USU Researchers Highlight Women's Health, Brain Injury, and Medical Innovation at MHSRS 2025

Uniformed Services University faculty, staff, and students presented a diverse range of research on day three of the Military Health System Research Symposium, highlighting key advancements in women's health, brain injury, mental health, and medical data analysis.

On the third day of MHSRS 2025, USU presentations addressed critical issues—from

long-standing disparities in women’s health to cutting-edge technologies for brain injury

treatment and data-driven approaches to care. (Photo credit: USU External Affairs; Graphic

credit: Zachary Willis, USU)

August 7, 2025 by USU External Affairs

Uniformed Services University (USU) faculty, researchers, and students showcased a wide range of innovative work at the 2025 Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS), highlighting the university’s deep commitment to advancing military medicine and readiness. On the third day of the symposium, their presentations addressed critical issues—from long-standing disparities in women’s health to cutting-edge technologies for brain injury treatment and data-driven approaches to care. Together, these efforts reflected a holistic, mission-driven approach to improving medical outcomes across the continuum of military health.

A Comprehensive Look at Women's Health and Readiness

A highlight of the day was a comprehensive panel on "Women's Health & Readiness through the Lifespan," moderated by Air Force Lt. Col. Angela Simmons, a USU Ph.D. candidate, Dr. Angela Simmons, USU Graduate School of Nursing (GSN) associate research director, and Dr. Lynette Hamlin, associate dean for Faculty Affairs in the GSN. The session brought together a diverse group of researchers addressing critical topics unique to female service members. USU Ph.D. candidate Air Force Maj. Tatiana Gonzalez opened with a systematic review and meta-analysis on insomnia, a condition women service members report at significantly higher rates than their male counterparts. This was followed by Dr. Brittany Hollis, a USU Department of Military and Emergency Medicine research associate, who shared preliminary findings on the musculoskeletal health experiences of female active-duty service members, building on USU's work on sex-specific injury patterns.

The panel continued to address a wide range of issues. USU medical student Army 2nd Lt. John Balke presented research on sex-based differences in cardiovascular disease outcomes following traumatic brain injury, contributing to USU's extensive research on blast-related injuries. Focusing on reproductive health, Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics (PMB) department research associate Amandari Kanagaratnam shared trends in highly effective contraceptive use among active-duty servicewomen, while Miranda Janvrin, also a PMB research associate, discussed a pilot study on mid-life servicewomen's experiences with menopausal symptoms. The session concluded with Dr. Jie Lin, associate professor of Surgery, who presented on the link between chronic inflammatory diseases and survival rates in breast cancer patients within the Military Health System.

This overarching theme was echoed in other presentations, including one by Rebecca Schulz from USU’s Center for Rehabilitation Sciences Research. Schulz's study on sex-based differences in rehabilitation for stress fractures, a common injury that affects women service members at 2.4 times the rate of their male counterparts, found that females were more likely to receive outpatient rehabilitation. These presentations collectively demonstrated a strong commitment to understanding and addressing the unique health challenges faced by women in uniform.

Dr. Lillian Skeiky, a USU researcher, presented on how sleep loss can exacerbate

proinflammatory cytokine activation and unmask cognitive deficits in individuals with a

history of TBI. (Photo credit: USU External Affairs)

The Interwoven Links of TBI, Sleep, and Mental Health

Several presentations highlighted the critical relationship between traumatic brain injury (TBI), sleep and mental well-being. Dr. Lillian Skeiky, a USU researcher, presented on how sleep loss can exacerbate proinflammatory cytokine activation and unmask cognitive deficits in individuals with a history of TBI. This research suggests a direct link between sleep and immune health and its impact on readiness. Similarly, Dr. Jacob Powell, a USU research scientist, shared findings from a cross-sectional study showing that self-reported sleep quality was the strongest predictor of perivascular space volume—an indicator of the brain’s waste-clearing glymphatic system function—in service members and veterans.

The broader topic of brain injury was further explored in a session on blast overpressure. Dr. Michael Roy, professor of Medicine, presented findings from the "Heavy Weapons Training and the Brain" study, which revealed that even a single subconcussive blast exposure can cause a temporary decline in cognitive function and that repeated exposures lead to more severe and prolonged effects. To address this, Dr. Jennifer Belding, principal investigator in USU’s Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, announced the creation of the Blast Injury Clinical Threshold Scale (BATTLE) Database, a new initiative to aggregate data from more than 40 research programs to establish a blast exposure-related clinical threshold scale using advanced analytics.

The psychological impact of military experience was also a major focus. Annabel Raboy, a senior clinical research associate in the Department of Medicine, presented a case study on using Augmented Reality 3MDR Therapy to treat PTSD and co-occurring moral injury, a psychological trauma that current PTSD treatments often fail to address. Dr. Maegan Paxton Willing, assistant professor of Medical and Clinical Psychology at USU, also presented on the role of moral injury in nightmare distress, finding that guilt is a key mediating factor between a morally injurious event and nightmare distress. These findings suggest that addressing moral injury, particularly the feeling of guilt, is crucial for treating service members with post-traumatic nightmares.

Further solidifying the focus on sleep, Cmdr. J. "Kent" Werner, USN, associate professor in USU's Department of Neurology, presented preliminary findings from a study investigating the use of transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) to treat insomnia in a military population. The study uses the Peak Sleep headset to prime the brain for sleep. Werner's research found that while both the active treatment and the control group showed improvements in sleep onset latency, the treatment group showed improved sleep efficiency and increased slow-wave delta power.

Cmdr. J. "Kent" Werner, USN, associate professor in USU's Department of Neurology,

presented preliminary findings from a study investigating the use of transcranial electrical

stimulation (tES) to treat insomnia in a military population. (Photo credit: USU External

Affairs)

Leveraging Technology and Data for Future Care

The day's presentations also highlighted USU's leadership in applying advanced technology and big data to military medicine. Dr. Kathleen Pratt, professor of Medicine, presented research on developing engineered, off-the-shelf blood products using stem cell technology and gene editing. This groundbreaking work aims to create customizable, universal-donor blood components that can revolutionize trauma care and battlefield medicine.

In a session on "Analysis of Big Data to Inform Military Health Policy, Readiness, and Medical Practices," moderated by Dr. Tracey Koehlmoos, professor in USU’s PMB department, and Dr. Dominic Nathan, director of the Informatics Core of MTBI², USU researchers demonstrated the power of data. Maj. Mark Meuer, a Preventive Medicine resident at USU, examined trends in avoidable hospitalizations in the Military Health System, while Dr. Jangho Yoon, professor of Health Economics and Policy in PMB, presented on behavioral health parity and its relationship to suicide attempts among service members. Dr. Nusrat Epsi, assistant professor, PMB department, discussed using machine learning to analyze unstructured symptom data from electronic medical records to improve respiratory infection surveillance. Additionally, Dr. Renhua Li, a biostatistician in the Surgery department at USU, introduced a new Python-based machine learning workflow to overcome common challenges in medical research, and Dr. Scott Grey, also a biostatistician in Surgery at USU, presented on the methodological complexities of determining sample sizes for randomized controlled trials, offering new insights for future research design.

The diverse and innovative research presented by the USU community on day three of MHSRS 2025 painted a clear picture of the university’s dedication to solving the most pressing challenges in military medicine. From the individual well-being of service members to the development of broad-scale medical policy, the work showcased a powerful blend of clinical expertise, scientific rigor and a commitment to operational readiness.

In a session on "Analysis of Big Data to Inform Military Health Policy, Readiness, and

Medical Practices," moderated by Dr. Tracey Koehlmoos, professor in USU’s PMB department,

and Dr. Dominic Nathan, director of the Informatics Core of MTBI², USU researchers

demonstrated the power of data. (Photo credit: USU External Affairs)