Lyn A. Boulanger, a therapist at Naval Medical Center San Diego, Calif., helps U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Jesse A. Cottle, a bilateral amputee, practice swimming during endurance training at the Comprehensive Combat and Complex Casualty Care (C5) facility pool in San Diego. The C5 program manages severely wounded, ill or injured patients from medical evacuation through inpatient care, outpatient rehabilitation and their eventual return to active duty or transition from the military. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jake Berenguer/Released)

The Department of Defense (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program (PRORP) has awarded a $19.7 million grant to the University of Delaware to create and manage a consortium that will improve the quality of life for warfighters who suffer significant limb injuries in combat.

The Bridging Advanced Developments for Exceptional Rehabilitation (BADER) Consortium will conduct clinical trial research at several hospitals, both military and civilian, across the country.

"This consortium will greatly advance post-injury treatment, and will develop new standards of care for not only these service men and women, but also for Americans with limb damage from accidents," said CDMRP Director COL Jeffrey Leggit, M.D. "Working together, the scientists, clinicians, and patients of these premier organizations will be able to more effectively analyze the benefits of potential treatments, and bring these practices forward rapidly."

COL Leggit added that the long-term goal of the consortium is to create an infrastructure of relationships among the participating organizations, allowing the consortium to operate as an independent entity for clinical trials.

Dr. Steven Stanhope, a professor in Delaware's Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, will serve as principal investigator and consortium director. Dr. Stanhope expressed his vision and goals for the consortium.

"An important characteristic of the BADER Consortium is the exceedingly high level of collaboration we ultimately seek to establish between military treatment facilities, the Veterans Administration, large scale clinical centers, existing DoD consortia, and the scientific community." Dr. Stanhope said. "We have already begun promoting awareness of key orthopaedic research priorities and strengthening existing collaborative networks. Through the identification of strategic clinical pathways, we will fulfill one long-term goal of establishing a cadre of outcomes-oriented clinical research initiatives that result in the highest level of evidence-based orthopaedic rehabilitation care."

The consortium's acronym serves as a nod of respect to Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, a member of Britain's Royal Air Force during World War II. Sir Bader lost two legs in a 1931 air show, yet ten years later, he served on active duty and participated in several aerial battles in the skies over Britain and France. He later became a champion and advocate of and for the disabled.

Also participating in the BADER Consortium are scientists and clinicians from the Harvard Medical School/Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston; the University of Texas at Austin; Christiana Care Health System in Newark, Del.; the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.; the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va.; the Naval Medical Center in San Diego; San Antonio Military Medical Center; Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.; C-Motion, Inc. in Germantown, Md.; and the University of Michigan.

Point of Contact:

• CDMRP Public Affairs
  301-619-9783
  CDMRP.PublicAffairs@amedd.army.mil

The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) funds innovative bio-medical competitive awards and manages research programs in cancer, military relevant injuries and conditions, and specific disease programs for the benefit of all Americans. Recognized for our unique collaborations with scientists, clinicians, consumers, and the military, the CDMRP is a subordinate command of the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Department of Defense (https://cdmrp.army.mil).