A University of Massachusetts Amherst researcher will examine the role of cumulative psychosocial stress – as well as race, ethnicity and gender – among U.S. military personnel to gauge their impact on cardiovascular health and healthcare utilization. The study is funded by a $1 million grant from the Defense Health Agency, part of the Department of Defense (DoD). The findings will help the military develop programs for health promotion and health readiness for active duty and Reserve/National Guard personnel.

The 2023 Military Health System Research Symposium recognized innovative researchers focused on enhancing warfighter health. Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez, the Department of Defense's assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, presented the awards to the winning individuals and teams. Dr. Rudy P. Rull and the Millennium Cohort Program team were recognized as the premier longitudinal research program of warfighter, veteran, and military family health and wellbeing. Sponsored by both the DOD and the Department of Veterans Affairs, the program is an active collaborative effort between researchers from the Naval Health Research Center, the Veterans Health Administration, and multiple military, academic, and nongovernmental research organizations.

The Millennium Cohort Program Team was awarded the award for Outstanding Research Accomplishment (Team Military) at the 2023 MHSRS Conference.

The presence of insomnia following trauma has been linked to depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among women service members, according to study results presented at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, held from June 3 to 7 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The results of a new study are confirming the lasting impacts that military service can have on a person's health and wellness.

Military personnel exposed to repeated blasts, including those experienced during combat deployments and heavy weapons training, may have elevated risks of migraines, PTSD, depression, hearing loss, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other conditions, according to a new study by researchers from the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC). These findings were recently published in Frontiers in Neurology.

A study of Global War on Terror veterans found that those who deployed were at less risk of dying from cancer than their fellow troops who didn’t deploy, possibly because those sent overseas were healthier in the first place, according to a paper published Wednesday in the the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

The Defense Department launched a survey to assess the health and well-being of military-connected youth and their families. SOAR is embedded within the larger DOD Millennium Cohort Study of active-duty, reserve and National Guard service members and veterans, which began in 2001. The approximately 40,000 service members and veterans enrolled in MCS who have adolescent children will receive a packet in the mail inviting them, their child and the other parent, if applicable, to fill out individual online surveys.

In August 2021, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a policy change affecting millions of veterans.

American service members whose anger causes them significant distress and decreased function (problematic anger) during their transition to civilian life may have a higher risk of mental health conditions such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a study in JAMA Network Open has found. The results also suggest that service members who have problematic anger during the transition are more likely to have difficulty in their relationships and experience financial instability.