Building Research Capacity and Infrastructure with the Musculoskeletal Injury Rehabilitation Research for Operational Readiness (MIRROR) Organization — NIH Rehabilitation Research 2020

Isaacson B, Wagner L, West S, Lucio W, Dalgarno R, Johnston S, Fowler A, Pasquina P, Hager N

Musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) affect approximately 800,000 Service Members annually and result in 25 million limited duty days. These conditions are the primary reasons for medical discharge and downgrade, and result in 34% of evacuations from theatre. Given the strict requirements for physical fitness in the military and the impact of MSI on combat readiness, the Musculoskeletal Injury Rehabilitation Research for Operational Readiness (MIRROR) organization was set up in 2019 to advance the treatment and preventive care for Service Members with non-combat related MSI. This abstract describes the purpose of MIRROR, how we support the Building Research Capacity and Infrastructure conference theme, and introduces new researchers to this collaborative forum.