Researchers from across the globe, including several from Defense Health Network Pacific Rim who shared key research findings about vision, hearing, and cognitive performance, attended the 2024 Military Health System Research Symposium in the Sunshine State from Aug. 26-29.

“The research being presented at MHSRS is not just about advancing medical science, it’s directly enhancing the readiness and resilience of our warfighters,” said DHN Pacific Rim Director Rear Adm. Guido Valdes. “From novel treatments for PTSD and TBI to life-saving trauma care, what we’re doing is making a real difference, on and off the battlefield.”

There were nearly 500 oral and poster presentations shared during the event and attendees came from Navy Medicine’s research labs, Army and Air Force medical research labs, foreign militaries, a host a universities and biotech companies, and from many of the Defense Health Agency’s (DHA) military treatment facilities, including Naval Medical San Diego.

“I am immensely proud of the contributions from our team at Naval Medical Center San Diego,” Valdes said. “Their research in neurosensory health, cognitive performance, and hearing preservation is a testament to our commitment to improving the health and operational effectiveness of our service members, ensuring they are equipped to meet the demands of today’s complex military environment."

Trevor Kingsbury, biomechanist and director of NMCSD’s clinical biomechanics lab, presented his and his team’s findings during an oral presentation and two of the event’s poster sessions. “Assessing Dynamic Visual Acuity across Career Phases and Military Occupational Specialties in Naval Aviation,” looked at the effects of dynamic visual acuity in a group of pilots and non-pilots, using a novel, portable approach. Dynamic visual acuity is the ability to recognize moving objects while your head is stationary and the ability to identify stationary objects while your head is moving.

“One of the things our lab has moved forward on is getting out in front of injury and conducting human performance work with the aviation community,” Kingsbury said. “We were able to work with some of the helo squadrons around San Diego and test the pilots, looking at both human performance and some of their neurosensory performance as well.”

According to Kingsbury, one of the main findings of the study was that pilots have heightened dynamic visual acuity. Kingsbury’s findings also suggest this is something that can be trained to improve the pilots’ performance.

“Long-term, we can track this—neurosensory health—which then could help drive early intervention and improve overall aviator health.”

In addition to a forum for sharing his findings, Kingsbury said MHSRS provides an opportunity for collaboration. And, as someone who has been to more than a few symposiums, he knows what he’s talking about.

“This is like my tenth one and it’s a great melting pot of all the academic partners we work with,” he said. “It’s all the military partners, all the research partners—pretty much everybody that we work with all here for one week. So, it’s a good collaborative experience.”

In addition to vision, sound was another of the five senses that received attention during the symposium. Lt. Elan Bresslour-Rashap, an ENT resident at NMCSD, presented findings from an epidemiological noise study, “Hearing Loss, Health Outcomes, and Health Behavior Differences between Active-Duty Service Members and Recently Separated Veterans,” that examined the different health outcomes between active duty service members and veterans, specifically related to hearing and health behaviors.

“The interesting thing we found is that the groups are pretty similar in both age and the amount of time they’ve been in service,” Bresslour-Rashap said. “But there’s a lot of differences between the health outcomes. Veterans report more issues, like poor hearing and more risky behaviors, like more smoking. This will help us figure how to support veterans better.”

Unlike Kingsbury, Bresslour-Rashap is brand new to MHSRS and was surprised by how many attendees came from outside the military community.

“It’s my first time here and it’s really exciting hearing all of the different Ph.D. research that is about the military from different perspectives,” said Bresslour-Rashap. “It covers a lot of different disciplines.”

Another NMCSD researcher who was on hand to present her findings was Lt. Cmdr. Charlotte Hughes, a Navy ENT/otologist and the ENT residency associate program director, who studied the effects of a ship’s motion on cognitive performance, which was the focus of her presentation, “Exploring the Impact of Mal de Debarquement Syndrome on Cognitive Function in Sailors: A Study Aboard the USNS Mercy (T-AH 19).”

Hughes collected the data while she was underway aboard USNH Mercy (T-AH 19) during her deployment for Pacific Partnership 2024.

“We measured the movement of the ship and then we had participants do cognitive, memory, and visual spatial processing tests” she said. “What we found was that when the ship moved more, it affected their short-term memory and visual spatial processing. Tests that looked more at executive control and attention were not affected as much by the ship’s movement.”

According to her research, Hughes said Mal de Debarquement Syndrome can lead to decreased reaction times, forgetfulness, physical coordination issues, and difficulty multitasking, all of which may have an underrecognized impact on a Sailor’s performance and operational readiness. Additional research can inform development of preventive measures and intervention strategies in support of Sailor health and readiness.

When it comes to the value of attending MHSRS, Hughes echoed Bresslour-Rashap’s and Kingsbury’s sentiments.

“One of the benefits of MHSRS is that you get out of your network and the familiarity you have. At this conference, there’s a lot of different stakeholders—active duty members, government contractors, universities, and technology—that you don’t necessarily get exposed to on a regular basis. It’s really neat to see what other people are working on then that helps brainstorm ways that we can develop collaborations and improve our knowledge about a host of different problems.”

"I couldn't be more proud of our fantastic team at Naval Medical Center San Diego,” said NMCSD Director Capt. Elizabeth Adriano.” Their dedication to advancing research in neurosensory health, cognitive performance, and hearing preservation is truly phenomenal. The findings they've presented at MHSRS 2024 not only highlight their expertise but also underscore the critical role this research plays in enhancing the health and readiness of our warfighters. Their work is making a profound impact, both in the operational setting and in the lives of those who serve.”

MHSRS is the Department of Defense’s premier scientific meeting where new research and knowledge focused on the unique medical needs of the warfighter are shared collaboratively among the DoD, academia, industry, and international partners.

Defense Health Network Pacific Rim is one of the Defense Health Agency’s nine networks of hospitals and clinics that deliver high-quality health care to the more than 362,000 TRICARE-eligible beneficiaries we are privileged to serve. The DHN-PR headquarters is located in San Diego, supporting military treatment facilities along the U.S. West Coast and overseas in Guam and Japan.

The mission of NMCSD is to provide a superior experience for our staff, patients, and warfighters by delivering exceptional care afloat and ashore. NMCSD employs more than 5,000 active duty military personnel, civilians, and contractors in southern California, dedicated to being the preferred choice and leader in compassionate and innovative health care.