ban of synthetic lifeforms. In 2395 his prediction came to fruition when Turkana IV, which had only recently recovered from its political struggles began to experience a plague. The Federation's commitment to bringing Turkana IV into its fold precipitated Starfleet Command’s decision to re-enlist Jossen via a seldom used reserve activation clause. It seemed fitting that Jossen’s Starfleet career would be revitalized in the place that inspired him to begin with. As part of his negotiation with Starfleet Medical over his role on Turkana IV, Jossen had complete administrative control over Turkana IV’s relief effort, utilizing the first month of his time to appropriately diagnose the symptoms and then identify how the disease was being spread. Inhabitants of Turkana IV were experiencing symptoms akin to mild radiation poisoning, although there were no detectable leaks to be found, ultimately Jossen discovered that dilithium waste had found its way into the planets main water source rather than use the opportunity to berate Starfleet for its lack of care, Jossen used the opportunity to work with Starfleet Corps of Engineers to design a new filtration system. Once he got a better sense of what was causing sickness Jossen quickly worked on a treatment regimen and was able to focus on treating the colony's inhabitants. When offered the opportunity to formally reenlist Jossen took it and continued to lead the relief effort on Turkana IV, in early 2396 the colony showed a stark improvement and Jossen began to teach and train civilian and Starfleet medical officers so as to establish a permanent medical hospital. |
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| Service Record | 2348 - 2355: Starfleet Medical Academy Cadet 2355 - 2357: Medical & Surgical Resident, L.H.McCoy Starfleet Medical Hospital 2357 - 2359: Chief Medical & Surgical Resident, L.H. McCoy Starfleet Medical Hospital 2359 - 2360: Medical & Surgical Attending Physician, L.H. McCoy Starfleet Medical Hospital 2360 - 2362: Junior Medical & Surgical Officer, USS Phlox 2362 - 2365: Asst. Chief of Medicine & Surgery, USS Phlox 2365 - 2367: Starfleet Medical Liaison/Chief Medical Researcher, Outpost Bonaparte 2367 - 2370: Asst. Chief Medical Officer, Outpost Bonaparte 2370 - 2372: Chief of Internal Medicine & General Surgery, Josephine Bonaparte Starfleet Medical Hospital 2372 - 2375: Medical Officer, Starfleet Medical Search and Rescue Team 2375 - 2376: Extended Leave-of-Duty 2376 - 2379: Medical Advisor, Interspecies Medical Exchange - Cardassia Prime 2379 - 2380: Chief Medical Researcher - Terra Nova VI 2380 - 2385: Chief Medical Officer/Chief of Emergency Medicine, USS Grace 2383 - 2385: Chief Strategic Operations Officer, USS Grace 2385 - 2387: Chief of Public Health Administration, Starfleet Medical 2387 - 2395: Chief Physician/Commanding Officer, V.M.S. Rok 2395 - 2396: Medical Advisor, Starfleet Medical 2396 - Present: Chief Medical Officer, USS Eagle |