The DHA Research and Engineering Directorate leads the discovery of innovative medical solutions responsive to the needs of combatant commands, the military services, and the Military Health System. The directorate guides research investments in military health and medicine that lead to solutions to enhance future warfighter health and readiness.
R&E manages the enterprise research portfolio to improve medical care for service members, their families, and all Military Health System beneficiaries. This includes the Defense Health Program Research, Development, Test and Evaluation appropriations that support the health and medical mission of the MHS. The directorate guides innovative medical materiel products and clinical practice knowledge solutions from concept to product development. R&E also oversees several MHS centers of excellence which advance scientific knowledge and evidence-based practices to diagnose and treat conditions that impact service members and other beneficiaries.
R&E achieves its mission by:
-
Strategically managing the enterprise research portfolio to meet prioritized needs
- Producing new knowledge through health studies and analyses
- Synthesizing evidence from existing knowledge
- Applying findings to promote the adoption and integration of evidence-based solutions to improve health outcomes
R&E Divisions
Develops research investment strategies for the Defense Health Program Science & Technology Program based on validated, prioritized joint requirements and manages the transition of successful S&T efforts into appropriate translational pathways to enhance warfighter medical care and inform health policy.
Supports and enables enterprise-wide scientific studies, research activities, and analyses to advance research priorities. The division performs research support functions in joint clinical investigations, implementation science, military health system research, regional research support centers and enterprise support for clinical trials and research data management.
Our division includes:
- Regional Research Support Centers
- Research Data Management
- Clinical Trails Coordination
The National Museum of Health and Medicine was established during the Civil War as the Army Medical Museum, a center for the collection of specimens and artifacts for research related to trauma and pathology. The museum's mission to preserve and explore the impact of military medicine spans more than 150 years and includes each major U.S. armed conflict.
Centers of Excellence
Conducts, evaluates, and translates the latest research into evidence-based practice for psychological health, ocular health, auditory and vestibular health, traumatic brain injury, and extremity injuries.
The EACE leads the advancement of extremity trauma related discovery and clinical practice to optimize outcomes of service members, veterans, and beneficiaries while meeting the needs of the Combatant Commands and the Military Health System. The EACE is committed to ensuring a better future for those with extremity trauma.
The Defense Health Agency's Hearing Center of Excellence works to improve hearing and balance health.
The Psychological Health Center of Excellence is one of the Centers of Excellence within the Research and Engineering Directorate of the Defense Health Agency. PHCoE collaborates across the Department of Defense and with the Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies to provide leadership and expertise to inform policy and drive improvements in psychological health outcomes.
TBICoE supports the MHS and DHA with traumatic brain injury research initiatives, including gap-driven analyses and congressionally directed programs such as the 15-year longitudinal study of TBI and an investigation into the effects of blast exposure on Warfighter Brain Health and Performance.
The VCE was created by Congress through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to address military eye injuries. This includes:
- Prevention
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Rehabilitation
- Visual system disorders including:
- Vision problems linked to traumatic brain injury
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Last Updated: July 22, 2025