US Department of Defense
BLAST INJURY RESEARCH
COORDINATING OFFICE
Advancing Blast Injury Research to Protect and Heal Those Who Serve
The 6th International Forum on Blast Injury Countermeasures (IFBIC), held in May 2022, brought together participants with a broad range of knowledge and expertise, and provided a platform to share national experiences and evidence-based approaches to the scientific study of blast injuries and their prevention, mitigation, and treatment. The IFBIC provides an international forum where blast injury research experts can engage in active and fruitful discussions and exchange creative ideas on a broad spectrum of blast injuries. International cross-disciplinary collaboration is regarded as essential to investigate physical causes of blast injury, to characterize the vulnerability of anatomical systems and their functions to blasts, and to develop the means to prevent, mitigate, and treat blast injuries. Countermeasures may include personal protective equipment; weapons and vehicle systems engineered for safety; tactics, techniques, and procedures for injury prevention; and medical interventions tailored to the specific needs of blast injuries. Key emerging research themes included Physiologic Blast Responses, Blast Data, Modeling, and Blast Sensor Development / Validation. The IFBIC 2022 was co-sponsored by the DOD Blast Injury Research Coordinating Office and the National Defense Medical College, and hosted at MITRE Corporation in McLean, Virginia.
If you are interested in reviewing the presentations from the IFBIC 2022, please use the instructions for more information on how to download presentations. Please keep in mind that access to these presentations is provided by request only.
Download the full IFBIC 2022 technical report.
In recent years, attacks using explosive devices occur frequently, not only on battlefields and in regions of conflict, but also in urban areas in peacetime due to terrorism, resulting in a large number of blast injury victims. The US Department of Defense uses the Taxonomy of Injuries from Explosive Devices (as described in DoDD 6025.21E) to organize blast injuries into five groupings based on their approximate order of temporal incidence upon the body following an explosion. Primary injuries result from the blast shock wave. Secondary injuries result from penetrating fragments of material accelerated by the blast. Tertiary injuries result from accelerative loading or blunt impact to tissues. Quaternary injuries include dermal burns and toxic gas inhalation. Quinary injuries include contamination by nuclear, chemical, or biological agents. Primary injuries that are peculiar to blast shockwave exposures include mild blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI), hearing loss, ocular injury, and lung injury. All body systems are vulnerable to secondary injuries due to penetrating fragments and tertiary injuries due to acceleration and blunt force trauma.
International cross-disciplinary collaboration is regarded as essential to investigate physical causes of blast injury, to characterize the vulnerability of anatomical systems and their functions to blasts, and to develop the means to prevent, mitigate, and treat blast injuries. Countermeasures may include personal protective equipment; weapons and vehicle systems engineered for safety; tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) for injury prevention; and medical interventions tailored to the specific needs of blast injuries.
This International Forum on Blast Injury Countermeasures (IFBIC) started as a Technical Information Exchange Forum between Japan and the United States, which brought together broad knowledge and expertise, and to share national experiences and evidence-based approaches for blast injuries. The previous five Japan-US Technical Information Exchange Forum on Blast Injury (JUFBI) were held in June 2016, April 2017, and May 2018 in Tokyo, May 2019 in McLean, Virginia, and October 2021 virtually (hosted by Japan). At the end of JUFBI 2018, the planning committee decided to change the name to International Forum on Blast Injury Countermeasures to reflect the expanding participation by additional nations such as Australia, Italy, Canada, Germany, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.
These meetings have been very productive, involving active and fruitful discussions and exchange of creative ideas on a broad spectrum of blast injuries; identifying critical issues involving experimental and computational studies of blast-induced injuries; and creating new partnerships on joint research explorations to address the many scientific and technical challenges facing the field.
Building upon these successful meetings, the next IFBIC will be held from 9-11 May 2022 at The MITRE Corporation in McLean, Virginia.
The objectives for the 6th Forum include:
The meeting agenda includes the following broad topic areas. Innovative research beyond this topic list will also be considered:
Contributions from all countries, as well as from young investigators, are welcome.
Meeting title:
The 6th International Forum on Blast Injury Countermeasures (IFBIC 2022)
Organized by:
U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC)
U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM)
National Defense Medical College Japan (NDMC)
A closed meeting for planning committee members will be held on 12 May 2022 at The MITRE Corporation in McLean, Virginia following the main portion of the meeting.
