Our Research
Our research is outcomes-based, requirements-driven, innovative and directly relevant to DoD, the American Warfighter, and the Uniformed Services community. Our research focuses on:
- Population Health Research, focusing on improving the overall health and health outcomes of service members, their families, and other priority populations.
- Health Policy Research, the development, application and evaluation of knowledge around which effective policy can be based.
- Thought Leadership, providing recognized expertise in Health Services Research and enabling the MHS to adopt an outcomes-based, measurement driven approach to peacetime healthcare that aligns with the approach it employs during wartime.
The CHSR has the following strategic objectives for research:
- Conduct research that measurably supports MHS strategic goals/objectives
- Conduct research that contributes to learning and policy across the MHS
- Expand USU’s military HSR capacity through recruiting, training, and developing health services researchers
- Become recognized as the thought leader in military HSR throughout MHS, DoD, and US Healthcare/research communities
Current Research
In-House Research
- COVID-19
- Military Health System Response to COVID-19: A Health Services Research Approach to Sustainable Process Improvements (MiHReC19)
- Framework Synthesis of Self-Reported Symptom Trackers
- Morale, Manpower, and Military Medicine (M3) in partnership with University of Minnesota
- Global Burden of Disease in the MHS
- National Intrepid Center of Excellence
- The Development and Application of an Integrated Practice Unit at the NICoE
- Intrepid Spirit Centers: Future Considerations for Active Duty, National Guard, Reserves, and Retirees
- Application of Kotter’s 8 Principles of Change Management to Transform the MHS
Management of HSR in the NCR Portfolio
The CHSR manages the Health Services Research in the National Capitol Region portfolio. This portfolio specifically includes Readiness and Financial Impacts of Consolidating Complex Care; the study of Low Value Care in the MHS (EPIC 3.0); Evaluation of DoD/VA Joint Pain Education Program; and Primary Care by Remotely Supervised Medics and Corpsmen.
Project Spotlight: Low Value Care in the MHS/The Comparative Effectiveness and Provider-Induced Demand Collaboration (EPIC) Project: A Clinical and Economic Analysis of Variation in Healthcare (EPIC 3.0)
The EPIC project is a joint collaboration between USUHS and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) Center for Surgery and Public Health (CSPH). The project established a health services research cell and uses the MHS Data Repository (MDR) for secondary analysis of claims data to answer pertinent health services questions.
The EPIC project has six core areas of study and five methodological focus areas.
EPIC PROJECT Star Chart
An overview of the EPIC Project's published manuscripts across core and theme.
Direct Research Support to DoD, MHS, DHA
CHSR provides direct research support to its partner agencies.
Funding Intramural Partnerships
CHSR has implemented two calls for proposal to build capacity for HSR while expanding the base of knowledge to inform decision making on high priority areas for the MHS. In Round 1 six proposals were selected and completed, all of which resulted in publications or publications in progress. Round 2 is currently in progress.
Round 1 Projects
First-round Call for Proposals completed; six studies funded.
- Improving Treatment and Outcomes among Soldiers Identified with Severe Alcohol Use after Return from an OEF/OIF/OND deployment (Erich Dietrich/Joshua Gray, USU).
- Looking at MHS Surgical Procedures through the Lens of an Episode Grouper (Erich Dietrich/Beth Hawks, USU).
- Anesthesia Resident Training in Relation to Combat Casualty Care Readiness in the Military Health System (Krista Highland, DVCIPM).
- Range of Practices, Cost and Outcomes of Shoulder Dysfunction across the Military Health System (Jeffrey Leggit, USU).
- Understanding Provider Influence on Initiating Opioid Prescriptions (Patrick Richard, USU).
- Contraceptive Access during Basic Training (Joshua Smalley, USU).
