Welcome to the United States Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (USAARL).  The USAARL is part of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and is located at Fort Rucker, AL, the Army’s Aviation Center of Excellence. USAARL researchers constantly strive to make significant contributions to preserving and enhancing the health, safety, combat effectiveness, and survivability of the Warfighter by demonstrating an extraordinary ability to adapt to the constantly changing demands involved in protecting our Soldiers from a tenacious enemy.  Some of our most recent endeavors are described below.

The Warfighter Performance and Health Division (WPHD) conducted two extraordinary studies involving in-flight evaluations of pilot and passenger subjects. In one study, researchers collected data on motion sickness among unmanned aerial vehicle operators during flight, whereas in the other study, they collected data on fatigued aviators under the influence modafinil or dextroamphetamine while flying our full-motion flight simulator and JUH-60 Black Hawk.  Additionally, WPHD completed a pre-deployment risk assessment on more than 500 3rd Infantry Division Soldiers, and will conduct post-deployment assessments upon their return.

The Sensory Research Division’s Acoustics Research Branch and the Warfighter Protection Division’s Injury Biomechanics Branch are currently involved in a multi-disciplinary research project on blast and traumatic brain injury.  The collaboration is made up of a team of Army and industry engineers, Army audiologists, and Navy cognitive psychologists focused on better understanding the impact of blast exposure on U.S. Marine Corps breachers.  Our acoustics researchers also initiated a study on the treatment of tinnitus, one of the leading causes of Veterans Administration disability claims, and continued their research (with the help of WPHD colleagues) on the noise-immune stethoscope, which will allow evaluation of patients during air evacuation. 

The Airworthiness Certification and Evaluation Branch (ACE) and the Aviation Life Support Equipment Retrieval Program (ALSERP) continued to provide relevant contributions to protecting aircrew and patients during flight.  The ALSERP team participated in several U.S. Army Combat Readiness/Safety Center investigations, providing timely and relevant input regarding restraint systems and crash-worthy seating.  Additionally, work continued on cockpit airbags in the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior.  The ACE team’s evaluation and airworthiness certification requirements of critical patient movement items ensures safe interaction among medical equipment, patients, crew, and aircraft and directly support the Warfighter during aeromedical inter/intra-theater transport.

Dana K. Renta
Colonel, Medical Corps
Commanding