MHSRS 2024: Day One Recap in Photos

The first day of the Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) in Kissimmee, Florida, featured a wide range of presentations from the Uniformed Services University (USU).

Dr. Eric Elster, dean of USU’s Hebert School of Medicine, was part of a panel entitled “Research

and Training in Military Medicine in the Age of AI,” giving the USU perspective on how

AI technology can be used as a tool to streamline educational processes, accelerating change

and bringing a greater human element back to medicine.

August 27, 2024 by USU External Affairs

The first day of the Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) in Kissimmee, Florida, featured a wide range of presentations from the Uniformed Services University (USU). Key topics included AI’s role in military medical education, new tools for critical care decision-making, and the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury. Researchers also addressed hypertension detection, psychiatric outcomes in deployers, and the impact of COVID-19 on cardiac health. The symposium underscored USU’s dedication to advancing military healthcare through innovative research and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Dr. Tracey Koehlmoos (pictured second from left), professor and director of the Center for Health

Services Research at USU, presented findings from her study on how changes in eating disorders

within the general population could possibly affect female service members entitled, “Association

Between Body Composition Standards and Disordered Eating among Active-duty Service

Women, FY 2018-2019.”

Dr. Geoffrey Ling, retired Army colonel, former USU Neurology chair, and associate professor 

in USU’s School of Medicine, spoke dynamically about the crucial importance of real-time 

data to differentiate the needs of combat-casualty patients. Ling stressed “the best care available

in the whole-wide world should be available for combat casualties.” Additionally, Ling says, 

the path to filling gaps within patient care starts with understanding that “to get practical 

solutions and answers, you have to science your way out” and look at objective measures to 

treat patients. He tasked the “remarkably intelligent researchers” in attendance to solve the 

critical problems.

USU’s Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP) showcased a wealth of 

resources on nutrition, mental health, and exercise—all designed to inspire and promote 

wellness among attendees – at their booth in the exhibition area of the MHSRS conference.

Air Force Lt. Col. Cubby Gardner, assistant professor at USU’s Daniel K. Inouye Graduate 

School of Nursing, also part of the “Big Data” breakout session, discussed adverse physical 

and mental health outcomes in deployers with primary psychiatric evaluation from U.S. Central

Command, finding that significant differences in the distribution of outcomes by cohort were 

noted in active duty vs. reserve status and marital status proportions among cohorts.

Air Force Maj. Kathryn Capple, a Ph.D candidate in the Graduate School of Nursing at USU,

discussed the potential of using alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 essential fatty aid, to treat

anxiety disorders and PTSD symptoms in female service members following mTBI entitled

“The Effect of Alpha-Linolenic Acid on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-like Symptoms in Female

Mice Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.”

Dr. Louis French, associate professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at USU and

NICoE deputy director, discussed the finalization of a report to Congress spanning a 15-year

study on the long-term effects of TBI. The report examines the quality of life as a meaningful

way to talk about outcomes in individuals with TBI, and highlighted the need to further examine

how family members of those individuals are affected.

Lydia Hellwig, a certified genetic counselor and assistant professor of Pediatrics at USU,

presented the results of her cross-sectional study on how genetics affect the body’s response

to certain medications entitled “Pharmacogenetics in the MHS: Comparing PGx Genotyping and

Next Generation Sequencing.” Hellwig presented her research as part of the Young

Investigators Competition.

Army 2nd Lt. Joseph Rhee, a student at USU’s Hebert School of Medicine, presented findings on 

early detection of hypertension through blood pressure as part of the breakout session “Big Data 

and Machine Learning for Full Spectrum Military Health Readiness, Performance and Care.”

Dr. Mark Haigney, director of Military Cardiovascular Outcomes Research at USU, delivered

results from a study which found an association between TBI and atrial fibrillation and atrial

flutter in two unexpected groups, young people and females. The research was entitled

“Traumatic Brain Injury is Associated with the Subsequent Risk of Atrial Fibrillation or Atrial

Flutter.” 

Dr. Paul Pasquina, Chair of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department at USU, illustrated

the advances in rehabilitation and surgical care and described established pathways of care so the

moment a patient enters the ICU with a blast or cranial injury, the system generates a range of

care appointments to ensure the individual receives appropriate care and are not lost within the

treatment system.

Dr. Stephanie Richard (left), a lead epidemiologist at the Infectious Disease Clinical Research

Program (IDCRP) at USU, presented findings on the relationship between menstrual cycle 

changes for women following COVID vaccinations entitled, “Does SARS-CoV-2 Infection or 

Vaccination Impact Menstrual Health? Results From a Longitudinal Cohort Study Among Military 

Health System Beneficiaries.”

 

Anthony Marrama, an HJF research associate from the department of Pediatrics at USU presented

a study entitled “Incidence Rate Trends of Cardiac Outcomes in U.S. Active Duty Service

Members Relative to the COVID-19 Pandemic.” The study found a correlation between increased

rates of cardiac outcomes in year two of the pandemic and found a direct association between

COVID-19 infection and several incident cardiac outcomes (arrhythmic, inflammatory, thrombotic,

stroke, heart failure and cardiomyopathies).

Navy Ensign Claire Sturek, a student within USU’s School of Medicine, presented the results of a

study which polled student awareness at the Graduate School of Nursing and School of Medicine

entitled “A Focus on Fertility Preservation and Family Planning in Military Healthcare: 

Examining Knowledge, Perceptions, and Expectations about Oocyte Cryopreservation Among 

Military Healthcare Students.” She called for the increased education of healthcare professionals

about family planning and infertility treatments available for service members. 

Army 2nd Lt. Ha Eun Kim, a student in the USU School of Medicine,

was the lead-off speaker for the “Big Data and Machine Learning for

Full Spectrum Military Health Readiness, Performance and Care,” panel

at MHSRS. Kim presented data on her study, “Developing Machine

Learning to Accurately Predict Post-Rib Fracture Pulmonary and

Renal Complications.”  

Dr. Felipe Lisboa, research assistant professor with USU’s Surgical Critical Care

Initiative (SC2i), presented his findings on the development of ARDS and sepsis as well

as a clinical decision support tool to aid in the treatment of surgical critical care patients

with treatment complications in his session entitled, “Early Identification of Critical Care

Patients at High Risk of Developing ARDS and Sepsis Using Machine Learning.”