University of Idaho, Uniformed Services University expand biomedical research partnership

MOSCOW, Idaho —Supported by approximately $7 million in Department of Defense funding, University of Idaho researchers are part of a growing biomedical research partnership with Uniformed Services University (USU) that supports U.S. service members, veterans and their families while advancing discoveries with broad public health impact.

The collaboration includes seven joint research projects led by investigators at U of I and USU, reflecting a shared commitment to research that addresses real-world health challenges facing military-connected populations. The projects span areas such as data science and artificial intelligence, infectious and vector-borne disease, behavioral health, human performance and long-term medical readiness.

Discussions to formalize the partnership began approximately a year and a half ago, building on prior researcher-level collaborations and laying the groundwork for a broader institutional relationship.

“University of Idaho has a long history of supporting service members and veterans through education and research,” said Chris Nomura, vice president for Research and Economic Development. “These projects show how biomedical research can address real challenges facing military-connected populations and deliver benefits that extend to civilian communities.”

The projects include:

• $209,927 to study the long-term health effects of infectious disease on medical readiness, duty-limiting conditions and service retention, led by U of I researcher Benjamin Ridenhour.
• $1,195,528 to identify shared biological pathways in disease-carrying insects such as mosquitoes and ticks, with the goal of developing new strategies to reduce the spread of vector-borne illnesses, led by U of I researcher Shirley Luckhart.
• $692,298 to apply artificial intelligence tools to better understand chronic pain and identify potential therapeutic targets, led by U of I researcher Boyu Zhang.
• $1,037,660 to examine how malaria-related immune responses, including mast cells and plasma components, influence disease transmission and severity, led by U of I researcher Nora Céspedes Martínez.
• $1,493,290 to explore targeted protein degradation approaches to disrupt disease transmission in vectors such as mosquitoes, led by U of I researcher Frederick “Marty” Ytreberg.
• $974,000 to use machine learning and data from wearable devices to improve screening and diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions, led by U of I researcher Colin Xu.
• $361,000 to use machine learning to identify periods of elevated risk for severe military family dysfunction across the deployment cycle, also led by Xu.

U of I is consistently recognized as a military-friendly institution, serving student veterans, active-duty service members and their families through academic programs, research opportunities and campus support services. This collaboration will also create opportunities for students to participate in medically relevant research alongside faculty investigators, strengthening workforce preparation while advancing mission-driven science.

Faculty-led research partnerships like this one extend that commitment by addressing health challenges that disproportionately affect military-connected populations.

While individual U of I researchers have collaborated with USU scientists on prior Department of Defense-funded projects, this effort marks the first formal, institution-level biomedical research partnership between the two universities. The current group of awards reflects a renewed emphasis on cross-institution collaboration that leverages shared expertise to address complex biomedical challenges.

Media contact

Danae Lenz
External communications coordinator
208-885-1605
dlenz@uidaho.edu