Skip main navigation

Military Health System

Clear Your Browser Cache

This website has recently undergone changes. Users finding unexpected concerns may care to clear their browser's cache to ensure a seamless experience.

Uniformed Services University Shares Vital Research on Military Health at Meetings on Ukraine

Image of Military personnel and researchers pose for picture. From left, U.S. Army Col. (Dr.) Sebastian Schnellbacher, deputy commander for clinical services, Munson Army Health Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Uniformed Services University’s U.S. Army Col. (Dr.) Vincent Capaldi, chair of the department of psychiatry; Dr. James “Curt” West, USU vice chair for research; and U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Eric Meyer, who specialized in military cultural competence. The three USU researchers recently presented at two meetings in Poland on brain health and mental challenges for Ukraine’s armed forces. (USU photo courtesy of Vincent Capaldi)

Uniformed Services University researchers in psychiatry and psychology presented at two recent meetings in Poland in February and March 2024 on warfighter brain health and its impact on Ukrainian warfighters.

The multi-day March event was a Department of Defense-sponsored symposium dedicated to addressing the comprehensive spectrum of brain health, encompassing both traumatic brain injury and mental health challenges. Kathy Lee, the DOD director for warfighter brain health policy, made two presentations about traumatic brain injury while at the U.S.-Ukraine medical symposium on brain health, specifically the TBI pathway of care in the field and at military hospitals and clinics and lessons from the field for mild TBI—more commonly known as concussion.

The objectives of the symposium were:

  • Evaluating brain health in the context of the war in Ukraine
  • Developing integrated brain health strategies
  • Enhancing brain health science through international cooperation

USU’s U.S. Army Col. (Dr.) Vincent Capaldi, chair of the department of psychiatry, gave two presentations: “The Importance of Sleep in Military Operations,” and “Treating Acute Stress Reaction: iCOVER: Using Technology in Psychiatry.”

Dr. James “Curt” West, USU department of psychiatry vice chair for research, presented a talk on "Frontline Support: The Value of Embedded Mental Health Programs in the Military."

In 2023, West and then-U.S. Public Health Service Capt. (Dr.) Joshua Morganstein, deputy director of USU’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, created a groundbreaking online course, “Disaster and Prevention Psychiatry: Protecting Health and Fostering Community Resilience,” with the American Psychiatric Association.

The course provides a comprehensive focus on public mental health principles and how they affect individuals and their disrupted communities in times of rising global disasters and conflict. First responders, disaster workers, policy makers, and community leaders are encouraged to take the course.

During the most recent symposium, USU Center for Deployment Psychology Director William Brim, a doctorate in psychology, presented his research on deployment and redeployment-related mental health issues, specifically assessment and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and insomnia.

Also in attendance were USU School of Medicine faculty members:

  • U.S. Air Force neurologist Lt. Col. (Dr.) Thomas Bayuk, whose specialty is sports neurology and concussion
  • Dr. Warren Dorlac, who specializes in trauma surgery and trauma care
  • Dr. John Holcomb, whose expertise includes whole blood and casualty evacuations and who has visited Ukraine repeatedly to work as a trauma surgeon for a nonprofit.
  • U.S. Air Force Lt. Col.(Dr.) Eric Meyer (military cultural competence).

Meyer presented an “Overview of Combat & Operational Stress Control” and an “Introduction to Psychological First Aid."

In February 2024, researchers from USU’s Center for Deployment Psychology and Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress attended the “Ukraine Research Needs and Capabilities Symposium” in Poland. That meeting welcomed more than 40 U.S. and Ukrainian combat casualty care experts to discuss ethical considerations and operational and regulatory controls related to medical research in Ukraine.

There, Brim and CSTS Associate Director, Dr. David Benedek, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience, presented on current and future mental health training and research in Ukraine. Benedek’s interests lie in traumatic stress responses.

You also may be interested in...

Article Around MHS
Jul 25, 2023

Defense Public Health Experts Investigate If Minority Group Service Members are More Likely to Experience Behavioral Health Problems

A recent Department of Defense study found American Indian and Alaska Native U.S. Army Soldiers had higher rates of suicidal ideation than white soldiers. The DOD is investigating behavioral health disparities among minority groups in the military to see how they might mirror similar disparities in the civilian population. (Graphic illustration: Steven Basso, Defense Centers for Public Health-Aberdeen)

U.S. public health agencies such as the National Institute of Mental Health have recognized that certain minority groups appear to experience greater risk for certain behavioral health disorders. The higher rates of adverse health problems in minority groups are often referred to as “disparities.”

Article Around MHS
Jul 18, 2023

Tips for Managing Post-PCS Stress

PCS Stress inforgraphic

Moving season is in full swing for many military families. The process of a Permanent Change of Station, or PCS, can be both exciting and stressful. We've got some tips to help ease the rigors of relocation.

Article Around MHS
Jul 6, 2023

Uniformed Services University Psychiatrists Develop Global Disaster and Preventive Psychiatry Training for American Psychiatric Association

The Uniformed Services University, in conjunction with the American Psychiatric Association, has created a new course titled "Disaster and Prevention Psychiatry: Protecting Health and Fostering Community Resilience." USU's new course was created through its department of psychiatry and the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress in conjunction with the APA. (Photo: Uniformed Services University)

In the wake of rising global disasters and their impact on the population, the Uniformed Services University, in conjunction with the American Psychiatric Association, has created a first-of-its-kind course to understand and prepare for such crises.

Article Around MHS
May 26, 2023

Walter Reed Expert Shares Five Ways to Prioritize Mental Health

Dr. Diaz discusses the importance of mental fitness with U.S. Army Pvt. 2 Kaliyah Rowan at the Mental Fitness Information table during Staff Resiliency Week at Walter Reed. Diaz says prioritizing mental health is key to building resilience, and shared five ways staff members can do just that in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. (Photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jesse Sharpe, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center)

In today's fast-paced health care environment, it's more important than ever to prioritize mental health to build resilience, and in honor of National Mental Health Awareness Month and Staff Resiliency Week at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Dr. Kristine Diaz, a personnel psychologist, shares five ways staff members can prioritize their ...

Article Around MHS
May 22, 2023

New Mental Health Care Initiative Improves Access to Care and Readiness

A room plaque for the 341st Operational Medical Readiness Squadron mental health flight is pictured inside the base clinic June 23, 2021, at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. The mental health flight offers mental health services to active duty members and manages the Family Advocacy and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment programs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Heather Heiney)

For more than a year, the Air Force Medical Service has been rolling out Mental Health Targeted Care, an initiative that helps Airmen and Guardians understand all of the available options for support and connects them to the right resource either in a mental health clinic or outside the military hospital with another supporting agency that best meets ...

Skip subpage navigation
Refine your search
Last Updated: May 14, 2024
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery