Emergency Medicine Researchers Lead Innovation at Military Health Science Research Symposium

That research was on full display at this year’s Military Health Science Research Symposium (MHSRS), hosted by the Department of Defense (DOD), where researchers and faculty members from the University of Colorado Department of Emergency Medicine presented new scientific findings. This year, researchers from the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, including collaborators and faculty members from the CU Anschutz Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research, Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative (FIPI) and Airway, Trauma, Lung injury, and Sepsis (ATLAS) Research group presented at the symposium in Kissimmee, Florida. “We left the symposium feeling energized and motivated,” says Vik Bebarta, MD, professor of emergency medicine at the CU School of Medicine and director of the Center for COMBAT Research. For Bebarta, the collaboration at MHSRS feels different this year and has evolved with CU Anschutz’s commitment to increase collaborations between military personnel and CU on joint research, education, and development of new techniques to meet the health care needs of future battlefield spaces. “Events like this are critical for collaboration and help us provide quicker solutions for military medical care,” says Bebarta. “There are a wide range of focus areas that have specific impacts on military medicine, so the researchers are often approached for guidance or expertise at the event, in addition to presenting.” “This year, there was a keen interest in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and medical technology to keep the future of military medicine front of mind,” says Bebarta.