Samueli Institute’s
Military Medical Research, is dedicated to keeping our troops healthy, thriving and “in their boots.”
Our scientific discovery is rooted in identifying, investigating and evaluating complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) approaches that augment the current care our troops and veterans are receiving. More medical providers within the military medical system practice CIM than ever before. It is estimated that up to a third of the active duty military and 50 percent of veterans may use a complementary or alternative medicine product or practice in any given year.
Historically, the military has not undertaken a systematic approach to evaluating the use of these therapies, or the process for integrating them with conventional care to optimize performance. Now, military and veterans’ facilities across the country are implementing care programs and practices that use integrative medicine and focus on healing environments, and are looking to the Institute to develop and analyze the evidence base for these approaches.
Military Medical Research Areas
Samueli Institute collaborates with these military stakeholders and academic institutions across the country to conduct research that addresses the diverse populations and health needs within the military, including research on:
- Specific categories of CIM treatments and interventions, such as dietary supplements, acupuncture and mind-body practices
- Specific categories of diseases, conditions and needs that are of high relevance to military fitness and operations, such as
o Pain: Management of acute and chronic pain
o Performance: Enhancement of wellness, resilience and performance
o Stress: Management of stress and stress-related disease
- Specific categories of military and veteran populations, such as troops suffering from recent acute injuries, Veterans requiring chronic or end-of-life care and Military family members
- Broader topical areas that cross-cut these aforementioned categories of interventions, diseases and populations and that align with current military and veteran health policy initiatives, such as Total Force Fitness