More than 1,500 military medical clinicians and scientists gathered to kick off the 2014 Military Health System Research Symposium at the Harbor Beach Marriott in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Monday, Aug. 18.

The four-day Department of Defense conference brings together scientific military, academia, industry leaders, and researchers from around the globe to discuss advancements in research and health care developments in the areas of combat casualty care, military operational medicine, clinical and rehabilitative medicine, and military infectious disease programs. Researchers submitted approximately 1,100 poster abstracts - more than double the number of any previous year - for this year's conference, according to Col. Dallas Hack, Brain Health coordinator at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and co-organizer of the symposium.

Keynote speakers included Dr. David Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection and Readiness; Lt. Gen. Douglas Robb, director of the Defense Health Agency; Rear Adm. Bruce Doll, director for the DHA's Research, Development, and Acquisition and Deputy Commander of USAMRMC; and Vice Adm. Matthew Nathan, Surgeon General of the Navy. Plenary session speakers emphasized building a better, stronger, more relevant military health system through continued collaborations between the military services and external partners.

"This is about a unified approach, rather than a unified command," said Doll. "Theâ?¦way ahead is through process improvement, consolidated mission functions, and shared services."

MHSRS combined three previous conferences, including the former Advanced Technology Applications for Combat Casualty Care Conference; the Air Force Medical Service Medical Research Symposium; and the Navy Medicine Research Conference. By combining these conferences into one event, the meeting serves as a critical strategy session for leaders to set future milestones for DoD's deployment-related medical research programs, centered on the needs of the warfighter.