September 18, 2019
In 2019, the Uniformed Services University’s (USU) Council of Center Directors (CCD) completed an 18-month study to create efficiency among the school’s various Centers. This resulted in a policy which structured the framework that defines a center and put in place procedures to manage efforts in various topic areas.
Established in 2017, the CCD was created to highlight the work of the USU’s Centers, improve collaboration and create efficiency among this diverse group. The council was created to fulfill the requirements of the Military Health System and the broader requirements of the Department of Defense.
“The Uniformed Services University serves as the leadership academy for military health,” said Air Force Colonel Todd E. Rasmussen, M.D., Chair of the Council of Center Directors. “It is also the academic hub that supports and advances military medicine and the health of U.S. forces around the globe. The USU Centers play a vital role in these missions. They are always at the ready to tackle new challenges and priorities of the DoD.”
The Centers deliver USU’s public service mission through various research, training and education. The fields of research covered by the Centers include:
- Combat Casualty Care to include critical-care decision support tools, rehabilitation and pain management
- Research and training for more effective ways to enhance warfighter performance and resilience
- Improvements in diagnosing and mitigating traumatic brain injury, posttraumatic stress and the risk of suicide
- Global health engagement to the development of radiation countermeasures and identification of, and treatments for, infectious diseases
- Precision medicine, metabolomics, proteomics and genomic sequencing.
The Centers research, training and education efforts delivers a wide array of knowledge and material products to assist in the health and well-being of the warfighters, their families and civilians.