DefenceTalkUS Defense Department has issued instructions to the armed services and department heads on how to respond to the implications of the growing coronavirus outbreak. The department issued memos responding to the need for operations to continue during the outbreak. The DOD documents build on messages from the Office of Personnel Management issued Saturday. Signed […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-defense-issues-flexible-instructions-on-response-to-coronavirus-74732/

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK: New Army research provides a better understanding of the swelling that occurs in the brain during a stroke, which could contribute to new treatment strategies for stroke patients and have potential implications for traumatic brain injuries. Cerebral edema, swelling that occurs in the brain, is a severe and potentially fatal complication for […]

DefenceTalkWASHINGTON: In 2017, there were approximately 40,000 virtual health encounters across the Army in both deployed and garrison settings, said Dr. Colleen Rye, chief of Army Virtual Health. That’s a big increase over previous years and the increases are expected to continue, she said. That 40,000 does not include telepharmacies, teleradiology or secure messaging, she […]https://www.defencetalk.com/growth-of-us-armys-virtual-health-technology-improves-readiness-71107/

DefenceTalkThe Navy today announced it is conducting a comprehensive review of the facts, circumstances and processes surrounding the recent physiological episodes involving T-45 and F/A-18 aircrew, to include how these issues have been addressed. On April 21, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran directed Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet Adm. Scott Swift to lead […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-navy-reviews-physiological-episodes-69824/

DefenceTalkDoctors at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research who have developed a Zika vaccine that they’ve successfully tested on mice are now testing it on monkeys and hope to begin testing on humans later this year. Their study, published June 28, in the journal Nature, demonstrated how mice developed immunity to the Zika virus […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-researchers-testing-zika-vaccine-67787/

DefenceTalkFor researchers at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC), there just may be no place like dome. Thanks to its new virtual-reality dome, NSRDEC’s Cognitive Science and Applications Team will be better able to study the impact of real-world operational situations on a Soldier’s cognitive abilities and performance. “The new […]https://www.defencetalk.com/virtual-reality-vr-dome-impact-of-real-life-scenarios-on-cognitive-abilities-66871/

DefenceTalkMindfulness-based meditation and the military are generally two things that one would not associate with one another. But on Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Dr. Valerie Rice, chief of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory’s Human Research and Engineering Directorate Army Medical Department Field Element in San Antonio, has participated in the Army Study Program since 2012. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/mindfulness-based-stress-reduction-finds-a-place-in-the-military-64845/

DefenceTalkIf you think you are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, a new form of help is available at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, or LRMC, where they can recreate the look, sounds and smell of a deployed environment to help you revisit and cope with events that have affected you so profoundly. Approximately 30 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/virtual-reality-exposure-therapy-helps-resolve-ptsd-63433/

DefenceTalkIt’s time for Soldiers to step it up with the Performance Triad goals. Literally. During FY 2014, the Performance Triad pilot program was conducted in three separate active-duty battalions. The data from the pilot program provided a picture of the sleep, activity, and nutrition behaviors of Soldiers in the pilot at baseline and throughout the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-stepping-up-the-performance-triad-62033/

DefenceTalkWith Ukraine still trapped in a Soviet-era approach to mental health and psychiatric hospitals so under-funded that some have less than 10 cents a day to feed patients, the country has been left ill-prepared for the trauma of war. As with so many aspects of its sudden descent into conflict, Ukraine has turned to volunteers […]https://www.defencetalk.com/desperate-shortages-leave-ukraine-ill-prepared-for-trauma-of-war-61135/