Army researcher helps keep world from going viral

By Jessica ObermeyerDecember 18, 2008

Dr. Hensley
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
TOYP Award
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Dec. 18, 2008) -- Dr. Lisa Hensley helps prevent the spread of infectious diseases and finds vaccines to keep troops safe while deployed or at home.

Hensley, chief of Viral Therapeutics at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, discussed her latest work during a Dec. 15 roundtable with on-line journalists.

USAMRIID, located at Fort Detrick, Md., conducts research and develops medical solutions to protect servicemembers from biological threats. Working alongside other organizations such as the Centers of Disease and Prevention and the World Health Organization, USAMRIID investigates emerging diseases.

In addition to studying viral hemorrhagic fevers such as the Ebola and Marburg virus, the Virology Division's research has expanded to therapeutics and testing vaccines. The agency also looks into emerging threats and how they affect the Army.

"Whenever there is a new and emerging virus that is of relevance to the Army or that could be a potential threat to the Army, we are asked to respond," said Hensley, who has been at USAMRIID since 1997, after graduating from the University of North Carolina and spending a year at the National Institute of Health.

While USAMRIID's stated mission is "to research toward countermeasures, medical countermeasures, and to defend against biological threat agents," Hensley said the ultimate goal is to protect the Soldiers and other servicemembers.

Active disease surveillance, said Hensley, is a critical aspect of reducing the spread of a virus and finding its vaccine.

"We reach out to partner countries and countries where resources are lacking - places where you might find these viruses emerging," she said.

USAMRIID's partner, the World Health Organization, also takes an active stance in reaching out to countries in need.

"Mainly, it has been a lot of patience as well as trying to find a few key members within the community to bring on board to the program," she said. "I think it helps you tremendously when the community realizes you are there to help and that there's somebody from their local community working for them."

One important measure when dealing with emerging infections is universal precautions, according to Hensley.

"What really brings many of these epidemics under control are standard public health measures along with good diagnostics," she said.

Hensley points out that financial support to biodefense has led to many advancements for USAMRIID.

"This money is allowing facilities to expand, it's allowing us to do more research, and the attention has also allowed us to reach out more into the scientific community to have more collaborators. It allows us to bring in some of the best and brightest who are out there to either work at USAMRIID or to work with us," she said.

Hensley said that in the post-2001 world, there is a greater appreciation for the type of work that USAMRIID does.

"I think there's a really good team effort at USAMRIID. It's not just the scientists, but the support staff and the people who keep the building running. They really believe in the mission we're here for."