Venue:
MITRE Corporation Headquarters, Building 4, Robb Conference Room, 7515 Colshire Drive, McLean VA 22102 USA
Please prepare your abstract using the template provided at the conference website and the attachment template. Abstract submissions should be emailed or faxed directly to the IFBIC point of contact no later than close of business 28 February 2022, 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Standard Time.
All submitted abstracts will be reviewed by the IFBIC 2022 Program Committee and notification of abstract acceptance will be made by 15 March 2022.
Pre-registration is required for all participants, and participation will be limited by venue capacity. The pre-registration deadline is 8 April, 2022. The meeting registration will be open for registration on or after 30 January, 2022.
"On-site" meeting registration will not be offered.
There is no registration fee. An optional meeting expense charge of $130 USD will be collected online, or in person upon arrival as part of the pre-registration process. Due to the lack of restaurants convenient to the meeting location, meeting attendees are encouraged to sign up for catered lunch and refreshments provided on-site. This charge covers hot and cold beverages including coffee, green tea, snacks, and lunch during the three meeting days and the social gathering the first evening. Options will be available on-site for gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan dietary restrictions. Registration for catering is done using the meeting registration.
For the participants who wish to stay near the Forum venue, a block of rooms have been reserved at both the Residence Inn Tysons Corner Mall and at the Archer Tysons Hotel. A list of other hotels in the area is also available on the registration website. Please be advised that May is a busy time in Washington, DC and rooms should be booked early.
Hotel Information:
You may contact the Residence Inn Tysons Corner directly at (703) 917-0800 or the
Archer Tysons Hotel directly at (703) 912-0488 to reserve a room within the group block by mentioning that you are
reserving with the 'IFBIC 2022' group or use these reservation links for either the Residence Inn Tysons Corner
or the Archer Tysons Hotel.
Keynote speakers will be announced closer to the meeting date.
Tutorial speakers have not yet been selected. If you would like to lead a tutorial session, please submit a separate abstract for your proposed tutorial. Abstracts for tutorial sessions must provide a title that begins with the word, "Tutorial:". Abstract submission for tutorial sessions must follow the same guidelines as those for regular presentations, as described in the "Abstract Submission" section above.
Optional evening social events include a meet-and-greet social with hors d'oeuvres the evening of Monday 9 May with self-pay cash bar for beer and wine. All food service will provide on-site options for gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan dietary restrictions. Costs of attendance are included in your participation fee for the Forum.
Raj Gupta, Ph.D., BCE
Deputy Director
DoD Blast Injury Research Program Coordinating Office
US Army Medical Research and Development Command
504 Scott Street, Fort Detrick, MD 21702
Telephone: (301) 619-9838
Email: raj.k.gupta.civ@mail.mil
https://blastinjuryresearch.health.mil
Event Point-of-Contact (POC):
IFBIC2022@mitre.org
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In recent years, attacks using explosive devices occur frequently not only on battlefields and in regions of conflict but also in urban areas due to terrorism, resulting in a large number of blast injury victims. The DOD uses the Taxonomy of Injuries from Explosive Devices (DODD 6025.21E) to organize blast injuries into five groupings. Primary injuries result from the blast shock wave. Secondary injuries result from penetrating fragments accelerated by the blast. Tertiary injuries are caused by acceleration or blunt impact to tissues. Quaternary injuries include dermal burns and toxic gas inhalation. Quinary injuries include contamination by nuclear, chemical or biological agents. Primary injuries that are peculiar to blast shock wave exposures include blast-induced traumatic brain injury, hearing loss, ocular injury and lung injury. All body systems are vulnerable to secondary and tertiary injuries. In addition to injuries caused by blasts of explosive devices, bioeffects of repeated exposure to shock waves associated with high-overpressure weapons have also received much attention recently.
International cross-disciplinary collaboration is regarded as essential to investigate physical causes of blast injury, to characterize the vulnerability of anatomical systems and their functions to blasts, and to develop the means to prevent, mitigate and treat blast injuries. Countermeasures may include personal protective equipment; weapons and vehicle systems engineered for safety; tactics, techniques and procedures for injury prevention; and medical interventions tailored to the specific needs of blast injuries.
