The Research and Engineering Directorate's Research Support Division supports and enables enterprise-wide scientific studies, research activities, and analyses to advance research priorities. The division performs research support functions in joint clinical investigations, research protections, implementation science, as well as sponsoring health system research about the Military Health System, and preserving medical and biomedical historical assets. RSD is comprised of the five branches described below.
Provides funding and policy recommendations and oversight and management for clinical investigation programs at military hospitals and clinics. The Clinical Investigations Program (CIP) facilitates research and training to support graduate health sciences education and other allied health programs of the services to contribute to medical readiness and further enhance patient care in the MHS.
Provides support and consultation on using implementation science methods to promote the adoption and integration of evidence-based practices into health care in the MHS, thereby improving health outcomes for service members and MHS beneficiaries. Implementation science is the scientific study of methods to promote the systematic adoption of research findings into routine clinical care.
Fosters health system research that improves health care delivery in the MHS by administering research grants that focus on factors that impact health outcomes, including cost, quality, variation, and policies. Health system research examines the factors that influence the delivery and outcomes of health care. Military health system research examines these factors in the MHS.
Collects, preserves, and presents the nation's medical and biomedical historical assets, with an emphasis on military collections-based research and interpretation. The museum's activities focus particularly on the practice of medicine in the U.S., military medicine, military medical research, and on current biomedical research issues.
Supports the DHA Institutional Official for human and animal use protocols and protection. The branch promotes policies and procedures that facilitate timely, effective reviews of human and animal subject research and ensure that research is conducted in accordance with applicable rules and ethical guidelines.