| MHSRS 2024
Focus Area |
| Warfighter
Medical Readiness |
| Breakout Session |
Topic Area |
Session Description |
| Women’s Health and Readiness: Health Focused Updates |
Women's Health |
Abstracts should address: 1) Convenient and timely
reproductive health care for Active-Duty Service Women
(ADSW), particularly in deployed and training
environments, 2) Understanding ADSW's mental health
issues that may impact return to duty, and 3) Equipping
ADSW with knowledge and resources to understand common
women’s health issues |
| Military Female Health Research Aimed at Overcoming
the Challenges and Barriers Impacting Optimal Warfighter
Performance & Operational Readiness |
Women's Health |
While female warfighters now serve directly in all
military roles, they are not being equipped to deal with
real sex-related health challenges they face.
Additionally, these sex-specific health challenges are a
significant and often invisible barrier to promoting and
maximizing comprehensive integration and long-term
participation in military service. This session will
include research informing evidence-based integration of
women into military combat roles for the purpose of
optimizing performance, increasing lethality, and
extending operational lifespan while maintaining quality
of life. |
| Strategies for Mitigating the Development of
Post-traumatic Wound Infections with Multi-drug
Resistant Organisms across the Continuum of Care |
Infectious Disease Prevention and Treatment |
Abstracts should address 1. Work examining the
primary pathogen etiology of post-traumatic, and blast
related wound infection in the pre-hospital space with a
focus on variations across GCC. 2. Real-time assessment
of infection reduction strategies and clinical practice
guideline compliance. 3. Work examining the
post-traumatic and blast related progression from
colonization to infection to sepsis, to include wound
surveillance, analytic epidemiology from the theater of
operations. 4. Work examining novel strategies for wound
management, wound infection prevention and prophylactic
antibiotic administration in theater and throughout the
evacuation process. 5. Work examining novel strategies
for decontamination of MEDEVAC platforms and medical
treatment capabilities IOT mitigate infection. |
| Update in Emerging Infectious Diseases of Military
Importance: Predicting and Preventing Future Outbreaks
in Military Settings |
Infectious Disease Prevention and Treatment |
Abstracts should address: 1. Capabilities or studies
which advance rapid detection or prediction of emerging
infectious disease (EID) outbreaks of military
importance AND/OR 2. Evaluations of pharmaceutical or
non-pharmaceutical countermeasures to prevent or
mitigate EID outbreaks in military settings, AND/OR 3.
Other related studies on the epidemiology, surveillance,
immunology, treatment, prevention or technologic
advances that address EID of military importance,
including those of pandemic potential. |
| New Approach Methodologies and Novel In Vivo Models
for the Development of Infectious Disease
Countermeasures |
Infectious Disease Prevention and Treatment |
Abstracts submitted to this session should address
one or more of the following topics: 1) use of new
approach methodologies (NAM), such as Organ Tissue
Equivalents (OTE)s, to establish exposure models for
infectious diseases; 2) development of novel in vivo
models for infectious diseases; 3) validation and
characterization of NAMs using appropriate, established
in vivo models; and 4) use of NAMs and novel in vivo
models to evaluate therapeutics, countermeasures, or
other intervention strategies to mitigate adverse health
effects from infectious diseases. |
| An Ounce of Prevention: Next Generation Vaccines and
Passive Immunoprophylaxis to Enhance Warfighter
Readiness |
Infectious Disease Prevention and Treatment |
Abstracts should address: (1) New passive
immunoprophylaxis approaches to the prevention of
infectious diseases, including monoclonal antibody
candidates 2) Design and evaluation of new vaccine
antigens 3) Novel vaccine platforms for vaccine
delivery, including mRNA and adjuvants. |
| Operational Whole Genome Sequencing |
Infectious Disease Prevention and Treatment |
Abstracts should address: Studies employing
sequencing equipment in an operational context, Ease of
conducting operational WGS, Limitations of operational
WGS, Use of data. |
| Non-traditional Treatments and Delivery strategies
for Wound infections and Sepsis |
Infectious Disease Prevention and Treatment |
Abstracts should address: 1. Countermeasure
approaches for bacterial and fungal infections that
exclude traditional small molecules and include
monoclonal antibodies, bacteriophage, antimicrobial
peptides or peptoids, antibiotic adjuvants, and other
novel approaches. 2. Countermeasure approaches for
sepsis that either target the pathogen or modulate the
host immune system. 3. Novel therapeutic delivery
strategies (hydrogels, gels, creams, etc.) |
| Moving the Needle on Preventing Harmful Behaviors in
the Military Community – Implementing Cross Agency
Research Priorities – Current and Future State |
Psychological Health and Resilience |
Integrated primary prevention of harmful behaviors
and delivery of cross cutting psychological health
interventions that are equitable and culturally
sensitive to the communities of interest have been
highlighted as research priorities by the Military
Services and other Federal Agencies. This session will
feature research studies that advance knowledge in
promoting psychological health, and readiness of
Military community by positively impacting multiple
behavioral and psychological health threats. Abstracts
that include integrative preventive approaches and
interventions focused on mitigation of violent, abusive,
and other harmful behaviors are solicited. Outcomes of
interest include but are not limited to (1) Alcohol and
substance use, misuse, and disorders, (2) Domestic
abuse/Intimate partner violence, (3) Harassment (e.g.,
gender or racial discrimination, ostracism,
retaliation), (4) Sexual violence, and (5) Self-directed
injury. |
| Warfighter Operational Resilience: Next Generation
Programs to Sustain Performance under Fire |
Psychological Health and Resilience |
Operational resilience is critical to sustaining
combat power and prevailing in large-scale conflicts
against a near-peer adversary. Given the various
definitions of resilience that apply to different
contexts, a distinction must be made for resilience to
psychological stressors that impact combat effectiveness
at the point of need from resilience to prolonged
exposures that impact well-being over time. Next
generation resilience training programs must develop
warfighters who can overcome the psychological threats
of combat in real time and to sustain performance.
Competitive abstracts for this breakout session will (1)
summarize current approaches to developing operational
resilience; (2) address challenges with implementing and
sustaining the effectiveness of resilience programs; (3)
showcase unique methodologies to measure, assess, and
evaluate operational resilience and performance. |
| Advances in Diagnosis of TBI: Biomarkers and Beyond |
Psychological Health and Resilience |
The purpose of this session is to describe emerging
research on promising diagnostic tools for TBI with near
to mid-term potential for application in relevant
environments across the continuum of care. The abstracts
submitted should: (1) describe biomarkers that can be
utilized for either diagnosis, prognosis, return to duty
decision, or assessment of efficacy of rehabilitation
strategies following TBI; (2) describe any technologies,
novel approaches (e.g., data-science driven approaches
and multiomics research), as well as their intended use
setting; (3) highlight the use of artificial
intelligence/machine learning in precision-medicine
approaches to TBI diagnostics. Biomarker and other
diagnostic candidates at a nascent stage of development
(e.g., currently being studied in preclinical models of
TBI) with less direct potential for application to the
warfighter will not be discussed. |
| Military Family Health and Readiness: Understanding
the Interdependence of the Military Family System |
Psychological Health and Resilience |
This breakout session will focus on research from a
family systems perspective and emphasize the
interdependence of the warfighter and the family.
Sessions should explore the extent to which military
life stress and the impact of military operational tempo
and exposures on the service member affect military
affiliated spouses and children, as well as exploring
the influence of military family life stressors and
military family well-being on service member readiness,
resilience, and retention. |
| The Mental and Behavioral Health Manifestations of
Anger |
Psychological Health and Resilience |
Large survey studies have found that problematic
anger is prevalent among military service members and
veterans. Anger is frequently comorbid with
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a history of
anger attacks is predictive of persistent PTSD and of
new onset depression, anxiety, substance use, and
suicidality. Nonetheless, there are no known military
health guidelines for treating anger in service members
and veterans. Abstracts submitted to this session should
address any of the following topics: (1) the
relationship between anger and suicidality and mental
health disorders; (2) the relationship between anger and
adverse behaviors, including excessive alcohol intake,
interpersonal violence, and risk taking; (3) the
development and assessment of screening tools and early
intervention strategies that address anger symptoms; and
(4) treatment approaches that directly address anger in
primary or specialty care. |
| Solutions Addressing Behavioral Health Clinician
Shortage - Leveraging Telebehavioral Health |
Psychological Health and Resilience |
Navigating the national shortage of behavioral
health providers demands solutions that provide
efficient alternative care delivery options reducing
burden on specialty providers. Research abstracts that
identify and determine effective digital solutions to
protect and/or restore psychological health of Service
members and health care personnel are solicited for this
session. Topics of interest include 1) technological
solutions for early and reliable risk screening and
monitoring, 2) rapid assessment tools and tailored
recommendations for leaders to address emerging risks to
behavioral health, 3) digital treatment solutions
including treatment approaches, apps and/or devices
towards health promotion 4) early secondary prevention
solutions , improved triage and promote recovery and 5)
research that evaluates and improves the safety,
effectiveness, usability, accessibility, and scalability
of existing digital mental health interventions. |
| Big Data and Machine Learning for Full Spectrum
Military Health Readiness, Performance and Care |
Medical Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and
Decision Support / Predictive Analytics |
Abstracts should address (1) The use of large
datasets to examine military health related factors
(e.g., psychological health, en route care, ROI, skills
training, occupational exposure, musculoskeletal injury,
women's health, etc.); (2) ML or analytical methods; (3)
data sources, (4) infrastructure, (5) validation and
supporting data |
| Applications of Artificial Intelligence in
Psychological Disorders |
Medical Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and
Decision Support / Predictive Analytics |
Abstract should address: 1. pioneering AI
methodologies for advancing our understanding of
psychological disorders. 2. improving patient outcomes
or enhancing mental health care through AI applications.
3. emphasize the practical feasibility of AI approaches
for psychological disorders research, with consideration
of data privacy |
| Force Health Protection: Operational Exposure
Research and Predictive Risk Methods |
Occupational & Operational Exposures |
Service members are frequently exposed to unique,
complex, and potentially hazardous occupational and
operational environments. The abstract should address
research dealing with occupational/operational threats
to service member health protection using toxicological
principles, exposure science, and applied scientific
approaches. This is NOT a CBRN or COVID-related session.
