Purdue Health of the Forces program announces first director

Chad Carroll

Written by: Tim Brouk, tbrouk@purdue.edu

In fall 2023, the Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences launched the Health of the Forces initiative with the overall goal of optimizing research on the health of those who serve in and support military forces and their families.

The initiative creates a collaborative space for faculty to explore complex, often underexamined challenges. Some of these areas include reducing musculoskeletal injuries, preventing or treating hearing loss, and managing the psychological effects of combat.

The Health of the Forces initiative was launched with a comprehensive framework encompassing health, wellness, human performance and biomedical technology, aligning with the U.S. Department of War’s vision of Total Force Fitness. Specifically, the initiative’s objectives are:

• Removing barriers between Purdue health and life sciences researchers and DoW/military-related funding
• Attracting students and scholars interested in the Health of the Forces, including service members and Department of War civilians, to Purdue
• Generating innovative capabilities, strategies and solutions to address national security issues related to the Health of the Forces
• Improving the health and quality of life of members of the military, veterans and their families through scientific research, education and engagement

To help lead these efforts, the College of Health and Human Sciences (HHS) has appointed Chad Carroll, associate professor of health and kinesiology, as Dean’s Fellow and the program’s first director.

In this role, Carroll will pursue external funding, foster interdisciplinary collaboration across Purdue and beyond, and build pipelines with partners such as the Purdue Military Research Institute. He will also work to expand internship opportunities at institutions such as the United States Military Academy West Point, the United States Air Force Academy and the United States Naval Academy. He will also recruit graduate students from military backgrounds. Carroll brings prior experience working with the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine.

Historically, much of Purdue’s military-related research has been concentrated in engineering and aeronautics. Carroll sees a significant opportunity to expand that work into human health.

“I want to really highlight what HHS and Purdue can do in the military health research space and make connections,” Carroll said. “My vision is not only seeking funding and helping faculty get funding, but it’s about making connections to faculty in the military health space.”

Carroll officially began his role on May 1 and will keep the position for at least a year.

“One of the things that I think HHS can address include the huge orthopedic musculoskeletal injury problem in the military. Improving tissue healing is also a critical area to explore. Diabetes is also more prevalent in veterans compared to non-veterans and is a growing problem among active-duty service members,” Carroll explained.

That opportunity is already taking shape through student engagement. Shortly before the program’s launch, Carroll welcomed Eric Gutierrez into his lab as a PhD student. A 17-year member of the U.S. Army, Gutierrez served in multiple deployments before beginning his PhD education at Purdue.

Gutierrez’s research interests in tendon and muscle injuries developed from his desire to understand how to reduce musculoskeletal injuries in his soldiers. Gutierrez recently defended his dissertation and was also promoted to lieutenant colonel. He will next serve as an assistant professor at West Point.

Carroll will also welcome incoming master’s student Hannah Grover this fall, a top 1% graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. Attracting high-caliber students with military experience is a key vision of Carroll for the Health of the Forces.

“These are really, really good students, and so there’s a lot of value working with and mentoring these students,” Carroll said, noting that such graduate students are partially supported through partnerships with the Purdue Military Research Institute. “Eric brought maturity and a different perspective to our lab. He looks at things so differently from my students who came straight from undergrad into a PhD program — completely different scenarios. For me, what he’s brought to our lab is leadership and a presence that other students want to emulate because of his professionalism and the way he goes about things. I find that he’s very methodical, careful and very detail-oriented. He’s used to structure and having deadlines.”

That leadership, Carroll said, elevates the entire learning environment.

“It just really rubs off on the younger students, and I anticipate the same thing out of Hannah,” Carroll explained. “These folks are trained to be leaders, and that’s what you get. It’s amazing.”