The Medical Society of London hosted the 2024 Colt Foundation Defence Research & Clinical Innovation (RCI) meeting. The Medical Society of London, the oldest surviving medical society in England, was founded in 1773. It was unlike other societies at the time, as it had an unrestricted membership. Established as a forum for physicians, surgeons and apothecaries, it gave them the opportunity of meeting together for the exchange of medical knowledge. There was no other society where the various branches of the medical profession could meet on equal terms to learn from one another.1 It made a fitting venue, therefore, to bring together an audience from a range of specialities and disciplines working in Defence medical academia.

The aim of the Colt RCI meeting is to shine a spotlight on the sharing of knowledge within UK Defence Healthcare, along the spectrum from research to quality improvement (QI). A broad range of submissions are encouraged across healthcare disciplines, which has resulted in diverse and high-quality work being presented, with many of the shortlisted finalists undertaking doctorate-level research.

We first heard from Surgeon Commodore Jason Smith KHP, the Medical Director to the Surgeon General and Head of RCI. He emphasised how this conference represents the future of the Defence Medical Services (DMS) and he reflected on the increasing importance of QI as the vehicle to develop the DMS.

The theme of this year’s event was establishing careers in military academia. Dr Peter Thompson, director of the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Academy presented the scope for opportunities supporting research careers alongside clinical practice. The NIHR offers a range of awards including academic clinical fellowships, which support protected research time alongside postgraduate medical training, and doctoral (PhD) fellowships, as well as post-doctoral fellowship opportunities. This talk engaged the audience, many of whom reflected on their experience of working within Defence and local arrangements to facilitate research. The NIHR Academy presents a way to benchmark the quality of DMS academia and support external collaboration.

Our second themed invited speaker was Group Captain Alex Bennett, Defence Professor of Rheumatology & Rehabilitation Medicine with his talk entitled “So you want to become a Defence Academic?”. Group Captain Bennett is Chief Investigator for the ADVANCE study, a long term cohort study focussing on the health outcomes related to traumatic injuries sustained by service personnel in the most recent Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns.2 He elaborated on the practicalities of dealing with complex challenges such as navigating research grant applications for large projects. He also reflected on his personal journey through academia including his experience of the publication process and working with highly motivated colleagues.

The third invited speaker was Lieutenant Colonel James Mitchell, discussing his work on the mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)-Predict study. This large study has been co-funded by the US Department of Defense. Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell discussed the practicalities of managing a large research team, and central to the talk were the steps required to establish this broad multi-national consortium study with disparate funding streams.

The main focus of the day was the research prize session, which for this year was extended to 90 minutes, allowing more opportunity to showcase the top six entries. Prior to the meeting, 34 abstracts were scored by a panel of Defence academics convened by the DMS Medical Director. The review process, designed to be comparable to medical journal standards, was blinded, objective and structured. The categories appraised included background rationale, clarity and aim, methodology (originality of aim(s), scientific and statistical rigour), relevance of results, appropriateness of conclusion, military relevance, and overall level of academic writing. The authors of the six highest scoring abstracts were invited to give a ten-minute oral presentation. This session was chaired by Surgeon Captain Ed Barnard, Defence Professor of Emergency Medicine, and the top six abstracts are reproduced below. This year, a second set of six abstracts were selected from 19 entries for the QI prize, involving a round of presentations involving a shorter presentation. The judging panel for the QI was convened and chaired by Group Captain Di Lamb, Defence Professor of Nursing and chair of the DMS QI working group.

The Colt Foundation Research Prize went to Squadron Leader Will Nevin for ‘Opening a can of worms: GI parasite infections in at-risk UK Armed Forces populations’. This ground-breaking research into Strongyloides infection identified a high prevalence of this lesser understood tropical disease in Service Personnel. It has directly led to changes in Defence policy and heightened the need for further study into this area.

The Colt Foundation QI Prize was won by Maj Grant Milne for ‘A Peripatetic Defence Audiology Clinic across DPHC Scotland’. Maj Milne explained the impact of false positive results and impact to operational readiness when dealing with disparate Service populations. His work continues to inform a new approach, leading to greatly reduced waiting times and healthcare burden.

The Research poster prize was won by Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Matthew Kain for ‘Arboviruses in UK Armed Forces.’ A review of historical cases and identification of future threats was presented, taking a deep dive into the incidence of Dengue cases in the UK Service population.

The QI improvement poster winner was Major Emily Reilly with ‘Improving the documentation & safety of Fascia Iliaca blocks’, who presented a project that demonstrated small interventions leading to large increases in documentation for Fascia Iliaca blocks in the emergency department.

The meeting continues to provide a valuable opportunity for those involved in Defence Medical Academia to discuss their work on a broader stage. Without submissions and attendance from our prize candidates the ongoing success would not be possible. Congratulations to all presenters and many thanks to those chairing sessions and their respective judging panels. Authors can expect a closing date of 1 September for the 2025 meeting, which will be held on Thursday 4th December 2025.