The International Forum on Blast Injury Countermeasures (IFBIC) started as a Technical Information Exchange Forum between Japan and the United States, which brought together broad knowledge and expertise, and to share national experiences and evidence-based approaches for blast injuries. The previous three Japan-U.S. Technical Information Exchange Forums on Blast Injury (JUFBI) were held in June 2016, April 2017, and May 2018 in Tokyo. At the end of JUFBI 2018, the organizing committee decided to change the name to the "International Forum on Blast Injury Countermeasures" to reflect the expanding participation by additional nations such as Australia, Canada, Germany, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. IFBIC 2019 was held May 8-10, 2019, in the Washington, D.C. area.
These meetings have been very productive, involving active and fruitful discussions and the exchange of creative ideas on a broad spectrum of blast injuries, identifying critical issues involving experimental and computational studies of blast-induced injuries, and creating new partnerships on joint research explorations to address many scientific and technical challenges facing the related field.
IFBIC 2020 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Organizing Committee has decided that IFBIC 2021 will be held virtually, as on-demand presentations and text-based interactive discussion. Pre-recorded, on-demand presentations and discussion capabilities will be available September 27 - October 10, 2021.
IFBIC 2021 is organized by the:
National Defense Medical College Japan (NDMC)
U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC)
U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM)
The objectives for IFBIC 2021 include:
The meeting agenda includes the following broad topic areas:
Innovative research beyond this topic list will also be considered
Shunichi Sato
Professor
Division of Bioinformation and Therapeutic Systems
National Defense Medical College Research Institute
3-2, Namiki, Tokorozawa-shi, Saitama 359-8513, Japan
Telephone: +81 (4) 2995-1379
Fax: +81 (4) 2991-1759
Email: ssato-bits@ndmc.ac.jp
Conference Secretary Office:
Email: ifbic2021@ndmc.ac.jp
Fax: +81-4-2996-2081
Conference Website:
http://www.ndmc.ac.jp/schoolnews/ifbic2021/
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BIRCO held the 4th International Forum on Blast Injury Countermeasures (IFBIC 2019) at the MITRE Corporation in McLean, VA, on May 8-10. 2019. IFBIC is an international forum that evolved from the Japan-U.S. Technical Information Exchange Forums on Blast Injury (JUFBI). These meetings have been very productive, involving active and fruitful discussions and exchange of creative ideas on a broad spectrum of blast injuries; identifying critical issues involving experimental and computational studies of blast-induced injuries; and creating new partnerships on joint research explorations to address the many scientific and technical challenges facing the field.
The BIRCO Director and Deputy Director Co-Chair the IFBIC with their counterparts from the National Defense Medical College (NDMC) of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. The organizing committee includes representatives from the U.S. Army and agencies within the Japan Ministry of Defense. Nations that participated in this year's forum were the U.S., UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, and South Africa. The objective of IFBIC 2019 was to convene an international forum of blast injury research stakeholders to share information about ongoing research efforts, to identify knowledge gaps, and to facilitate research collaboration to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of blast injuries. Presentations addressed many blast injury research topics including traumatic brain injury (TBI), underbody blast, wound infections, auditory injury, computational modeling, and blast exposure monitoring. On May 13, 2019, the IFBIC Organizing Committee convened in a closed session to discuss outcomes of IFBIC 2019 and to initiate planning for IFBIC 2020 which the NDMC will host in Tokyo in May 2020. IFBIC supports the Executive Agent's (EA) Congressionally-mandated responsibilities to promote partnerships, to facilitate collaborations, and to leverage the expertise of U.S. allies to accelerate the development and fielding of blast injury prevention and treatment strategies for Service members.
Download program agenda and abstracts
(
4 MB)
The Centre for Blast Injury Studies, Imperial College London, is hosting the Centre's Blast Injury Conference 2019 held at Imperial College, South Kensington Campus, in the City and Guilds building (Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ) on July 11-12, 2019. The Blast Injury Research PCO Director is pleased to share this valuable opportunity to attend a multidisciplinary program of presentations covering topics related to military and civilian blast injury and will include international and UK researchers, clinicians and specialists from across the research pipeline to showcase their discoveries, spark new collaborations, and share knowledge and awareness in topics associated with blast injury.
Abstract submission is open. The deadline for submission is March 1, 2019. Abstracts should be submitted via the Centre's online submission portal. Please refer to the conference flyer and Abstract Submission for more details.
