The Sergeant Thomas Joseph Sullivan Center

“Part iii28. Medical research relating to complex deployment-related illnessthe sergeant thomas joseph sullivan center ("ssc") continued to build relationships with premier health care institutions engaged in efforts to confront deoployment-related disease by providing medical research grants. The ssc monitors and assesses completed and ongoing research and seeks opportunities to leverage small grants to aid advancement in the understanding and treatment of complex illnesses affecting military personnel who have been deployed in our nation's recent wars. For example, the ssc's challenge matching grant of $10,000 to the stony brook university school of medicine in long island, ny helped raise another $10,000 to fund a study of genomics and inflammatory changes from exposure to iraq dust. This will provide a building block for more effective diagnosis and treatment of deployment-related lung injury. A similar matching grant is funding a $20,000 study at georgetown university medical center in washington, dc. This effort aims to develop bio-markers for gulf war illness which includes fatigue, pain, memory loss, respiratory, and gastrointestinal disorders. The ssc also collected inputs from veterans, physicians, researchers and scientists to prepare presentations to the defense health board study of pulmonary deployment health and iom and va reviews of gulf war illness. The ssc also provided small grants to defray travel expenses for veterans participating in government-funded research or presentations to government study and advisory bodies.29. Public awareness and advocacythe ssc continued to break the silence about post-deployment illnesses through newsletters to stakeholders, postings on its website, social media speaking engagements, press outreach and responses to questions from veterans and their caregivers. Information is provided about research and legislative and other policy developments on deployment health matters. A major ssc undertaking involved making major presentations to the defense health board's study of deployment pulmonary health and organizing presentations by private physicians. At the urging of the ssc and these experts, the dhb revised recommendations to acknowledge value of pre-deployment base line pulmonary function testing and the option of biopsies to diagnose small airway lung disease that cannot be identified thru standard testing. The ssc also attended and made presentations to an institute of medicine committee study of gulf war illness and to other va and dod bodies. The ssc conducted podcasts (recordings of which are now available on line) with veterans and experts on deployment-related illness. One interview was with a veteran who worked in a burn pit and now suffers debilitating lung and other diseases. Another interview was with an expert on the neuro-toxic effects of an anti-malaria drug that was administered to many military service members. Last year, the ssc held its fourth awards reception at the pew charitable trusts conference center in washington dc.the ssc award for excellence was conferred on dr. Steve coughlin, a former va epidemiologist who alerted congress to manipulation of va research on deployment health matters. The event included guests form veterans service organizations and health advocacy groups, government agencies, congressional offices and research institutions. Speakers included past award winners who provided updates about deployment health issues. Another reception was held to honor kpmg for its contributions to the ssc's awareness activities, including by funding printing of informational materials. Ssc officers briefed kpmg staff and other stakeholders in attendance about its accomplishments and the challenges ahead. Around the holidays in december, the ssc sent a supply of dust masks to troops deployed in the middle east as a way of raising awareness of the airborne hazards to which they are exposed.”

“Functional expenses:administration: (35,507)fundraising: (19,157)”

“Iraq afghanistan war lung injury research medical research stony brook university none 10000. Gulf war illness research medical research gerogetown university medical center none 10000. Marathon sponsorship public awareness & advocacy dfmwr-marketing branch none 200. Gulf war illness awareness public awareness & advocacy national jewish health none 500. Masks to middle east public awareness & advocacy 2080.”

“Travel & meetings 6089. Payroll taxes 8264. Payroll processing fees 144. Operations 11726. Depreciation 1092. Business expenses 12023.”

“Adjustment due to reconciliation of 2013 statement to audit. -7574.”