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Newswise — Bethesda, Md. – The Uniformed Services University’s (USU) Consortium for Health and Military Performance and its Operation Supplement Safety (OPSS) program is teaming up with Major League Baseball (MLB) to host the inaugural Performance Enhancing Substances (PES) Summit on May 1 at MLB headquarters in New York City.
This meeting brings together representatives from professional and collegiate athletic organizations, Service Members, athlete representatives, healthcare providers, and allied health professionals alongside those representing USU, the Department of Defense (DoD), the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Department of Justice (DOJ), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The PES Summit aims to raise awareness of issues surrounding prohibited substance use, identify and discuss emerging substances that pose health and safety risks, and propose potential solutions to maintain the safety, well-being and performance of athletes and Service Members.
“The DoD has a zero-tolerance policy for all abuse or misuse of drugs, and that includes PES. These drugs compromise our military’s readiness, as well as the safety and health of our service members,” said Navy Capt. Erin Wilfong, director of the Office of Drug Demand Reduction. “DDRP is increasing efforts to educate and warn our Service Members on the harms and risks of PES.”
At this one-day meeting, attendees will receive an overview on substance use/misuse in the military, hear from subject matter experts on the current state of PES, and learn about challenges faced by major sporting leagues and the DoD. Additionally, there will be discussions on emerging and new substances that pose risks to all consumers.
“We are incredibly honored to co-host this event, which will be the first time that sport and military are coming together on this scale to collaborate on these important topics. Professional sports leagues and DoD face similar issues on prohibited substance use, and it will be a worthwhile exercise to bring these different perspectives together to share experiences and discuss potential solutions to these shared challenges,” said Jon Coyles, vice president for Drug, Health & Safety Programs, MLB.
The PES Summit will promote collaborations and campaigns; education approaches; and the identification of knowledge and research gaps. The end result will include a peer-reviewed publication with proposed educational and policy solutions along with a joint research agenda for execution.
“Through our work on the OPSS program, our collaborations allow us to draw attention to areas that need it- and our concentrated efforts on prevention, education and outreach on PES with our Service Members is paramount,” said Andrea Lindsey, director of the USU/CHAMP OPSS program and senior nutrition scientist for the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine. “We thank MLB for co-hosting this important landmark event to address this public health issue.”
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About the Uniformed Services University: The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, founded by an act of Congress in 1972, is the nation’s federal health sciences university and the academic heart of the Military Health System. USU students are primarily active-duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who receive specialized education in tropical and infectious diseases, TBI and PTSD, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, global health, and acute trauma care. USU also has graduate programs in oral biology, biomedical sciences and public health committed to excellence in research. The University’s research program covers a wide range of areas important to both the military and public health. For more information about USU and its programs, visit www.usuhs.edu.