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The Army Medicine Wolf Pack Award is a quarterly honor that highlights teams who have demonstrated extraordinary teamwork that resulted in extraordinary impact. Since 2010, the Surgeon General and the Army Medical Department Civilian Corps have recognized teams made up of civilians and military members who meet these criteria. The U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine was recently recognized as a Wolf Pack Awardee for the second time in the 14-year award history.
In 2021, the U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training reached out to USARIEM to discuss their interest in assessing whether the Army Regulation 600-9, otherwise known as the Army Body Composition Program needed to be updated. USARIEM accepted the challenge of taking the lead of doing the science necessary to be able to answer this important question. The Army Comprehensive Body Composition Study, known as the ACBC, was the study to make that a reality and ultimately lead to key updates to Army policy. It was because of the vast impact of this important study, the team that executed it was recognized with the Wolf Pack Award.
“This study is the definition of a collaborative effort. To create a sound protocol within weeks and then complete a study of our size that sampled about 2200 Soldiers across multiple different bases within nine months, would not have been possible if it weren’t for the dedication of everyone at USARIEM and CIMT working together towards the success of this mission,” said Holly McClung, Research Physiologist and the study’s Principal Investigator in the Military Performance Division at USARIEM. “All sleeves were rolled up.”
Joseph “Chris” Rheney, Senior Executive Service and Chief of the Army Medical Department Civilian Corps, said that every quarter, he and his team receive a lot of submissions and the challenge is always finding ones that have an “enterprise level impact on things” while also embracing the cross-functional team effort, not just of civilians and military but also across organizations where "we see collaboration alluding to what the Wolf Pack is all about."
Research outcomes from the ACBC study supported two new Army Directives (AD 2023-08 Army Body Fat Assessment Exemption for Army Combat Fitness Test Score, and AD 2023-11 Army Body Fat Assessment for the Army Body Composition Program), and updates to Army Regulation 600-9. The study team executed scientifically rigorous field-research in a timely manner to provide crucial data to Army Senior Leaders to help make science-driven decisions.
“Everyone rose to the challenge,” said Dr. Katie Taylor, Research Epidemiologist in the Military Performance Division at USARIEM. “When there were roadblocks, there were always people there willing to help us and keep the study moving forward.”
Within the short suspense, that spanned five separate locations, the team of 38 who rotated during the data collection process, formed invaluable memories with their team members while working towards a common mission to help support the Warfighter.
“Not to sound too cliché, but this was a total team effort, and it turned out to be an extraordinary success,” said Matt Bartlett, Research Kinesiologist in the Military Performance Division at USARIEM and the study’s Project Manager. “Being a Project Manager can certainly be tough but if you’re able to build a high-performing, cohesive team, such as we did; it can really make your mission a lot easier to achieve. With the talented team we had from top to bottom, this made my job much easier. This is not only a testament to the ACBC team, but the Institute as a whole. It just goes to show you the depth of talent USARIEM has across the board.”
When the study first began at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, Bartlett recalls day one being overwhelming for everyone. The team collected data on about 400 Soldiers in that 10–12-hour day, but after a few days “we caught our flow and that’s when we built trust in each other,” he said.
For the ACBC study team, the secret to their success was passion, purpose and people. “I would get excited as we completed data collection on each representative demographic group of our study population, since I was managing these data in real-time, it was exciting to see the team’s reaction when I shared the progress with them,” Taylor said.
One key concept the team found was that instead of taking the circumference sites from three locations in women and two locations in men, both can be narrowed down to one measurement at the waist. “This specific equation measures men and women at the same exact site, measurements are then input into the USARIEM developed (sex-specific) equations to more accurately estimate Soldier body fat,” Taylor said. “The one-site measurement and simplified equation made it a more streamlined process,” McClung added.
Another change to policy that the study informed was allowing those who perform at a high level on the Army Combat Fitness Test, a total score of 540 or higher with at least 80 points on each event, to be excused from the body composition assessment.
When Rheney presented the award to the dynamic team, he noted in his opening remarks that the change in policy that came from this research will enable the Army to “retain our very best in the long term. Looking at things from a different lens, from a more objective lens, I think it's going to pay dividends for the Army in the future,” he said. “Thank you so much for your work and I'm excited to be here."
“The ACBC study is a great example of how teamwork, dedication, and ambition come together to drive positive change and modernize policy. I look forward to future innovations and advancements resulting from USARIEM’s collaborative research efforts,” Col. Sharon Rosser, USARIEM Commander.
The ACBC study team is a keen example of the positive impact that can be made for the benefit of future Warfighters when motivated people with unique skillsets come together to help deliver solutions to enhance Warfighter health, performance and lethality in all environments.
“Science is a team sport, and this is a real example,” McClung said.
USARIEM is a subordinate command of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command under the Army Futures Command. USARIEM is internationally recognized as the DOD's premier laboratory for Warfighter health and performance research and focuses on environmental medicine, physiology, physical and cognitive performance, and nutrition research. Located at the Natick Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Massachusetts, USARIEM's mission is to research and deliver solutions to enhance Warfighter health, performance and lethality in all environments.
| Date Taken: | 11.25.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.02.2024 14:12 |
| Story ID: | 486432 |
| Location: | NATICK, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, USARIEM Receives Wolf Pack Award for Army Comprehensive Body Composition Study, by Maddi Langweil, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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