Registration for the Conference is also open, with "early bird" rates until May 31, 2019.
In recent years, attacks using explosive devices occur frequently, not only on battlefields and in regions of conflict, but also in urban areas in peacetime due to terrorism, resulting in a large number of blast injury victims. The U.S. Department of Defense uses the Taxonomy of Injuries from Explosive Devices (as described in DoDD 6025.21E) to organize blast injuries into five groupings based on their approximate order of temporal incidence upon the body following an explosion. Primary injuries result from the blast shock wave. Secondary injuries result from penetrating fragments of material accelerated by the blast. Tertiary injuries result from accelerative loading or blunt impact to tissues. Quaternary injuries include dermal burns and toxic gas inhalation. Quinary injuries include contamination by nuclear, chemical, or biological agents. Primary injuries that are peculiar to blast shockwave exposures include mild blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI), hearing loss, ocular injury, and lung injury. All body systems are vulnerable to secondary injuries due to penetrating fragments and tertiary injuries due to acceleration and blunt force trauma.
International cross-disciplinary collaboration is regarded as essential to investigate physical causes of blast injury, to characterize the vulnerability of anatomical systems and their functions to blasts, and to develop the means to prevent, mitigate, and treat blast injuries. Countermeasures may include personal protective equipment; weapons and vehicle systems engineered for safety; tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) for injury prevention; and medical interventions tailored to the specific needs of blast injuries.
This International Forum on Blast Injury Countermeasures started as a Technical Information Exchange Forum between Japan and the United States, which brought together broad knowledge and expertise, and to share national experiences and evidence-based approaches for blast injuries. The previous three Japan-U.S. Technical Information Exchange Forum on Blast Injury (JUFBI) were held in June 2016, April 2017, and May 2018 in Tokyo. At the end of JUFBI 2018, the planning committee decided to change the name to International Forum on Blast Injury Countermeasures to reflect the expanding participation by additional nations such as Australia, Canada, Germany, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.
These meetings have been very productive, involving active and fruitful discussions and exchange of creative ideas on a broad spectrum of blast injuries; identifying critical issues involving experimental and computational studies of blast-induced injuries; and creating new partnerships on joint research explorations to address the many scientific and technical challenges facing the field.
Building upon these successful meetings, the next International Forum on Blast Injury Countermeasures (IFBIC) 2019 will be held from Wednesday, May 8 – Friday, May 10, 2019 in McLean, VA, USA.
The objectives for the 4th Forum include:
The meeting agenda includes the following broad topic areas. Innovative research beyond this topic list will also be considered:
Abstract submission and registration information
On December 3-7, 2018, Mr. Leggieri chaired the seventh meeting of the NATO Human Factors and Medicine (HFM) 270 Research Task Group (RTG) in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The meeting took place at the Stellenbosch Facility of the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Natural Resources, and Environmental Business Unit. The objective of the RTG is to develop a framework for modeling and simulation (M&S) of human lethality, injury, and impairment from blast-related events. This M&S capability will enable the rapid development and testing of novel blast protection strategies in a virtual environment. During this meeting, the RTG members reviewed 61 computational modeling papers identified by the participating nations, identified models that are suitable for inclusion in the modeling framework, and aligned the identified models within the framework. The next task for the RTG is to perform a similar review and analysis on 200 computational modeling papers identified in the RTG's systematic literature review. Participation in the RTG supports the Executive Agent's (EA) responsibilities of facilitating collaboration within and outside the Department of Defense (DoD), identifying blast injury research gaps, and shaping programs to fill those gaps. Read more...
On May 9-11, 2018, PCO leadership participated in the 3rd Japan-US Technical Information Exchange Forum on Blast Injury (JUFBI 2018) in Tokyo, Japan. The PCO organized the meeting in coordination with National Defense Medical College Japan, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC), and U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command-ITC Office.
Download JUFBI-2018 Announcement (PDF 363 KB)
The purpose of this forum was to bring together international experts from diverse medical and engineering disciplines to exchange ideas in order to address a range of blast injury topics, including traumatic brain injury, auditory injury, and wound infection. This year?s forum included participants from the US, Japan, Korea, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia.
