November Digest: Military Mind and Body
November’s theme, Military Mind and Body, highlighted research on injury, osteoarthritis, abortion care, veteran health data and service family wellbeing - showing how military life shapes health and how evidence is driving better policy, support and understanding.
November’s theme, Military Mind and Body, has brought together a rich set of reflections and research examining how military service shapes physical health, psychological wellbeing, identity and care across the life course. Across the month, we have shared blogposts exploring both the visible and less visible dimensions of military health, with a particular emphasis on translating research into meaningful impact for serving personnel, veterans and their families.
This month’s contributions highlight the breadth of work taking place across the Defence research community. We have featured new insights into musculoskeletal injury and osteoarthritis in younger, physically active populations; reflections on servicewomen’s experiences of abortion care and the importance of compassionate, evidence-led pathways; and innovative work unlocking primary care data to improve understanding of veteran health at scale. Alongside this, reflections from CIMVHR Forum 2025 foregrounded the role of families and service children, the value of co-production, and the importance of supportive research communities—particularly for early career researchers.
Taken together, November’s posts remind us that military health cannot be reduced to readiness or treatment alone. It is shaped by organisational culture, healthcare systems, trust, mobility, gendered experience and long-term transition. Crucially, many of this month’s contributions demonstrate how research can move beyond publication to inform guidance, policy, education and peer support.
As always, we are grateful to all those who have shared their work with the Defence Research Network this month. We remain keen to showcase the breadth of research and practice across our community, so please do get in touch at defenceresearchnetwork@gmail.com if you have work, events or opportunities you would like us to feature in a future theme.
Tegan Lily Harrison
Editor, Defence Research Network
Theme of the Month: Military, Mind and Body
Introducing the Theme: Military Mind and Body.
We opened the month with an introduction from Major Dr Oliver O’Sullivan, DRN Committee Member, NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer and British Army doctor, outlining why health in military life is often taken for granted and why longer-term, less visible injuries and experiences deserve greater attention. Read the introduction here.
From Research Into Practice: Servicewomen’s Voices and Abortion Care.
Dr Victoria Kinkaid explores how research on servicewomen’s experiences of abortion has been translated into practical guidance, co-produced resources and peer-support initiatives, demonstrating how sensitive research can lead to tangible change across Defence. Read the contribution here.
Unlocking Veteran Health Data: The Clinical Practice Research Datalink.
Dr Pamela Almeida-Meza introduces a new approach to identifying veterans within primary care data, opening up major opportunities to improve understanding of mental and physical health needs across the UK veteran population. Read more about the project here.
Osteoarthritis in Military Populations: Rethinking an ‘Old’ Condition.
Major Dr Oliver O’Sullivan shares his research on post-traumatic osteoarthritis in serving and ex-military personnel, challenging “wear and tear” assumptions and outlining new work on prediction, prevention and tailored clinical guidance. Read the article here.
News from the Community and Spotlights
CIMVHR Forum 2025: Reflections from a Postdoc.
Dr Lucy Robinson reflects on attending the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research Forum 2025, sharing insights on military families, service children, co-production and early career researcher support, alongside reflections on presenting her own work. Catch up on Lucy’s reflections here.
Creating Community for Students and Postdocs: SPEC
This month we highlighted the work of the Student and Postdoctoral Engagement Community (SPEC), supported by CIMVHR, which connects emerging scholars working on military, veteran, public safety personnel and family health research. The post also shares details of the first SPEC-led online symposium, taking place in February 2026, with a call for abstracts now open. Find out more about SPEC and upcoming opportunities on the CIMVHR website and read our post here.
What we're reading
This month, DRN contributors explored two new books examining defence, technology and global order. Show Me Don’t Tell Me: Lessons from Defence AI by Darrell Jaya Ratnam looks at how militaries can move beyond AI hype towards trustworthy, effective capability, while Ukraine and the Legal Accountability of Russia: The Emergence of a New Global Order examines how the war in Ukraine is reshaping international law and accountability mechanisms. Read the full summary on the DRN website.
Veronika Hinman
What we're listening to
Our November listening list focused on Ukraine, battlefield decision-making and strategic legacies, featuring podcasts from War on the Rocks, BBC Ukrainecast, UkraineWorld and RUSI. Episodes explored last-stand dilemmas, peace negotiations, life as a Ukrainian soldier and Cold War endgame strategy. Catch up with the full playlist on the DRN website.
Veronika Hinman
Get involved with the DRN
Get in touch
We hope you've enjoyed our news, tips and recommendations. In case you missed our previous newsletter editions, check out our archive section here. Over the coming months we'll be transferring our past content to the new website.
We're always looking to showcase early-career researchers in research and their work, so don't be shy in getting in touch, and we welcome any suggestions for 'In Conversation' pieces with more established academics. And don't forget to let us know about any events you, or your departments, schools and Universities might be hosting in the near future, from book launches to webinars.
