Photo By T. T. Parish | The Warfighter Expeditionary Medicine and Treatment team gathers for a photo at the...... read more read more
Team members with the Warfighter Expeditionary Medicine and Treatment Project Management Office are showcasing the latest in developing military medical hardware and technologies this week as part of the Military Health System Research Symposium in Kissimmee, Florida, Aug. 26-29, 2024.
The WEMT team develops novel treatments and technologies or works with industry partners to modify Food and Drug Administration-cleared medical devices, with the goal of delivering new treatment capabilities to the U.S. Army and Joint Force.
From their home base at Fort Detrick, Maryland, WEMT’s advanced developers work to identify and develop solutions for combat medics and medical officers at and near the front lines. The U.S. Army’s modernization strategy posits future conflicts in remote areas of the Arctic and Indo-Pacific regions of the globe and the WEMT team is working to address the dual challenges of austerity and distance. The team’s current focus is to develop and field treatment solutions to medical providers as close to the point-of-injury as possible, including programs for noncompressible hemorrhage; advanced medical monitoring; oxygen generation; portable imaging; burn and wound treatment; and sterilization.
All these capabilities are on full display this week during MHSRS, and the symposium will go a long way toward building WEMT’s network of future partners in academia and industry to help USAMMDA advance its critical missions, according to Caitlyn Felkoski, WEMT’s program manager.
“MHSRS is an opportunity for our team to connect with partners from within the Department of Defense and meet possible future partners in the development industry and academia,” said Felkoski. “It was great to have several senior leaders from the Defense Health Agency and U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command tour the USAMMDA booth to learn what we do to support our Warfighters. I am really proud of the entire WEMT team and am excited to keep guiding our programs during the next year as we continue our transition to the DHA.”
This year, the WEMT developers are showcasing several device programs and public-private partnerships for MHSRS attendees to learn how and why the WEMT and USAMMDA missions are so vital to the DoD’s modernization focus. The noncompressible hemorrhage (NHC) program is a prime example of innovation with real-world, near future applicability for the U.S. Joint Force. Combat traumas can be minor to severe, with bleeding at the top of the list of causes of combat deaths during the past 20 years. The NHC program focuses on controlling and stopping internal and noncompressible external bleeding using a handheld, lightweight, and deployable device. During future Large Scale Combat Operations in austere environments, the NHC is designed to extend the critical minutes and hours after a casualty is wounded and until medevac to higher echelon care can be arranged, according to Felkoski.
Another premier opportunity the WEMT team manages is the public-private partnership, BioFabUSA, a Manufacturing Innovation Institute sponsored by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering Manufacturing Technology Office. BioFabUSA involves a consortium of industry and academic stakeholders and is administered by the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI). The U.S. Army and DoD’s interest in bio-manufacturing is managed by the WEMT team with the goal of developing advanced cellular-based biomedical treatments to support military medical providers across the continuum of care.
“The NHC and BioFab USA programs show that WEMT and USAMMDA are at the apex of military medical development,” said Felkoski. “Our goal is to answer the urgent expeditionary medical treatment needs of the Department of Defense, and MHSRS is a prime venue to show how we do that each day.”
WEMT is only one of four USAMMDA PMOs representing the latest in military medical development during this year’s MHSRS. The symposium is especially noteworthy due to the evolving structure of USAMMDA and the transformation of efforts within U.S. military medicine. Three of USAMMDA’s Project Management Offices – WEMT; Warfighter Readiness, Performance, and Brain Health; and Warfighter Protection and Acute Care – are continuing their organizational transition to the Defense Health Agency. The Soldier Medical Devices PMO is transitioning to the Program Executive Office-Soldier.
USAMMDA develops, delivers, and fields critical drugs, vaccines, biologics, devices, and medical support equipment to protect and preserve the lives of Warfighters across the globe. USAMMDA Project Managers guide the development of medical products for the U.S. Army Medical Department, other U.S. military services, the Joint Staff, the Defense Health Agency, and the U.S. Special Operations community.
The process takes promising technology from the Department of Defense, industry, and academia to U.S. Forces, from the testing required for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval or licensing to fielding and sustainment of the finished product. USAMMDA Project Management Offices will transition to a Program Executive Office under the Defense Health Agency, Deputy Assistant Director for Acquisition and Sustainment.
Media representatives may request more information by emailing the USAMMDA Public Affairs Office at usarmy.detrick.medcom-usammda.mbx.usammda-pao@health.mil.
For more information about USAMMDA and how to partner with the U.S. Army and DoD medical development enterprises, visit https://usammda.health.mil/.
| Date Taken: | 08.28.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2024 12:40 |
| Story ID: | 479638 |
| Location: | KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 70 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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