USU Earns Top Accolades at MHSRS

The Uniformed Services University presented more than 120 posters at this year's Military Health System Research Symposium

USU had more than 120 posters on display at this year's MHSRS conference. (Photo credit: Sarah

Marshall, USU)

August 17, 2023 by Sarah Marshall

The Uniformed Services University (USU) once again had a strong showing at this year’s Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS), as evidenced by a multitude of posters displayed by hundreds of USU researchers and scientists – several of which earned top accolades today during a closing ceremony. These posters highlight an array of innovative research findings, ultimately focused on providing care for service members and their families.

Out of the roughly 1,400 posters on display, divided into three sessions, more than 120 were on display by USU personnel, on top of countless others displayed by USU graduates. Throughout the week, the posters were critiqued by a panel of judges. A first and second place poster, in addition to two honorable mentions, were awarded from each session.

USU’s Military Traumatic Brain Injury Initiative earned second place in a poster session for its poster titled, “Heart Rate Variability During Wake and Sleep in Variations with Comorbid Traumatic Brain Injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder.” Their study looked at REM sleep behavior and how it impacts veterans with and without neurotrauma.

USU’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress received an Honorable Mention for its collaborative research poster, “Peer Adaptation of an Evidence Based Approach to Firearm Safe Storage: A Formative Evaluation of Four Training Sites in the National Guard.” Their study assessed the National Guard’s firearms safety program, Project Safe Guard, and found that it provides a framework to openly discuss firearm storage and, ultimately, may help reduce firearm-related injuries.

An Honorable Mention also went to USU for the poster, “Patient Handoffs in Austere Environments: Training Evaluation in a Field Exercise.” The study looked at training methods used during effective patient handoffs compared to standard practice Tactical Combat Casualty Care handoff instruction.

The award ceremony also recognized the top three Young Investigators, who presented their research in a session on Monday. The third place Young Investigator Award went to Dr. Andrew Clark, a musculoskeletal scientist in USU’s Department of Surgery, for his presentation titled, “Combating Volumetric Muscle Loss: An Investigation of a Two-Staged Treatment Strategy Utilizing an Acute Muscle Void Filler Followed by Delayed Definitive Treatment.”

USU’s Dr. Andrew Clark earned third place in the Young Investigator Award competition this

week during MHSRS. (Photo credit: Robbie Hammer, DHA)