Brain Health Takes Center Stage at USU Symposium, Experts Call for Collaborative Action

USU convened a Brain Health Symposium on December 5, 2024, co-hosted by the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, to highlight the latest USU advancements in brain health research and its critical implications for military personnel.

December 10, 2024 by Sharon Holland

The Uniformed Services University (USU) convened a Brain Health Symposium on December 5, 2024, co-hosted by the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, to highlight the latest USU advancements in brain health research and its critical implications for military personnel. Aligned with the Department of Defense's Warfighter Brain Health Initiative, the event emphasized USU's role in enhancing the cognitive performance and resilience of service members. Embracing a communicating "science for the people" approach, the symposium translated complex research into clear, actionable insights, ensuring service members, families, and the broader community could engage with and apply these findings.

Dr. Jonathan Woodson, President of USU, opened the symposium by emphasizing the essential role brain health plays in the military. "Brain health is foundational to readiness, resilience, and the performance of our armed forces. It is also critical to ensuring the high quality of life for our service members and veterans long after they leave military service," he said.

Woodson underscored the importance of collaboration, reminding attendees, "Brain health remains an evolving frontier in medicine, one that demands collaboration across disciplines, institutions, and even nations. This is why today's symposium is so critical-it serves as a catalyst for generating new ideas that will drive transformative progress."

Ms. Seileen Mullen, acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, built on this sentiment. "A top priority for the Department of Defense, the Military Health System, and each of the individual Services is to take care of its people," she stated. "This includes promoting, protecting, and sustaining brain health while reducing traumatic brain injury in all its forms." Mullen highlighted the department's comprehensive Warfighter Brain Health Strategy, to guide medical and operational research efforts across the Department of Defense.

Mullen also noted the symposium's significance, saying, "These are not simple problems with easy solutions. Addressing brain health effectively requires an integrated approach involving academic communities, scientists, government and private industry, clinical practitioners, patient advocates, and policymakers all working in concert."

She outlined specific priorities, including refining safety standards for blast overpressure exposure and developing tools and treatments to mitigate risks and optimize outcomes. Mullen concluded with a call to action, urging continued investment in research and innovation. "Military service will always carry risk," she said, "but we owe it to the volunteers who readily take on the dangers of protecting us all to listen to what servicemembers are telling us, and to continue to invest in understanding brain health, in developing policy and processes for safer training and operations, and to innovations in treatment."

Retired U.S. Army General Peter W. Chiarelli, former Army Vice Chief of Staff, a staunch advocate for mental and physical health, delivered a compelling keynote address, urging a reevaluation of the medical research ecosystem. He stressed the necessity for a comprehensive research strategy, heightened collaboration, and a resolute focus on patient outcomes.

"I really believe that the medical research ecosystem needs to take a hard look at doing things differently, and I'm presenting that to this audience because I think this is an audience that could do things differently. You are focused on the patient, the service member, the family that is affected by traumatic brain injury," Chiarelli said.

The symposium served as a platform for showcasing USU research advancements in areas such as concussion recovery, diagnostic tools, and therapies for mental health resilience. The effects of blast overpressure on brain health emerged as a prominent concern, prompting discussions on refining safety standards and understanding the long-term consequences of exposure.

Dr. Katharine Stout, branch chief of the TBI Center of Excellence, underscored the importance of translating research findings into clinical practice, ensuring that service members with brain injuries receive comprehensive care. "How do we get information from our operational leaders and service members to advance the science, so we get ahead of the injury, prevention, and mitigation?" she asked the audience.

Ms. Tracie Lattimore, acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Readiness Policy and Oversight, provided a comprehensive overview of the Warfighter Brain Health Initiative, emphasizing its integration of research, clinical science, and policy to optimize outcomes for service members across the brain health continuum. Highlighting the shift from focusing solely on traumatic brain injuries to a broader approach, she underscored strategies like cognitive performance optimization, pre-injury preparation, and post-injury recovery and the scientific investigation that underscores those continually evolving clinical and policy approaches. "If we don't get together and figure out how to change this research landscape, troubleshoot on the front end, and have more precise thinking, we risk repeating past failures," she stated.

Recent advancements include a brain monitoring program that has already screened 34,000 service members, efforts to digitize exposure records for real-time application, and policy changes like the Marine Corps' shift to simulations for Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle exercises. "We have to mitigate immediate risks, plan for near-term objectives, and take care of people now and in the long term," Lattimore explained, emphasizing the initiative's commitment to both prevention and optimizing care for those already affected.

Throughout the symposium, the recurring theme was the imperative for ongoing research, collaboration, and innovation to optimize brain health and enhance the lives of service members, veterans, and their families. USU scientists presented more than 20 lectures spanning the breadth of the DoD Warfighter Brain Health Initiative lines of effort, including:

Woodson summarized the day's events, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and innovation in advancing brain health research. He highlighted that successful outcomes depend on the persistent, bi-directional communication between medical and operational teams, as well as the need to rethink research design in the era of technology and AI.

"Innovation is going to happen at the intersection of bringing people together who don't typically work together and challenging each other in terms of our paradigm of thinking," he remarked.

In closing, Woodson reminded attendees, "This is just the beginning of a journey, and together, we will continue to bridge gaps and shape the future of brain health."