The purpose of the Defense Health Agency Clinical Investigations Program Office is to improve health and readiness by facilitating the execution of scholarly activity (training, research, and clinical investigations) to support Graduate Health Science Education and allied health programs. Located at Defense Health Headquarters in Falls Church, VA, CIPO provides administrative oversight for the Clinical Investigation Programs at military hospitals and clinics.
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Functions
The CIP Branch operates under five functional areas
- Management: Alignment of MTF CIPs with DHA strategic drivers and MTF Graduate Medical Education program director requirements
- Resources: Advocating for the necessary scope, staffing, and resources for MTF CIPs
- Policy: Executing policies and procedures required in key CIP-related DHA Instructions
- Overarching Support Mechanisms: Developing support mechanisms for MTF CIPs based on organizational needs and changes
- Processes: Promoting standardization of CIP practices
CIP and Scholarly Activity
Scholarly activity is creative work used to advance existing or gain new knowledge, methods, materials, or uses in teaching or discovery. It is a common requirement for Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accreditation. The CIP Branch facilitates completion of scholarly activities in support of graduate health science education accreditation.
The vision of the Clinical Investigations Program Office is to foster a dynamic environment of innovation and learning that drives excellence in military medicine.
The CIP Branch supports operational training and research requirements of more than 500 graduate medical, nursing, dental, and graduate health sciences education programs with over 10,000 trainees.
Policies
The CIPO issued three DHA publications to standardize procedures, support research, and ensure a stable financial foundation for CIP programs in the MHS.
- DHA-Procedural Instruction 3200.02: Clinical Investigation Program at MTFs: Implements DOD Instruction 6000.08 and provides details on CIPO execution
- DHA-Technical Manual 3200.02: Scientific Review: Provides guidance to ensure CIPO supports research and clinical investigations that are feasible and scientifically sound
Young Investigator Competition
The CIPO established the annual CIP Young Investigator Competition to showcase emerging researchers from MTF CIPs and to demonstrate the value of graduate health sciences education research to the MHS. The branch hosted its 2025 Young Investigator Competition in March 2025. U.S. Army Capt. Cecelia Brown won the oral competition for the research titled “Factors Associated with Physical Fitness Test Failure: Risk among Active-Duty Service Members with a History of Fracture.” U.S. Army Capt. Josephine Pierce Pucci won the poster competition for the research titled “In Vitro and In Vivo Analysis of a Novel Bubble BiPAP Device for Infants in Respiratory Distress in Austere Settings.”
Annual Report
The CIPO Annual Reports provide a detailed overview of the CIPO and showcase the significant achievements of DHA graduate health science education and allied health professionals.
DHA Research Resources
Visit the DHA Research Resources page for a list of resources to help investigators navigate the DHA research process in the areas of surveys and questionnaires, human subjects review, data sharing agreements, funding, general resources, and database resources.
Questions about CIP? Email dha.cipo@health.mil