VCOM 2024 Annual Report

Syndromic Surveillance and Biothreat Innovation Research Department of Defense Awards VCOM and the Center for Health Services Research (CHSR) a $3.5 Million Grant for Syndromic Surveillance and Biothreat Innovation T he Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), in partnership with the Center for Health Services Research role in early detection and response, helping to mitigate the spread of the virus. The new system developed by VCOM promises to provide even faster, more efficient responses,

(CHSR) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), launched a transformative project aimed at enhancing surveillance of biothreats on Feb. 6, 2025. This project is supported by a $3.5 million grant from the Department of Defense (DoD), which will advance the development of a cutting edge, AI-driven public health dashboard. The dashboard will enable real-time monitoring and response to emerging biothreats, strengthening both military and civilian public health systems. The project focuses on expanding syndromic surveillance capabilities—an early warning system designed to detect emerging health threats before clinical or laboratory confirmation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, syndromic surveillance systems played a vital

offering immediate insights into potential public health threats. P. Gunnar Brolinson, DO, FAOASM, FACOFP, FAAFP, the vice president for research at VCOM, emphasized the groundbreaking nature of the new surveillance system. The innovative system will integrate data from the Via Learning Management System (VLMS) at VCOM, a HIPAA-compliant database with more than 4.8 million diagnostic entries. This data, combined with real-time surveillance insights, will help track a wide range of diseases, from flu-like illnesses to chronic conditions such as asthma and cancer. By correlating health trends with environmental factors, the system can uncover hidden drivers of illness and predict future health challenges.

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