First manuscript acceptance from an HSRP-funded project
- Contraceptive use and childbirth rates by service branch during the first 24 months on active duty in the United States military from 2013 to 2018: a retrospective cohort analysis Accepted to CONTRACEPTION + OA Mirror, April 2019. Roberts TA, Smalley JM, Weir LF, Adelman WP.
- Influence of military contraceptive policy changes on contraception use and childbirth rates among new recruits. Roberts TA, Smalley JM, Baker LL, Weir LF, Adelman WP. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (2020), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2020.01.060
- Association between one-year patient outcomes and opioid-prescribing group of emergency department clinicians: a cohort study with Army active duty soldiers. Mark R. Bauer MD, Mary Jo Larson PhD, Natalie Moresco MA, Nick Huntington PhD, Regine Walker MSA, Patrick Richard PhD.https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.14331
- Opioid prescribing for surgical dental procedures in dental clinics of military treatment facilities. Patrick Richard, PhD; Mark R. Bauer, MD; Natalie Moresco, MA; Regine Walker, MSA; Diana Bowser, ScD; Demarcio Reed, DMD; Mary Jo Larson, PhD. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2020.09.020
- The association of engagement in substance use treatment with negative separation from the military among soldiers with post-deployment alcohol use disorder. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 221. Gray, J. C., Larson, M. J., Moresco, N., Ritter, G. A., Dufour, S., Milliken, C. S., & Adams, R. S. (2021) doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108647.
- Practice Variation in Regional Anesthesia Utilization by Current and Former U.S. Military Anesthesiology Residents
- Jaffe, E., Patzkowski, M. S., Hodgson, J. A., Foerschler, D. L., Gonzalez, S. C., Giordano, N. A., Scott-Richardson, M. P., & Highland, K. B. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaa269.
Round 2 Projects
- Continued administration of the 7 projects chosen in March 2020 and listed below: Continuation - A methodology to understand quality and efficiency of care: Adapting the Episode Grouper for Medicare (EGM) to the Military Health System (MHS) (Beth Hawks, USU)
- Continuation--Healthcare utilization and readiness outcomes among soldiers with post-deployment at-risk drinking, by comorbidity clusters (Joshua Gray, USU)
- The Economic Burden of Traumatic Brain Injury in the Military Health System (Patrick Richard, USU)
- Exploring outcomes for military family units who have received care in the Army Warrior Care and Transition Program (WCTP) (Elizabeth Hisle-Gorman, USU)
- The individual and systemic costs associated with behavioral health clinic processes that negatively impact delivery of effective psychotherapy (David Riggs, USU)
- Impact of DoD Service HIV Policies on Quality and Cost of Care (Brian Agan, USU)
- A comparative analysis of healthcare utilization and cost of multi-drug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli infections (MDRGN-I) following battlefield injury (David Tribble, USU)
- Topal S, Richard P, Young J, Ganesan A, Gleeson T, Blaylock J, Okulicz J, Chu X, Agan B. Impact of DoD Service HIV policies on quality and cost of care. Presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, February 13-16, 2022.
- Above study also presented as a USU PMB Seminar
- Two trainee papers through Dr. Agan’s funded project, by Lt Col Charla Geist, USAF MC:
- Three care delivery models targeting HIV-positive US Service Members
- Association between proximity to military treatment facility with infectious disease specialty capability and HIV quality of care and cost for active-duty service members
- HSR IG Presentations by new PIs in September 2020:
- Dr. Elizabeth Hisle-Gorman, PhD: “Exploring outcomes for military family units who have received care in the Army Warrior Care and Transition Program (WCTP)”.
- Dr. Brian Agan, MD: “The Impact of DoD Service HIV Policies on Quality and Cost of Care”.
- Dr. David Riggs, MD: “The individual and systemic costs associated with behavioral health clinic processes that negatively impact delivery of effective psychotherapy”.
- Dr. Laveta Stewart on b/o Dr. David Tribble: “A comparative analysis of healthcare utilization and cost of multi-drug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli infections (MDRGN-I) following battlefield injury”.