IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF MILITARY-CONNECTED CHILDREN AND THE WARFIGHTER THROUGH HEALTH SYSTEMS AND EPIDEMIOLOGIC RESEARCH
FACT. A healthy life course begins prior to conception with parents’ health, and continues into infancy, childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, when most uniformed service members join the Armed Forces.1,2
FACT. Children from military families are substantially more likely to serve in the Armed Forces in adulthood than their civilian counterparts.3,4
FACT. Warfighter health and wellness originates within and is directly impacted by the health and wellness of the military family.5
The Division of Health Systems Research and Clinical Epidemiology (HSR&E) seeks to inform military health force readiness and effectiveness through rigorous training and research activities aimed at improving health outcomes for the military child and family. Our exceptionally skilled team of faculty, epidemiologists, analysts, research associates and managers is available to answer high priority, high impact questions about pediatric and family health outcomes.
The goals of the Division of HSR&E are to:
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Directly contribute to a high-quality education for all Uniformed Services University graduates through delivery of education and training in cutting-edge research;
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Advance scholarship through innovation and collaboration while aligning pediatric projects with DoD priorities;
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Improve the health of the military child through health outcomes research, emphasizing health services, health systems and clinical epidemiology topics.
From a clinical epidemiology perspective, we answer questions about risk and protective factors for pediatric health outcomes across the life course. Our current and historical work encompasses a broad range of topics, including perinatal exposures, infectious and chronic disease, neurodevelopmental disorders, and pharmaceutical and vaccine safety. To do so, we query and link key data sources such as the Military Health System (MHS) data repository (MDR), which contains deployment, health claims, laboratory, and child and family services data.
Employing a quality lens, we address pediatric questions directly related to implementation of standards of care and improving health readiness within and across the Military Health System as it relates to the military child and family. Our work and capabilities routinely include the investigation of health care access, utilization, delivery effectiveness, efficiency, safety, and outcomes of military health care services. National service delivery and health workforce trends provide context for MHS care delivered in the private sector.
Ultimately, we seek to facilitate informed actions of pediatric clinical, health system, and population interventions. The strength and preparedness of the warfighter originates with the health and welfare of the military family.
1 Halfon, N., & Hochstein, M. (2002). Life Course Health Development: An Integrated Framework for Developing Health, Policy, and Research. The Milbank Quarterly, 80(3), 433–479. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2690118/
2 Office of the Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness. (2024). “Population Representation in the Military Services: Fiscal Year 2022 Summary Report. Appendix B. Active Component Enlisted Accessions, Enlisted Force, Officer Accessions, and Officer Corps Tables.” OPA Report Number 2024-205. pg.39.
3 Military Child Education Coalition. (2017). “Facts About Military-Connected Children.” https://militarychild.org/upload/files/MSTC%20MSTA/MCEC_Facts_About_Military_Connec.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
4 The Pew Research Center. (2011). “The Military-Civilian Gap: War and Sacrifice in the Post-9/11 Era.” https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2011/10/veterans-report.pdf.
5 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2019). Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing American Society. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.