Research, engagement critical in the fight against global health threatsDr. David Smith, acting principal deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, delivers the keynote address at the Military Health System Research Symposium opening session Aug. 27.Global engagement involving U.S. military medical research is key in the fight against global health threats. The impact of this research on national security, partner capacity, and operational readiness is undeniable, as leaders dive into the need for continued vigilance and collaboration on and off the battlefield.
Dr. David Smith, acting principal deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, said the importance of medical research cannot be overstated in a rapidly changing global landscape. As world events continue to demand military engagement in unpredictable ways, the Military Health System is prepared to respond, he added.
“A broad spectrum of threats requires a broad spectrum of research and solutions,” said Smith, the keynote speaker at the Military Health System Research Symposium opening session Aug. 27. “Our advancements in the collaborative, innovative medical research environment clearly help the health of the military community at large, and save lives both on and off the battlefield.”
The symposium, which has grown from 1,500 registered attendees to more than 2,700 in three years, highlights military research topics, products, and news from across the services, industry partners, and academia.
Research throughout the Department of Defense plays a major role in building capacity with other nations, reducing global health and security threats, and increasing operational readiness, said Smith. Missions conducted through the DoD’s 10 laboratories around the globe help the prevention and detection of international health threats through regional partnerships and joint research projects.
“Across the board, our research and development work in the context of global health proves to be an important mutually beneficial entry point to build partner capacity and help engage more effectively with our partners so that when the next disease outbreak or disaster happens, we can better and more rapidly mitigate the impact,” said Smith.
Vice Admiral Raquel C. Bono, director of Defense Health Agency, said the greatest value in research and development is that it encourages a new way of thinking. By challenging conventional thoughts, researchers and leaders can find alternate solutions and what needs to be done to implement new solutions.
“As we’re moving into this particular environment of significant fiscal austerity, I think we also need to be prepared to share the value of the research we’re doing and how it’s making a difference,” said Bono.
The Defense Health Agency is looking to standardize its own internal processes to build an in-depth collection and translation of knowledge, said Bono. With a goal of creating joint operational health services and optimizing care, the services are working toward creating more common standards and procedures.
“We need a ready and lethal total force that is stronger, faster, smarter, better equipped, more resilient and just more capable than our adversaries,” said Terry Rauch, acting deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Health Readiness Policy and Oversight. “That’s what we need to aim for.”
While basic research can be a risky business, learning from failures that arise helps improve the odds for better outcomes as research progresses, said Rauch, who also serves as the director of medical research and development for deployment medicine and force health protection. As products move from research labs to the commercial sector, the impact of research and development on the readiness of the services and their families becomes clear.
“It’s the people in this room – military, civilian, academic, or industry – that serve as the critical human foundation, if you will, for what we have achieved, both on the battlefield and here at home,” said Smith. “I’m grateful for your commitment and perseverance in conducting the exceptional scientific research that has allowed us to advance the standard of care across some of the most challenging environments imaginable.”
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Researchers at MHSRS encouraged to ‘lean forward’ to the point of feeling uncomfortableSean Biggerstaff, acting director for the Research and Development directorate for the Defense Health Agency, speaks during a roundtable session with senior medical leaders and representatives of all the services at the Military Health System Research Symposium this week in Kissimmee, Florida.
The battlefield of the future is not the battlefield of the past. Military health researchers need to lean forward and be ready for the changes ahead. These are two of the messages from the Military Health System Research Symposium going on this week in Kissimmee, Florida.
“The challenges that we are going to be facing are global in nature,” said Navy Capt. Joseph Cohn, director of the Research, Development and Acquisition Advanced Development program at the Defense Health Agency. “That means the solutions we produce from research and development need to be equally broad, equally global. We need to be agile and flexible in our solutions. To do that, we need to be willing to take risks, willing to step outside our comfort zones.”
Cohn moderated a roundtable of senior medical leaders from the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Defense Health Agency, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, talking about the medical requirements the future will bring. The roundtable included Navy Rear Adm. Colin Chinn, Joint Staff Surgeon, advising the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on medical issues for all the forces; Navy Capt. Navy Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham, deputy chief, readiness and health, Navy Bureau of Medicine; Dr. Richard Thomas, president, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; Dr. Kenneth Bertram, principal assistant for acquisition, Army Medical, Research and Material Command; Air Force Brig. Gen. Mark Koeniger, 711th Human Performance Wing, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; and Sean Biggerstaff, acting director for the Research and Development directorate for the Defense Health Agency.
“You don’t ever want to feel comfortable as a scientist, because if you are, someone is about to overtake you or the world’s about to change around you, and you’re not going to be prepared for it,” said Biggerstaff, reflecting Cohn’s comments of encouraging researchers at the symposium to lean forward. “What we’re focused on ultimately at the end of the day is to make sure we have in place the ability to transition material products [and] knowledge products into clinical practice.”
Chinn emphasized having medical solutions that reflect the worldwide and multi-dimensional nature of threats against the U.S. military on the horizon.
“The joint force must focus on globally integrated operations, in which a globally postured force can quickly combine, accomplish its mission, and then … go to the next tasking,” said Chinn, who recently became Joint Staff Surgeon after serving as the director of research and development for the Defense Health Agency. “The joint medical force likewise must be able to operate in this environment … [with] health systems that are modular, agile, networked, and interoperable among the services and our coalition partners to support the joint force. The medical research and development community – all of you – must be poised to help develop solutions that are agile [and] integrated.”
Once those solutions are developed, it’s up to organizations, such as the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, to train the doctors, nurses, and care providers how to use these new solutions, said Thomas.
When asked if the current military medicine research and development enterprise is structured to adapt to the speed of modern warfare, Thomas said yes … and no.
“We have improved and come a long way in the last 12 to 15 years, because of the demands on the Military Health System to address those things facing challenges. Taking care of folks is what we do,” he said. “But there’s a long way to go.”
“We need to find innovative ways to get [from ideas] to products quicker,” said Chinn, who also encouraged military medical researchers to look what’s happening at military hospitals and clinics. “Take lessons from that, because we all can do it better.”
The symposium, which concludes Wednesday, brings together more than 2,700 attendees from across the government and academia to focus on the unique medical needs of the military.
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McCaffery meets the MHS at MHSRSJust four days into his new job as the acting assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Tom McCaffery addresses members of the Military Health System during the MHS Research Symposium, Aug. 28, 2017, in Kissimmee, Florida.Just four days into his new job as the acting assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Tom McCaffery addresses members of the Military Health System during the MHS Research Symposium, Aug. 28, 2017, in Kissimmee, Florida. McCaffery said he was honored to join the organization and hopes to tap into his extensive experience in civilian health care and state government to help move the MHS forward.
“It’s very interesting that much of what I’ve done during my time in the private sector health care industry and in state government around improving coordination of care, improving health outcomes, and ensuring we deliver care in the most effective and efficient means, are all things that are much of the focus of the Military Health System,” he said.
McCaffery also thanked Dr. Dave Smith, acting principal deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, for his service as the acting secretary of Defense for Health Affairs since January and for his support moving forward.
The Military Health System Research Symposium brings together more than 2,700 attendees and is the only large, broad-based research conference focusing on the unique medical needs of the military.
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