When U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland, MD, director of the Defense Health Agency (DHA), entered the Army as a medical corps officer in 1993, the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora was on its way to being decommissioned.
More than two decades later, the sprawling medical campus — which now houses three hospitals, facilitates more than 2 million patient visits each year, and employs more than 25,000 employees, faculty, and staff members — continues to offer top notch care to military service members, retirees, and their families.
At a visit to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus this month, Crosland met with the researchers from across the CU School of Medicine leading the way on health system innovations, research, and partnerships that improve health outcomes for military members and civilians alike.
“It’s exciting to be able to share our work and mission with Lt. Gen. Crosland,” said Vik Bebarta, MD, professor of emergency medicine and director of the CU Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research, which hosted the Dec. 6 visit.
“As a program, we’re able to reach across departments and schools across campus to achieve the kind of impact that’s needed in military health. We believe in impacting people’s lives, so we publish papers, but we also change practice and policy and deliver solutions for the Military Health System. That’s a critical part of our success as well," he continued.
During her visit, Crosland met with campus leaders focused on innovation, members from the Center for COMBAT Research, the Department of Emergency Medicine, and the Department of Biomedical Informatics.
In discussions with CU Innovations, Crosland heard from Kim Muller, the program’s executive director, and Richard Zane, MD, chief innovation officer at UCHealth and the George B. Boedecker Jr. and Boedecker Foundation Endowed Chair of emergency medicine, on joint ventures and industry collaborations that advance health care.
Crosland also toured the UC Health Virtual Health Center to learn more about research discoveries and system innovations in primary care, mental health, and other areas that may one day play a role in improving health care access for military members and their families.
“Health care is woven into everything we (DHA) do,” Crosland said. “The Military Health System is responsible for providing care from point of injury all the way along the continuum, and long after you (service members) take off the uniform. My job as DHA director is to make sure we run a health care system that honors that unique part of the mission set.”
Filling the role of DHA director also requires establishing meaningful partnerships and supporting research that benefits the system, its workforce, and the 9.5 million service members, retirees, and family members that seek care.
“As the director of the CU Center for COMBAT Research, I firmly believe that our partnerships and research must drive tangible outcomes,” Bebarta said. “We are committed to advancing the care and readiness of those who serve and their families, ensuring they receive the best possible health care solutions both on and off the battlefield."
The CU Center for COMBAT Research currently has partnerships with the DHA — to evaluate DOD research scientist training programs — as well as with Uniformed Services University and the U.S. Air Force Academy to advance military medical training, establish mentorships, and collaborate on research.
During her visit, Crosland also focused on learning more about the research conducted at CU Anschutz and how it has been useful in bridging gaps between analysis and clinical care on both the battlefield and in the civilian space.
Adit Ginde, MD, professor and vice chair for research of emergency medicine, spoke to how the CU Center for COMBAT Research and others across the campus integrate clinical trials into health care and deliver solutions faster through pragmatic, automated, and innovative trial designs.
This year, Ginde and a team of researchers were awarded $5 million by the DOD to work with partners in Ukraine on clinical and logistical challenges associated with modern large-scale combat operations and prolonged casualty care. The project creates an important path forward for additional research projects and the ability to initiate clinical trials.
Crosland also met with Casey Greene, PhD, the Center for Health AI director who currently serves as the founding chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics.
At the center, researchers study and deploy advanced analytical approaches and curate algorithms that optimize health care delivery, reduce mortality, and make new technologies scalable, which is important for the DHA because of how many patients the Military Health System serves.
“The DHA strategy supports the Military Health System, and part of the way we articulate that strategy is taking time to make these visits and see how specific operational efforts mesh,” Crosland said.