Investigators and faculty members from across the University of Colorado School of Medicine presented critical research informing health care and safety for military service members and earned notable accolades at this year’s Military Health Science Research Symposium (MHSRS).
The Department of Defense (DOD) hosted the event that attracted more than 4,000 attendees in Kissimmee, Florida, Aug. 26-29.
This year, collaborators and faculty members from the CU Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research, Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative (FIPI), and Airway, Trauma, Lung injury, and Sepsis (ATLAS) Research gave 28 presentations spanning several health topics, including mental health, traumatic injury, and critical care in extreme environments.
“MHSRS is where we align our shared mission of advancing military health. CU Anschutz and the Center for COMBAT Research are at the forefront, not just as participants but as leaders driving innovation, addressing critical capability gaps, and building strategic partnerships across academia, military, and industry,” says Vik Bebarta, MD, director of the Center for COMBAT Research and professor of emergency medicine.
Recognition for firearm injury prevention
At the symposium, FIPI was awarded the MHSRS Outstanding Research Accomplishment Team Award for the initiative’s dedication to collaboratively using evidence-based approaches in finding solutions to prevent firearm injuries and deaths, with a specific focus on suicide in the military.
The award recognizes outstanding research contributions by a team with a focus on significant accomplishments of high impact achieved during the past year.
“Suicide remains a leading cause of death in the military — with most suicides by firearm — but these deaths are preventable,” says Emmy Betz, MD, MPH, founding director of FIPI and professor of emergency medicine. “FIPI is proud to partner with military communities to promote secure storage of personal firearms and other interventions for suicide prevention. We are excited to continue to grow our flagship program, Pause to Protect, which helps bridge civilian and military communities to promote secure firearm storage and prevent injury and death.”
Members of the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative and Center for COMBAT Research accept the MHSRS Outstanding Research Accomplishment Team Award.
FIPI works to bring military service members’ voices to the table and include their experiences in study design, implementation, testing, and dissemination.
“At the end of the day, our goal is simple: to prevent firearm-related harms, including suicide,” says Ian Stanley, PhD, assistant research professor of emergency medicine. Stanley is the psychological health lead for the CU Center for COMBAT Research and military and veteran lead for FIPI.
“Our partnerships with stakeholders from across the military health system and the larger DOD enterprise are critical to that mission, and we are grateful for the recognition at MHSRS of our group’s accomplishments,” he continues.
Impact on military members and beyond
Researchers spanning the Departments of emergency medicine, surgery, anesthesiology, and several others, highlighted how military-focused solutions are also beneficial to global health and non-military communities.
In a plenary session — chosen from more than 2,000 submissions — Stanley presented results from an analysis of a national survey showing military-connected youth who have reported suicidal ideation and suicide plans are less likely to report carrying firearms than their civilian peers.
“The U.S. has a rich history of learning from the health care successes of its military. Many of the medical innovations and advancements that we benefit from today started in the military with service members and their families,” Stanley says of the findings, which were published in JAMA Network Open earlier this year.
Left: James Eazor, MPH, presents a poster. Right: Adit Ginde, MD, MPH, presents results from the PREOXI trial during MHSRS.
That sentiment rings true for other presentations from Center for COMBAT Research members attending MHSRS.
Nee-Kofi Mould-Millman, MD, MSCS, PhD, professor of emergency medicine and principal investigator for the C3 Global Trauma Network, delivered findings on mild isolated head injury patient characteristics that inform medical evacuation decision-making and on freeze-dried plasma for hemorrhage treatment in civilian and military settings, while Adit Ginde, MD, MPH, professor of emergency medicine, presented findings for research on noninvasive ventilation for preoxygenation during emergency intubation.
Leading innovation with collaboration
Researchers from the Center for COMBAT Research highlighted innovations and the power of collaboration where it’s needed most in military health, from improving critical and casualty care in arctic conditions to peer-delivered lethal means safety counseling and translational research on traumatic injury.
Vik Bebarta, MD, left, and Kathleen Flarity, DNP, PhD, right, pose for a photo with COL Gregory D. Gadson, the keynote presentation speaker at MHSRS.
MHSRS also brought the chance to connect with international colleagues who work to conduct research that improves infrastructure and outcomes on the frontlines, including in Ukraine where emergency medicine faculty members are working to launch a research platform for studying war-related wound infections and inform future clinical trials.
For the CU Center for COMBAT Research, partnerships are the foundation of transforming research into effective policy, updating or establishing new guidelines, and creating new treatment options that save and improve lives for service members.
"The strength of MHSRS lies in the convergence of minds focused on a common goal—improving the health and readiness of our forces. The connections we’ve forged here—old friends and new collaborators alike—are the bedrock of future innovations in military medicine,” Bebarta says. “We are more committed than ever to driving solutions that will serve our warfighters and strengthen our national defense."
