Advances in modern medicine and rehabilitation haven’t been perfect, but they have yielded some incredible results. To continue these pursuits and to improve the quality of healthcare available to those in need, it takes time, money, resources, and the ability to believe. The Henry M. Jackson Foundation (HJF) is a nonprofit organization that continues to fund the advancement of military medicine. Even if there are applications across various areas of healthcare, it’s clear that the challenges and needs of the military community are unique. HJF is helping find solutions to provide a better quality of life to those who protect and serve America.

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What Is the Henry M. Jackson Foundation?

Dedicated to advancing military medicine, HJF is an independent nonprofit organization. The Henry M. Jackson Foundation administrates, manages, and supports preeminent scientific programs that benefit military personnel and civilians, alike. Founded in 1983, the Henry M. Jackson Foundation connects federal and private partners to the military community. Through administrative support, medical researchers and clinics focus on military medical work to advance science in the field, conduct research, and reach their goals. President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law establishing the Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine in May 1983. Months later, the late Senator Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson would have his name added to the organization, as he was a sponsor of the legislation necessary for its creation. The goals of the original legislation Henry M. Jackson helped make a reality focused on education and research at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and in the rest of the military medical community. Ultimately, the idea was to bring together military research and the private medical sector as well as other healthcare and biomedical entities to benefit both warfighters and civilians through medicine. While HJF was only made of two federally funded research programs to begin with, it's grown over the last several decades to become an internationally recognized place of medicine researching everything from infectious diseases to brain trauma. With more than 700 contracts, cooperative agreements, and research grants, the work that the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine provides directly impacts both the military and civilian populations.

Assistance and Research

Medicine is a tricky field. On one hand, you don’t want to have a bunch of wildly experimental procedures or drugs floating around. On the other, the military community needs solutions now for the problems they face today. The Henry M. Jackson Foundation helps provide assistance for these solutions in more than one way. For starters, you can find HJF assisting in making proposals a success while also helping connect innovative studies with the funding necessary to make them happen. As of the time of this writing, there are 141 studies listed. By being an intersection where scientists and funding can come together, the HJF facilitates the perfect environment for growth and advancement of military medicine.

The Veterans Metrics Initiative

As part of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., The Veterans Metrics Initiative: Linking Program Components to Post-Military Well-Being (TVMI Study) started in April 2015. Veterans were followed for three years after transitioning from the military into civilian life. During the TVMI Study, researchers examined the relationship between the access 9,566 Veterans had to programs during their transitions and their long-term well-being. By identifying at-risk Veterans, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), nonprofits, and civilians could better target transition assistance programs. July 2020 marked the successful completion of the study.

Henry M. Jackson Foundation Jobs Help Our Heroes

What makes the organization so great is its ability to take on so many opportunities to advance research, but this would not be possible without having a great workforce to do so. HJF careers help keep these initiatives going, and while healthcare workers are a huge part, many industries can be found within the company. It takes a lot of expertise to make an operation of this magnitude. If you’re looking to help out with the advancement of medicine to provide even better healthcare to our nation’s heroes, then a job at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation could be the perfect place for you to get involved.

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The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. Photo by Airman Ilyana Escalona 49th Wing Public Affairs