Porter delves into health opportunities for military veterans
Ben Porter
Named a top 10 Military Friendly School for four consecutive years, Mississippi State University continues its military support through a new online paper by a psychology faculty member, detailing a national program’s potential to enhance understanding of military and veteran health.
Assistant Professor Ben Porter’s article in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) highlights veterans as a key subpopulation. He demonstrates how the extensive health data available through the All of Us Research Program can address critical health questions for veterans.
The All of Us Research Program, initiated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), aims to collect health data from one million or more individuals across the U.S. to create a diverse database for advancing precision medicine and tailoring medical treatment. The program seeks participants—both military and non-military.
“This study is unique because anyone 18 years or older in the U.S. can sign up to be a participant. I am actually a participant,” said Porter. To sign up, visit Join All of Us.
Porter’s article explores how future enrollment and data releases will make All of Us an “increasingly powerful and useful study” for understanding military and veteran health.
“The All of Us Research Program was designed to identify biomarkers and risk factors to understand and improve disease screening and treatment in a diverse population. As data are added from new measures and participants, the ability of this study to address and answer pressing health questions will only grow,” said Porter.
Porter provides examples of the practical impact similar studies have had, such as the identification of BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene variants that predispose women to breast cancer, which led to increased screening recommendations. Conversely, many questions are still unanswered, like the reasons why certain antidepressants work for some individuals but not others remain unknown, highlighting the need for further research.
JAMIA, a peer-reviewed journal for biomedical and health informatics, publishes articles that describe innovative informatics research and systems aimed at advancing biomedical science and promoting health.
For more details about MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences or the Department of Psychology, visit www.cas.msstate.edu or www.psychology.msstate.edu.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.
Sarah Nicholas | College of Arts and Sciences
