JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash.: Col. David McCune, research consultant, Regional Health Command-Pacific, or RHC-P, and a team of researchers from Madigan Army Medical Center attended a Feb. 1 meeting hosted by the University of Washington College of Engineering. This first-of-its-kind joint gathering was part of the Regional Health Command -- Pacific's (RHC-P) effort to reach out to new partners to address the health care needs of service members and military families.
"The researchers presented a number of challenging issues that affect the readiness of the force and the health of families," McCune said. "We had presentations that included diagnosing stress fractures, creating new tools to treat battlefield injuries, and using wearable technology to better diagnose autism."
The meeting was the brainchild of McCune and Dr. Santosh Devasia, PhD, associate dean of the UW College of Engineering.
"UW has a program called 'Engineering in Medicine,'" McCune said. "I saw some of the ideas that their teams came up with in the past, and I got the impression that this was an untapped resource. By bringing together the knowledge and creativity of the College of Engineering with the medical expertise of our medical providers, I have high hopes that we will come up with some great solutions."
University officials were also happy with the outcome.
"I am very interested in supporting this expansion as we work to connect faculty with appropriate counterparts with the Army," Devasia said.
McCune pointed out that the program is not confined to one school or academic area.
"RHC-P has been pursuing a strategy of reaching out to innovators everywhere. Whether it is the academic sector, non-profits, or the private sector, we see a great synergy when we bring together military and civilian experts," he said.
According to McCune, the next steps are already underway.
"Our researchers are working with their UW counterparts to identify the right diseases to target. A number of the researchers are planning to apply jointly for grant funding, and we even identified other areas of interest for future conversations. I am very appreciative of Dr. Devasia and the university for trying something a bit non-traditional. I think great things will come from it," McCune said.
The researchers from the Madigan included Col. Richard Burney, chief of the Department of Clinical Investigation; Lt. Col. Eric Flake, director of the Developmental Pediatrics Fellowship; Capt. John Kuckelman and Capt. Morgan Barron, Madigan's Department of General Surgery; and Dr. Mary McCarthy, PhD, Center for Nursing Science and Clinical Inquiry.
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