Abstracts should focus on 1) determining adverse
molecular and cellular responses associated with
occupational/operational exposures; 2) assessing
occupational/operational exposures using new approaches;
3) computational modeling of biologic systems to further
risk prediction and chemical risk assessment tools. |
| Military Exposures and Subsequent Long-term Outcomes |
Occupational & Operational Exposures |
Abstracts submitted to this session should address
one or more of the following topics: 1) logistical
challenges to the consolidation of DoD and VA data
sources for studying long-term outcomes after military
exposures. 2) Studies examining the impact of military
exposures on chronic medical conditions (including, but
not limited to, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes,
and cancer). 3) Studies of military exposures and mental
health outcomes. |
| Military Injury Biomechanics for the Prevention of
Behind Helmet and Behind Armor Blunt Trauma |
Injury Prevention |
Service Members (SMs) are equipped with helmets and
body armor to prevent penetrating injuries. While
protected from penetrating injuries, SMs remain at risk
of head and torso injury caused by impacts between the
head and body and the deforming back-face of the
protective helmet and armor. Abstracts describing
medical research into the prevention of SM injuries from
Behind Helmet and Behind Armor Blunt Trauma (BHBT and
BABT) are sought for this session. Abstracts should
address any of the following topics: (1) Epidemiology of
operational BHBT or BABT injury; (2) Injury biomechanics
of the head and torso injury from BHBT and/or BABT; or
(3) human tolerance to BHBT and/or BABT. |
| Directed Energy Health Effects Research for the
Warfighter |
Directed Energy Health Effects Research for the
Warfighter |
Directed Energy Weapons have become important tools
in the force continuum, with capabilities including
intermediate-force and counter systems applications.
Health research characterizing DE injuries and informing
medical countermeasures to the effects of DE exposures
(non-ionizing, modulated acoustic) provides medics with
reassurance for management of injuries from what has
been historically low collateral damage capabilities. DE
injury models are unique (wavelength-dependent,
non-kinetic, non-pharmacologic) and require specialized
technical capabilities to characterize injuries and
develop effective medical countermeasures. Abstracts
submitted to this session should expand upon existing
research that informs DE health effects parameterization
and the consequences of exposures to known DE weapons
and/or systems (DoD and/or adversarial), with research
findings supporting health readiness solutions. Topics
should address efforts to improve understanding of DE
injury modeling, task performance impact, detection &
diagnosis of DE injuries, treatment & management of
wounds (physical & behavioral) from DE exposure and
Force Health Protection measures. Abstract submissions
must be accompanied by a Distribution-A approval
statement from submitting organization’s Public Affairs
Office. Enter this approval statement in the Disclaimer
portion of the Abstract Submission Form. |
| Novel Treatments, Strategies and Technologies in
Hearing and Balance Health |
Sensory Systems |
This session will focus on the warfighter readiness
impact and mitigation of prevent and treatment of
auditory and vestibular dysfunction. Abstracts should
address 1. Research that demonstrations the operational
effects of auditory and vestibular dysfunction on
warfighter readiness (can include epidemiological,
functional, and psychological effects); 2. Innovations
in measurement and mitigation of exposures that cause
auditory/vestibular injuries; 3. Return to duty
considerations in this population, which can include
advances in evaluation and pharmaceutical or medical
device innovations in neurosensory injury treatment
focusing on auditory and vestibular injuries. Abstracts
submitted should address: 1) Innovation strategy for the
injury prevention; 2) Novel technology for restoration
and treatment 3) Pharmaceutical Intervention or medical
devices as the injury treatment solution |
| Exertional Heat Stroke: What's New in Prevention,
Management and Return to Duty |
Physiological Status |
Abstracts should address research and strategies
being utilized to mitigate exertional heat stroke (EHS)
and improve readiness in the following domains: 1.
identification of risk and implementation of prevention
of EHS; 2. current novel evidence-based approaches for
the management of EHS; and 3. current research efforts
to optimize expeditious return to duty decisions |
| Genetic Readiness of the Force: Genetics and
Integrative Omics for Optimizing Warfighter Health and
Performance |
Physiological Status |
Abstract should address: 1. Integration of advanced
technologies for predicting and optimizing warfighter's
performance, including integrative omics, physiological
status monitoring and performance enhancement in austere
environments. 2. Utilization of data on known and
projected rates of genetic conditions impacting military
medical readiness, incorporating ACMG secondary findings
to assess risks and optimize personnel readiness. 3.
Ongoing programs in the Department of Defense
identifying known genetic medical readiness risks and
implementing strategies to address them. |
| Experimentation – Beyond the Bench |
|
For the DOD, “experimentation” doesn’t just mean
bench research; experimentation includes integrating
technologies into an event to assess unknown effects of
manipulating proposed warfighting concepts,
technologies, or conditions. For example, can we use
telemedicine for prolonged care, AND what does it mean
for the medic and the network? Experimentation is
critical to delivering new products to the Warfighter,
but when should you experiment with a prototype or
product in an exercise? How do you get your product
included in experimentation? This session will offer
information and real-world examples, including the
following topics: (1) How field experimentation
generates requirements and drives changes in training,
policy, etc.; (2) Early user feedback for product
development; (3) Examples from recent
experimentation/exercises (experience, value, lessons
learned) |
| From Theory to Practice: Transitioning S&T Findings
into Actionable Knowledge |
|
This session will explore the process of turning
Science and Technology (S&T) research into new policies
and guidelines for the Department of Defense. Abstracts
should address: The importance of S&T research in
driving innovation and growth in the DoD. The challenges
of implementing S&T research in real-world scenarios.
