Researchers from Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) will discuss their latest findings during the 2018 Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS), Aug. 20-23.
The scientific meeting will be held at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida and will focus on the unique medical research needs of our armed forces. NMRC researchers will present their work to counter wound infections, malaria, pneumonia, arthritis, and more and how it protects the health of warfighters on and off the battlefield.
“Our researchers are committed to conducting medical research to improve the readiness of our Sailors and Marines across the globe, and to protect our warfighters operating in harm's way," said Capt. Adam Armstrong, commander, Naval Medical Research Center.
Scientists from across the entire Navy Medicine research and development enterprise will join scientists from across the Department of Defense (DoD) to share information about current research initiatives for new treatments and prevention measures for injuries and diseases that improve mission readiness. They will discuss with their military medicine colleagues and partners from academia and industry a broad range of topics during breakout and poster sessions that highlight the innovative work they’re doing, including:
-PfSPZ Vaccine: A Whole Organism Malaria Vaccine for Protection of Military Personnel, Travelers, and Individuals in Malaria-Endemic Regions
-Development of Strategies to Counter Wound Infections in Maritime Environments
-Histopathological Evidence of Multiple Organ Damage After Simulated Long-range Flight in a Swine model
-Multi-functional Hydrogels for Advanced Wound Contact Materials: Combating Drug Resistance in Traumatic Limb Injuries
Among the many presenters, Cmdr. Matthew Bradley, department head of regenerative medicine in the Operational Undersea Medicine Directorate, will introduce an updated version of the model NMRC developed to identify predictors of pneumonia in combat trauma patients.
“Pneumonia is the most common hospital acquired infection in trauma patients. As part of our ongoing iterative process, we developed a more sensitive predictive model for pneumonia, which is an important test to ensure the disease does not go undiagnosed,” said Bradley. “Advancing modeling for the development of clinical decision support tools is a huge step forward in continuing to care for the warfighter.”
The theme of this year’s meeting is “Medical Innovation for Warfighter Readiness,” and will feature presentations by Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Thomas McCaffrey, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Readiness Policy and Oversight, Terry M. Rauch, Ph.D., and Director of the Defense Health Agency, Vice Adm. Raquel C. Bono, USN, among others.
As the DoD’s premier scientific meeting, MHSRS helps to facilitate the exchange of information between almost 3,000 attendees from around the world on health care topics related to combat casualty care, rehabilitative medicine, infectious diseases, medical simulation, and the operational readiness of the warfighter.
About Naval Medical Research Center
Naval Medical Research Center supports the Navy, Marine Corps, and joint U.S. warfighter. Its researchers study infectious diseases, biological warfare detection and defense, combat casualty care, aerospace and undersea medicine, medical modeling, simulation and operational mission support, and epidemiology and behavioral sciences. NMRC’s goal is to deliver high-value, high-impact research products to support and protect today’s deployed warfighters. At the same time, researchers are looking to the readiness and well-being of future forces.
To find out more about NMRC, visit https://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmrc.