Military Health Research at UT Health San Antonio

Trauma Research and Combat Casualty Care Collaborative

The Trauma Research and Combat Casualty Care Collaborative (TRC4) is a newly funded trauma UT System-wide consortium. The UT Health San Antonio Department of Surgery will lead the effort, coordinating innovative research in trauma for the UT System. This consortium will engage with military health research, ensuring the advancement of studies that impact the readiness of our military and the care of our wounded warriors.

Collaborations

  • University Health​
  • Army Institute of Surgical Research (ISR)​
  • 59th Medical Wing (59 MDW)​
  • Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU)​
  • South Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC)

Human Optimization Partnership

The Human Optimization Partnership is a joint effort between leaders in the field of human performance. The Military Health Institute helped secure a $5,000,000 appropriation in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This funding will provide start-up costs to create a collaborative that is focused on enhancing the performance of elite athletes and high performing military operators. This collaborative will conduct military health research, focused on improving the performance outcomes of our nations servicemembers and veterans.

Mission:

  • Develop evidence-based tools and treatments to improve soldier training, resiliency, and response to injury.
  • Collaborations
    • UTSA​
    • Southwest Research Institute​
    • BAMC​
    • Center for the Intrepid (Army)​
    • Human Performance Support Group (Air Force)​
    • Audie Murphy VA​

Combat Medical Skills Sustainment Consortium

The Combat Medical Skills Sustainment Consortium is a collaboration between multiple universities (listed below) who are interested in measuring combat medical skills decay. Funded initially through a grant from the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC), this consortium finds ways to mitigate skills decay and to enhance the capabilities of our nation’s combat medics.

Mission:

  • Establish expert performance criteria ​
  • Examine existing training programs
  • Adapt existing training modules or construct new where appropriate
  • Measure the decay in these skills by various providers over time
  • Propose and Test Strategies: initially acquiring skills and follow-on training to mitigate skill decay and maintain combat readiness.

Consortium Partners:

  • UT Health San Antonio​
  • Uniformed Services University​
  • University of Maryland​
  • University of Pittsburgh
  • Mayo Clinic​

MHI Introduction to Department of Defense Grant Funding.

Department of Defense Related Research Panel

For the 2021 Long School of Medicine’s “Research Week”, Dr. Byron Hepburn, Director of the Military Health Institute (MHI) at UT Health San Antonio (UTHSA), hosted a panel presentation of UTHSA faculty conducting Department of Defense related research and provided an overview of MHI research support.