Strategies for overcoming these challenges and turning
S&T research into new policies and guidelines. Case
studies of successful implementation of S&T research in
various areas of the DoD. |
| MHSRS 2024
Focus Area |
| Expeditionary
Medicine |
|
Breakout Session |
Topic Area |
Session Description |
| Lessons Learned from Current Conflicts in Ukraine
and Israel to Improve Combat Casualty Care Strategies |
Forward Surgical Care/Prolonged Care |
Ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East
provide unique opportunities to learn from experiences
in managing casualties from peer-to-peer combat and
conflict in dense urban areas. A better understanding of
the different types and rates of battlefield injuries in
these scenarios, difficulties with TCCC, triage,
diagnosis, patient movement, logistical resupply, and
provision of prolonged care are among the critical
lessons to be learned from combat casualty care
providers working in these conflicts. Abstracts should
describe current research efforts related to these
ongoing conflicts. |
| Innovative Technologies and Devices for Treatment of
Battlefield Wounds in Prolonged Care to Prevent
Infection |
Forward Surgical Care/Prolonged Care |
Lack of medical solutions to treat and manage acute
wounds in prolong care settings may lead to drug
resistant infections, increased sepsis, amputation, or
death. This session will discuss technologies addressing
far forward wound care solutions and devices to deliver
treatments in the setting of prolonged care. Abstracts
should address: 1) An understanding of current wound
infection prevention, treatment, and management
strategies; 2) Description of innovative and novel
technologies (gel, foam, bandage, pharmaceutical, etc.)
to treat battlefield wounds in prolonged care settings;
3) Demonstration of mechanism of action in appropriate
models; 4) Discussion will include intended Role of Care
and feasibility of use by providers. |
| Advances in Life Saving Interventions at Point of
Injury and in Prolonged Care |
Forward Surgical Care/Prolonged Care |
The purpose of this session is to present innovative
research on materiel solutions to enable critical care
and casualty management capabilities to be moved closer
to the point of need to decrease mortality and morbidity
during prolonged care scenarios. Prolonged care is
inclusive of prehospital field care, austere/resource
limited environments, and in theatre hospital
environments due to delayed evacuation. Areas of
interest include novel technologies for damage control
and combat surgical care in a forward environment,
solutions to prevent and treat secondary injury and
acute treatment sequelae, and prolonged casualty
management. Abstracts should articulate how solutions
would improve casualty care outcomes, specifically when
evacuation is delayed or unavailable, or in resource
limited environments. |
| Trauma Resuscitation and Critical Care on the Future
Battlefield |
Forward Surgical Care/Prolonged Care |
Effective lifesaving interventions and training are
vital to warfighter morale as well as survival. This
session will focus on advances in early trauma
resuscitation, austere surgical care, and trauma team
training, in particular training linked to real-world
outcomes with cutting edge training advances with
innovative outcome research. Abstracts should address
studies on advances in early trauma resuscitation and
austere surgical care, research on timing and
capabilities in forward resuscitative and trauma care,
and outcomes-based research on trauma team training from
point of injury care to surgical team training. Analysis
should focus on epidemiologic and real-world training
and battlefield data. The first part of this session
will focus on general trauma on the battlefield, with
the second part of the session focusing on MASCAL
capabilities, readiness, and advances that can aid in
life support during MASCAL events. |
| Clinical Studies to Advance Combat Casualty Care |
Forward Surgical Care/Prolonged Care |
The purpose of this session is to provide latest
information on current ongoing clinical studies and
trials that will provide knowledge or a materiel
product(s) that will advance the field of combat
casualty care. Abstracts should address: 1. The area of
combat casualty care that will be improved by the study.
2. The research strategy of the clinical study or
clinical trial to include discussion of the
intervention, if applicable. 3. How the study population
relates to military cohorts. 4. Next steps to advance
the results from the study. Abstracts only addressing
preclinical studies will NOT be considered. |
| Organ Support in Trauma |
Forward Surgical Care/Prolonged Care |
Combat scenarios spanning multi domain operations
will result in a multifaceted future battlefield
resulting in complex injury patterns. Exacerbated by
evacuation delays, multi-organ dysfunction (MOD) is
likely to follow the combination of mechanical trauma,
thermal injury, and/or CBRN. There is limited
information on these injury patterns and the novel
strategies to treat them. Abstracts submitted to this
session should address: 1) Studies on the
pathophysiology of MOD (e.g., acute kidney injury, acute
respiratory distress syndrome) in polytrauma; 2) Animal
and human research aimed at diagnosing, preventing,
mitigating, or treating MOD; 3) Training and sustainment
platforms for clinicians utilizing organ support in
trauma. |
| Treating Refractory Hypoxemia on the Battlefield:
What Does the Future Hold? |
Forward Surgical Care/Prolonged Care |
Acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress
syndrome (ARDS)-induced refractory hypoxemia poses a
serious medical threat to our troops, particularly in a
resource-limited combat setting where evacuation
capability is delayed. Whether the cause is related to
direct lung injury, pulmonary exposure to chemical
and/or biological warfare agents, respiratory
complications of traumatic injury, or severe respiratory
pathogens, the notable lack of definitive treatment(s)
for refractory hypoxemia should motivate clinicians and
scientists to aggressively seek novel therapeutics to
repair the lungs and/or improved adjunctive therapies to
facilitate gas exchange as the lungs heal. This session
includes an array of oral presentations followed by a
panel discussion where presenters will discuss, compare,
and contrast various treatment modalities under
development for ALI/ARDS-induced refractory hypoxemia.
Abstracts should describe: 1.) Research demonstrating
the effectiveness of a select ALI/ARDS treatment
modality (ex: novel therapeutics, ECMO, mechanical
ventilation strategies, etc.); 2.) The feasibility of
bringing the selected treatment modality into a military
theater of operations (Roles 1, 2, or 3); 3.) How your
treatment modality promises an improvement over existing
ALI/ARDS treatment strategies; 4.) Whether your selected
treatment modality is ready for human use, and if not,
how close is it to testing in humans NOTE: Oral
presenters must be willing to participate in a panel
discussion |
| Far Forward Battlefield Diagnostic Imaging |
Forward Surgical/Prolonged Care |
While computed tomography imaging has long been the
standard of care in civilian trauma management, the
unavailability of easily employable, accurate diagnostic
imaging remains a significant gap for combat casualties
in austere, operational environments forward of Role 3.
Accurate diagnosis of traumatic injuries is imperative
for the effective management of casualties the enduring
prolonged care (PC) and en route care (ERC) scenarios
that are likely in multidomain operations. This session
targets abstracts that focus on 1) emerging imaging
technologies that can improve diagnostic accuracy or
care in austere PC/ERC environments, 2) the potential
for artificial intelligence to enhance diagnostic
accuracy for field-deployable diagnostic imaging
systems, or 3) studies demonstrating forward-deployed
medical personnel performance when leveraging current or
emerging diagnostic imaging technologies. |
| Central Role of Dental Care in Military Readiness,
Operational Deployment, In-Theater Care, Post-Injury
Reconstruction, and Warfighter Rehabilitation |
Forward Surgical Care/Prolonged Care |
Sustained dental health is central to operational
readiness and the successful projection of combat power.
Improved interventions are needed to keep Warfighters in
the battle space and ensure timely return-to-duty.
Abstracts should address one or more of the following:
(1) Impact of dental care upon Warfighter readiness; (2)
Techniques, technologies, and materials that enhance
treatment outcomes and extend treatment capabilities to
forward-deployed locations; (3) Smart, ruggedized
technologies to improve dental imaging and diagnostic
accuracy leveraging artificial intelligence; (4)
Pre-deployment imaging/mapping (3-D imaging,
photogrammetry, ultrasound) to support maxillofacial
care, reconstruction, and rehabilitation; (5) Advances
in dental and maxillofacial care with significant
post-deployment/post-injury ramifications. |
| Protecting the Warfighter from Nuclear Threats:
Acute Radiation Syndrome and Radiation Polytrauma |
Forward Surgical Care/Prolonged Care |
U.S. forces and our allies face the threat of
radiation exposure resulting from nuclear weapons use.
Exposure to acute levels of radiation leads to
multi-organ dysfunction known as acute radiation
syndrome (ARS). While current FDA-approved treatments
address some effects of ARS, there are no FDA-approved
pre-exposure prophylaxes to protect against radiation
exposure. In addition to ARS, radiation injuries are
likely to occur in the presence of other traumatic
injuries. Abstracts for this session should address: 1.
approaches to develop medical countermeasures that will
provide the Joint Force with safe and effective
prophylaxis or therapeutics to ensure survival, decrease
morbidity, and enable continued operations during Joint
All Domain Operations; 2. Biodosimetry approaches and
methods; 3. Animal models to study the types of trauma
associated with radiation exposure; 4. Pathological and
physiological differences between trauma due to a
single; source, polytrauma, and radiation polytrauma; 5.
Approaches to prevent, mitigate, triage, or treat
radiation polytrauma; 6. Combined and complementary
modalities to prevent, mitigate, or treat radiation
polytrauma. |
| Casualty Care During Multi-Domain Operations, Large
Scale Combat Operations, and Prolonged Care |
Advanced Decision Support and Automation
Technologies |
Abstracts should address topics related to advanced
medical technologies (decision support for automation,
robotics, artificial intelligence in autonomous systems,
machine learning, etc.) for assisting medical personnel
operating in current and future multi-domain
battlefields, during large scale combat operations, in
prolonged care settings, or in military environments
that would benefit from autonomous AI-enabled
healthcare. Topics should focus on the use of these
technologies to address capability gaps for automated
management and care of trauma/critical care casualties
in these environments including mass casualty
situations, dense urban environments, austere and
resource constrained environments, advanced/intelligent
casualty triage, and advanced patient evacuation and
movement. Topics include the use of decision support and
artificial intelligence technologies to assist providers
in better diagnosis and management of critical care
patients, advanced automated systems (open and closed
loop) to deliver medical care, medical robotic
technologies to support damage control surgical
interventions, unmanned systems for casualty care
management and evacuation, and technologies to optimize
medical logistics associated with combat casualty care
in the battlefield. Topics can also include technologies
that provide for better interactions between users and
computers/robots (man-machine teaming), advanced
machine-vision technologies for the critical care
environment, AI guided image acquisition, approaches and
next steps for product development in this field, and
approaches for integration and compatibility with JOMIS. |
| Severe Burn Injury: Strategies to Accelerate
Casualty Functional Recovery |
Burn Management |
Presented abstracts will highlight clinical and/or
preclinical studies in burn injury models supporting
development of easy-to-use, acute interventions to
actively accelerate healing after burn trauma, and/or
prevent burn injury worsening, including when evacuation
to definitive care is delayed. Session focus is agnostic
of burn injury mechanism [thermal (heat, cold);
non-thermal (e.g., non-ionizing radiation, chemical,
electrical)] and the organ/system studied (e.g., skin,
lung, immune or inflammatory response, vasculature,
gut), except that reports showing only antimicrobial
activity will not be considered. Of particular interest
are safety and effectiveness/efficacy data for novel or
repurposed FDA-cleared products, or methods demonstrated
to preserve, repair, and/or recover essential functions
of burn damaged tissues and/or restore normal regulation
of systems dysregulated by burn injury. Treatments that
are amenable to acute administration in austere,
dynamic, prehospital environments and mass casualty
scenarios by providers of all skill levels are
especially sought. |
| Challenges and Opportunities of High Volume,
Prolonged Medical Mobility and CASEVAC During Large
Scale Combat Operations |
En Route Care |
Abstracts should address provider skills and
performance limitations during prolonged en route care
under conditions of vibration, acceleration, altitude,
and extreme environments and how to optimize CASEVAC
mobility of high-volume casualties to enhance agility
and prolonged survivability. Abstracts should focus on
(1) Indications for CASEVAC critical intervention (e.g.
critical use cases), (2) Emerging solutions that enhance
CASEVAC capabilities and/or optimize en route provider
task performance, (3) Platform/medical team limitations
and environment characteristics (i.e. temperature,
pressure, vibration, etc.) which would hinder agility
and survivability, (4) Technology and/or knowledge
solutions that can facilitate overcoming platform and
provider performance limitations, and (5) Support and
associated requirements (e.g. materiel or supplies) for
critical use cases. |
| Implementation of Evidence-based Pain Management
Practices in the MHS |
Pain Management |
Minimizing the impact of pain on Warfighter
performance relies on effective treatment and management
of pain with evidenced based interventions tailored to
the appropriate operational environment and stage of
pain and promote return to duty and/or prevent
performance degradation. Implementation of
evidence-based practices in research settings into wider
clinical practice in the MHS remains a challenge for all
timescales of pain (acute through chronic). Abstracts
should address research focused on translation of
evidence-based pain management interventions into
clinical practice in the MHS such as complementary
integrative health strategies, multi-modal approaches,
and novel pain management therapies that do not degrade
Warfighter performance. Implementation science and
comparative effectiveness research and pragmatic trials
in military populations to address pain in varying
environments and levels of care are encouraged. |
| Advances in Blast Polytrauma: Implications to
Warfighter Function and Combat Casualty Care |
Blast |
The purpose of this session is to present innovative
preclinical and clinical research to better understand
the underlying biomechanical mechanisms and
pathophysiology associated with assorted complex blast
polytraumas. Investigative conditions may include (but
are not limited to) a combination of blast-related
traumatic brain injury(ies), peripheral neurotrauma,
pulmonary barotrauma, tissue avulsions, burns, traumatic
amputations, hemorrhage, and sensory organ
damage/dysfunction). Abstracts should address: 1. Blast
polytrauma effects on normal physiology, behavior,
and/or mortality; 2. Implications to warfighter
function, combat casualty care, and lethality; 3.
Potential pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic
intervention strategies |
| TBI Management: Epidemiology and Down Range
Management |
Traumatic Brain Injury Diagnosis and Treatment |
The purpose of this session is to present the
epidemiology and management of Traumatic Brain Injuries
in forward environments from mild to severe in nature.
Abstracts should address the epidemiology and management
of TBI’s ranging from mild to severe down range, early
treatment, prolonged care in combat (or delayed
evacuation situations), return to duty, and readiness. |
| Novel Strategies for Treatment of Shock or Blood
Failure: Blood and Blood Products |
Hemorrhage Control/Blood Products |
Abstracts should address: (1) Shock mitigation
strategies, (2) Hemostasis and Coagulopathy, (3) Current
and new directions of blood and blood products for
treatment of shock-related trauma. |
| Remote Damage Control Resuscitation (RDCR):
Innovations to prolong the "Golden Hour" |
Hemorrhage Control/Blood Products |
This breakout session focuses on new developments in
far-forward, initial resuscitation and prolonged care
for casualties at risk for hemorrhagic shock and
noncompressible hemorrhage, to include new technologies
and TTP‘s for contingency blood transfusion,
identification of casualties at risk for development of
coagulopathy, emerging monitoring and documentation
devices to support prehospital casualty care, and
educational interventions to support the remote damage
control resuscitation paradigm. |
| Technologies for the Treatment of Battlefield
Hemorrhage and Management of Vascular Dysfunction |
Hemorrhage Control/Blood Products |
The purpose of this session is to present innovative
preclinical and clinical research to enable critical
care and casualty management capabilities for the
treatment of battlefield hemorrhage and associated
vascular dysfunction. Abstracts should focus on
hemorrhage control using hemostatic materiel solutions,
to include drugs that protect from the onset of vascular
dysfunction. Specifically, they should (1) Define the
need for hemostatic products in a military-relevant
setting (i.e., epidemiological data, justification for
use in prolonged field care settings), (2) show the
safety & effectiveness for hemostatic products in
controlling blood loss (i.e., preclinical, clinical
data, real world evidence to inform clinical practice
guidelines), (3) Define current and novel hemostatic
products that take advantage of physiological factors to
direct and optimize their use in combat casualty care,
(4) Define mechanism and novel drugs that target
components of the vascular and lymphatics to mitigate
the onset of vascular dysfunction and tissue edema. |
| Cellular Therapeutics for Treatment of Shock and
Trauma |
Hemorrhage Control/Blood Products |
Abstracts should address: (1) Cellular therapeutics
for use in trauma indications, (2) Biology and mechanism
of cellular therapeutics, (3) Current and new directions
in cellular therapeutics, and (4) Cellular therapeutic
processing, manufacturing, storage, and delivery. |
| 4 Legged Warriors: Military Working Dogs at the Tip
of the Spear |
Infectious Disease Prevention and Treatment &
Occupational and Environmental Exposures |
Abstracts should address: 1. Infectious disease
threats to military working dogs in CONUS/OCONUS
deployed environments, 2. occupational exposures and
illness by MWDs to include areas where they may serve as
sentinels of human exposure events, 3. Hemorrhage and/or
shock control treatments/products, 4. MWD
decontamination techniques, tips, and/or products along
with lessons learned |
| Global Health Engagement Research in Combatant
Commands |
Global Health Engagement |
Global health engagement research consists of
programs and questions that involve interactions with
our international partners. Abstracts should address
defining these types of engagements, how they assist
CCMDS in theater security cooperation, how they build
capacity (whether US or partner nation), how they are
measured for effectiveness and what the gaps in research
are across CCMDs. This includes expeditionary
laboratories, medical diplomacy, international
partnerships, and disease surveillance and outbreak
response. |
| MHSRS 2024
Focus Area |
| Warfighter
Performance |
|
Breakout Session |
Topic Area |
Session Description |
| Warfighter Brain Health: Advances in Optimizing and
Sustaining Cognitive Performance |
Brain Health |
Abstracts should address: 1) Research aimed at
informing cognitive baseline of military specific
metrics (e.g., perception, attention, memory, executive
control, decision-making, problem solving) 2)Research
that informs best practices for maintaining and
maximizing cognitive performance as it relates to
operational performance 3) Neuromodulation technology
(e.g., magnetic, electrical stimulation, infrared) for
optimizing warfighter brain health to improve
operational performance or aid in recovery from
prolonged operations/injury. |
| Brain Impact of Sub concussive Blast Exposure in
Military Service Members: Implications for Prevention
and Health |
Blast |
Abstracts should address: 1. Delineation of
thresholds at which sub concussive blast exposure (SCBE)
has a measurable impact on the brain, particularly with
repeat exposures; 2. Evidence that helps to better
define which components of SCBE, such as peak impulse,
peak blast overpressure, and cumulative blast
overpressure, are most significant in determining brain
impact; 3. Identification of outcome measures that most
effectively document the impact of SCBE on brain
function; and/or 4. Description of preventive efforts to
mitigate the adverse impact of SCBE, particularly with
repeat exposures. |
| Ocular Optimization:Before and After Injury |
Sensory System |
Vision is a critical component of warfighter
function. Improving visual acuity, reducing the risk of
vision loss from traumatic injury or illness, and
enhancing visual recovery after injury will directly
improve military force readiness. Abstracts for this
session should address: 1. Epidemiology of combat eye
injuries and illness; 2. Novel products or methods to
prevent, mitigate, or stabilize combat eye injuries in
the prehospital setting; 3. Innovative physiologic or
functional diagnostic strategies for use in deployed or
clinical setting; 4. Novel surgical, clinical, and
rehabilitative approaches to enhance visual recovery,
quality of life, and return to duty after ocular trauma. |
| Managing Fatigue in the DoD: Methodologies for Sleep
and Circadian Measurement |
Physiological Status |
Fatigue and sleep deprivation is common in the
military, and this impacts military performance and
readiness. Abstracts submitted to this session should
address: 1) physiological changes during fatigue and its
impact on performance and readiness 2) Specific
fatigue/sleep/circadian physiology measurement/biomarker
approaches, to include validation (e.g., wearables) 3)
Fatigue/sleep/circadian model approaches for
identification of population stratification for
intervention testing to improve management of sleep in
the DoD. |
| Optimizing the Human Weapon System: Utilizing
Wearable Sensors to Inform Readiness across the Joint
Force |
Physiological Status |
Utilizing wearable technologies with implementation
of data science will allow the DoD to think, learn, and
analyze essential human performance (HP) and wellness
data in an ecologically valid way. Abstracts submitted
to this session will inform best practices for utilizing
commercial wearable technologies to inform embedded
research in a connected garrison environment or a
disconnected operational environment. |
| Innovative Tools and Technologies for Pre-Predicting
and Assessing Musculoskeletal Injuries of the Warfighter |
Musculoskeletal Injury |
Abstracts should address one or more of the
following: 1. Devices and technologies being utilized
for predicting and monitoring musculoskeletal injuries
(MSKIs) and risk of injury in military personnel; 2.
Strategies being employed for screening military
personnel for MSKI risk based on demographic and
military occupation data; 3. Analytical tools for
predicting and preventing sustained MSKIs, understanding
MSKI risk, or optimizing warfighter performance; and 4.
Emerging opportunities for analysis of large datasets of
relevant health and performance data related to MSKI
risk using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or Machine
Learning (ML) frameworks. |
| Human Performance Optimization in Polar Environments |
Human Performance Optimization |
Military operations performed in cold and
high-altitude environments create operational challenges
for warfighters. Exposure to extreme cold or
high-altitude undermines performance and increases risk
for cold-weather injuries or high-altitude illnesses,
both of which compromise the health, readiness, and
effectiveness of warfighters. Abstracts submitted to
this session should address any of the following topics
with a specific focus on extreme cold and/or
high-altitude environments: (1) Sustaining physical and
cognitive performance; (2) Injury and illness
prevention, including physiological countermeasures; (3)
Gear, clothing, and human factor limitations; (4)
Medical treatment of cold-weather injuries and
high-altitude illnesses; (5) Cold-water immersion and
survivability; (6) Nutrition and Gut health; (7)
Instrumentation. |
| Current Challenges in DoD Aerospace Medicine |
Human Performance Optimization |
The military aviation environment poses many
challenges to the health and performance of aircraft
crews and passengers; aircraft occupants must also be
protected from the many physical and environmental
hazards inherent in operational flying. Aerospace
medicine practitioners are faced with a rapidly changing
landscape consisting of fitness-for-duty regulations,
options for maintaining or enhancing aircrew performance
under extremely stressful conditions, and a variety of
human-system interface problems related to new
equipment–including helmets, displays, life support
equipment, survival gear, and the aircraft itself. This
panel will bring together aviation medicine
professionals from around the DoD and internationally,
to discuss the latest challenges and developments in
this small field while illustrating its importance to
the audience, as well as the broad range of clinical and
operational challenges. |
| Undersea Operational Research Panel |
Human Performance Optimization |
The cognitive and physiological mission readiness,
safety, and health of DoD Divers, SEALs, and submariners
are critical to National Defense Strategy. We will
discuss recent findings from several laboratories
conducting assessment/mitigation RDT&E on important
undersea medical and operational risks/challenges
associated with diving, submarine operations, or
distressed submarine escape/rescue, such as: 1)
Undersea-specific effects/considerations of
Arctic/Cold-water exposure; 2) Toxicity effects (e.g.,
excess O2/CO2, atmospheric/water contaminants); 3)
Pressure effects (e.g., compression/decompression;
diving at altitude); 4) Exertion effects (e.g.,
cognitive effects during strenuous diving); 5) Other
effects revealed by studies of diver health
risks/outcomes. Empirical and epidemiological findings
will be presented concerning effects, readiness
measures, predictive models, countermeasures, and
technologies. |
| MHSRS 2024
Focus Area |
|
Return-to-Duty
|
|
Breakout Session |
Topic Area |
Session Description |
| Novel Interventions to Address Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder in Service Members and Veterans |
Psychological Health and Resilience |
Since service members (SMs) and veterans with PTSD
tend to have lower response rates than civilians, and
currently available treatments are often unappealing and
have high dropout rates, abstracts should address: 1.
Results of research that assess novel therapies for
PTSD, either alone or as adjuncts to current treatments;
2. Results of interventional trials in SMs or veterans
with PTSD and common comorbid conditions such as TBI,
depression, or alcohol use disorder; and/or 3.
Documentation of the benefit of efforts to improve
compliance and reduce dropout rates in the treatment of
PTSD in SMs and veterans. |
| Assuaging Agony: Novel Pain Therapeutics |
Pain Management |
Currently available analgesics can often effectively
treat battlefield pain, but they also carry significant
risk of side effects. Specifically, these drugs can
cause cognitive, motor, and cardiorespiratory
dysfunction, as well as long term addiction and
dependence. Drugs that do not induce these side effects
are typically less effective, and incomplete analgesia
can foster the chronification of pain. Therefore, novel
analgesics, combined therapies, or complementary
modalities are needed to adequately treat battlefield
pain and minimize the short- and long-term risks
associated with treatment. Abstracts should address: 1.
Novel analgesics/anesthetics for acute pain management;
2. Novel approaches to prevent chronification of pain;
3. Approaches to reduce analgesia-induced;
cognitive/motor deficits; 4. Combined and complementary
modalities of analgesia. |
| Advances in Regenerative Medicine from Point of
Injury to Definitive Care and Beyond |
Regenerative Medicine |
Abstracts should address regenerative medicine
centric approaches and products that provide innovative
and effective solutions to enhance functional outcomes
following injury closer to the point of need. Solutions
that can provide the framework for restoring form and
function to combat casualties, including but not limited
to: (1) Development and/or evaluation of regenerative
medicine therapies which aim to facilitate improved
functional outcomes following craniomaxillofacial,
extremity, genitourinary, lower abdomen, and skin
injuries; 2) Evaluation of adjunct therapies that might
enhance the efficacy of a primary regenerative medicine
intervention for the aforementioned conditions, or (3)
Advances in clinical translation of regenerative
medicine-based knowledge or materiel products. |
| Advancements in Prosthetic and Exoskeletal
Technologies that Facilitate Return to Duty Following
Neuromusculoskeletal Injuries |
Neuromusculoskeletal Injury Treatment |
Abstracts should address innovative solutions and
treatments involving prosthetic and exoskeletal
technologies aimed at facilitating return-to-duty
activities, to include: 1) Emerging exoskeletal
solutions; 2) maximization of tissue health between the
use and the device; 3) advanced rehabilitation therapies
to accelerate use of and function with a device; and 4)
optimization of device prescription. |
| Design, Prevent, and Implement: Advancements in
Osseointegration Technology and Outcomes |
Neuromusculoskeletal Injury |
Abstracts should address any of the following
osseointegration topic areas: (1) current and emerging
technologies; (2) prevention of complications; (3)
clinical trials, practices, and outcomes. |
| Solutions to Accelerate Recovery from
Neuromusculoskeletal Injury |
Neuromusculoskeletal Injury |
Abstracts should address non-surgical interventions
for the treatment and rehabilitation of
neuromusculoskeletal injury with a focus on optimization
of outcomes and return to duty: Abstracts may
address:(1) rehabilitation interventions, (2) biologic
or drug-based therapies, (3) confounders to successful
recovery. This session does not address neurological
conditions. |
| Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention: Highlighting
Vulnerable Warfighters |
Neuromusculoskeletal Injury |
Abstracts should focus on individual and unit-level
solutions for mitigating MSKI risk to include: (1)
Tailored considerations for injury prevention in female
warfighters, (2) Strategies for mitigating injuries
during training, (3) Approaches to secondary injury
prevention for warfighters returning from injury or
limited-duty status. (4) Considerations related to NSAID
utilization on the Warfighter. |
| Improving Traumatic Wound Healing and Recovery |
Neuromusculoskeletal Injury |
Excessive scar formation from trauma is a central
barrier to the regeneration of musculoskeletal and
neural tissues. Abstract should address any of the
following topic areas (1) modern techniques to treat
wound healing and minimize scar formation; (2) methods
to promote proper wound closure; (3) regeneration of
damaged tissue. |