Key objectives of the 3rd forum included gaining a mutual understanding ongoing efforts in blast injury research and identifying knowledge gaps requiring collaborative research. In support of these objectives, Dr. George Ludwig, Principal Assistant for Research and Technology, USAMRMC, gave a keynote address about recent innovations in military medicine and potential collaborative opportunities. In addition, meeting participants presented their research on a wide range of blast injury topics including new imaging and sensing modalities; blast-cell/tissue interactions and small animal models; auditory systems; effects of repeated exposures; blasts and blast simulators; translational research; computational modelling and experimental simulation; clinical and epidemiological studies; new therapies; and the microbiome and infection.
Abstracts and presentations from JUFBI 2018 will be published in the forum proceedings and made available on this website.
Read more about US-Japan Collaborations
On April 14-16, 2017, Blast Injury Research Program Coordinating Office (PCO) Director, Mr. Leggieri, and PCO Deputy Director, Dr. Gupta, participated in the 2nd Japan-US Technical Information Exchange Forum on Blast Injury (JUFBI-2017) in Tokyo, Japan. The PCO organized this forum on behalf of the DoD Executive Agent in coordination with the National Defense Medical College of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), and US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) International Technology Center-Pacific (ITC-PAC).
Download JUFBI-2017 Announcement (PDF 122 KB)
Approximately 100 attendees participated in JUFBI-2017. US participants included representatives from the US Army Medical and Materiel Command, US Army Research Laboratory, RDECOM (ITC-PAC), New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey, and the Icahn School of Medicine, Mt. Sanai, New York, New York. Japan participants included representatives from the Ministry of Defense of Japan, JSDF, and academia. This year's forum also included participants from the Royal British Legion Centre for Blast Injury Studies at the Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
The objectives of JUFBI-2017 include achieving a mutual understating of Japan/US efforts in blast injury research; identifying knowledge gaps requiring collaborative research; and increasing understanding and collaboration to improve prevention, clinical diagnosis, and treatment of brain, lung, and auditory blast injuries. In support of these objectives, presentation topics covered a wide range of blast injury issues, including traumatic brain injury, auditory injury, and wound infections. Proceedings of JUFBI-2017 are being prepared and will be posted on this website when available.
Read More about US - Japan Collaboration.
On April 6, 2017, the Brain Health Research Program Coordinator, COL Sidney Hinds II, was an invited speaker at Virginia Bio's 2017 THRiVE conference held in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The purpose of this conference was to bring Virginia-based academia and industry together with the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to discuss the potential for future technological growth within the area. Attendees included leaders of large bioscience companies and startups, healthcare providers, research universities, investors, nonprofits, and professional service providers. Speakers discussed initiatives to attract industry to Virginia and efforts to increase Veteran participation by having them lead the newly formed companies. COL Hinds presented a lecture on ways that potential collaborators would be able to work with the DoD and the VA by highlighting the Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium. COL Hinds' participation in this conference is in keeping with the mission of the Blast Injury Research Program Coordinating Office and is instrumental in fostering continued collaboration between DoD and industry/private partners.
The Brain Health Research Program Coordinator and well known US Army neurologist, COL Sidney Hinds II, represented the DoD Blast Injury Research Program Coordinating Office (PCO) at the annual Brain Injury Awareness Day on Capitol Hill on March 22, 2017. (Read more here and here)
The event, held within the Rayburn Building, was sponsored by Congressmen Bill Pascrell (NJ) and Thomas Rooney (FL) and supported by numerous public and private organizations. The day's event included the Brain Injury Awareness Fair, the panel discussion, "Faces of Brain Injury: The Invisible Disability Affecting Children and Adults," and an evening reception.
Throughout the day, COL Hinds met with individuals from various organizations across the DoD, other federal agencies, industry, and non-profits. Through these discussions, COL Hinds reinforced DoD's commitment to providing the best traumatic brain injury (TBI) clinical care, education and resources for US Service Members, Veterans, and their loved ones, in a timely manner. This included a meeting with Samantha Lambert, Miss Pennsylvania 2016, who shared her experience as a TBI survivor, after suffering from a head injury as a teenager, and discussed her pageant platform, "Heads Up: Brain Injury Awareness." Read more about Miss Pennsylvania 2016, on social media here and here.
COL Hinds' participation in the day's events supports the PCO's Executive Agent responsibilities to bring awareness to brain trauma related research issues, facilitate collaboration, and promote information sharing.
For more information on facilitating collaboration within and outside of the Department of Defense, read more...
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