NMCSD Hosts 34th Annual Navy Medicine West and Naval Forces Pacific ARC Competition Virtually Among COVID-19

SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES

04.17.2020

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Harley Sarmiento 

Naval Medical Center San Diego

SAN DIEGO – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) hosted the 34th annual Naval Medical Forces Pacific Academic Research Competition (ARC) virtually for the first time, April 17..

This year’s virtual ARC allowed residents and doctors to competitively showcase their research in a variety of ways, such as speeches and board displays.

“Besides this competition being potentially the first and only medical conference occurring during the COVID era, we also incorporated those recently deployed on the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) to support operations in Los Angeles, in the ARC,” said Lt. Cmdr. Fredrick Jewett, resident lead for the ARC. “We had a team of more than 20 volunteers contribute to the success of this competition, consisting of both resident and staff, from across Naval Medical Center San Diego and Naval Health Research Center (NHRC).”

Multiple commands contributed their research to the ARC this year. These commands included NMCSD, NHRC, and Mercy.

“During these difficult times, perseverance and dedication are critical, and I can think of no greater area where these qualities are needed than in medical research,” said Jewett. “The Naval Medical Forces Pacific ARC was able to share research that will shape the future of military medicine, even during this time of social distancing, when virtually all other medical conferences have been postponed or cancelled.”

The ARC Presentations incorporated 24 unique, live, virtual podium presentations, presented by a spectrum of residents, trainees and staff across the multiple commands. There were also 50 virtual poster presentations incorporating the work of hundreds of military and civilian physicians across the DoD and our partners.

“Although we did not have a physical presence this year, the virtual platform provided the opportunity for a wider audience to participate remotely who would otherwise not be able to come to a physical event,” said Jewett.

Throughout the competition, more than 100 physicians, scientists, researchers and healthcare providers listened and learned about new research. There were more than 90 presentation abstracts that were independently reviewed by five resident and faculty teams.

“We chose this modality to provide a mentorship aspect to the ARC and expose residents to the grading process of medical conferences,” said Jewett. “The top 24 scored abstracts were chosen for podium presentations.”

The podium presentations were graded by two sets of judges from NMCSD and NHRC, who were chosen for their experience and expertise in medical research. Each presentation was individually reviewed by the teams of judges during the live simulcast, which included questions and answers between the judges and presenters. After the grading was completed by the judges, the winners were selected in both resident/trainee and staff categories. The winners will go on to present their research at the national competition which will also be held virtually from Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) in Virginia.

NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training, and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians, and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere.

Visit navy.mil/local/sd/ or facebook.com/NMCSD for more information.

• Date Taken: 04.17.2020
• Date Posted: 04.23.2020 16:26
• Story ID: 368275
• Location: SAN DIEGO, CA, US