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UPITT Warrior Human Performance Research
Neuromuscular Research Laboratory
Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

 

Naval Special Warfare Projects

Group 4 (SWCC)

 

Project Description:

The Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen (SWCC) is one of the elite combat units of Naval Special Warfare and specializes in the operation of rapid mobility in shallow water where larger ships cannot operate. Modeled after our research with Naval Special Warfare Group 2, this project aims to identify injury risk factors that are culturally-specific to the SWCC.

The NSW Group 4 project has established an injury prevention and human performance research laboratory at Stennis Space Center, Stennis, MS. Our current research operations include testing the specific task and demands of the SWCC and identifying the biomechanical, musculoskeletal, physiological, and nutritional characteristics which contribute to injury and inhibit optimal performance.

Research activities at Stennis Space Center are currently ongoing with Phases 1 and 2. The Operators at NSWG4/SBT22 are tactically different than NSWG2 and testing will demonstrate culturally-specific injury patterns, and suboptimal characteristics relative to injury and optimal tactical readiness. Anecdotal evidence provided by NSWG4/SBT22 medical command identified a distribution of injuries to SWCC. The data from the current proposal will be provided to NSWG4/SBT22’s Tactical Athlete Program (TAP) personnel to incorporate into current training. The modified TAP program will then be validated to improve the previously identified suboptimal SWCC-specific characteristics.

Funding for the Naval Special Warfare Group 4 project has been provided by ONR Awards #N000140810412 / N000141110929.

 

Personnel:

Stennis Lab Staff

Left to Right: Carrie and Paul

Paul Morgan, MS.Ed

pmorgan1@pitt.edu

Paul is a research associate assigned to the NMRL's UPitt Warrior Human Performance Research Laboratory at Stennis, MS. He completed his MS.Ed in Exercise Physiology and BS.Ed in Physical Education (K-12) from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL. While attending NIU, he taught exercise physiology laboratory classes, supervised physical education clinical student teachers, and conducted research with Dr. Amanda Salacinski and ACSM Fellow Dr. Craig Broeder. Paul's research interests include contrast water therapy, thermoregulation in extreme environments, and flotation R.E.S.T.

Carrie Pockrandt, DHSc, ATC

pockrand@pitt.edu

Carrie is an Assistant Professor assigned to the NMRL's UPitt Warrior Human Performance Research Laboratory located in Stennis, MS.  She received her Doctor of Health Science degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2010, and her Master of Science degree in athletic training from The University of Tenneessee at Chattanooga in 2000. Prior to joining the NMRL, she was an athletic trainer at the United States Coast Guard Basic Training Center located in Cape May, New Jersey. Carrie's research interests include the prevention of musculoskeletal injuries and health promotion in the military population.

Katie Frushour, MS, RD, CSSD, LD

frushour@pitt.edu

Katie is a Research Associate assigned to the NMRL’s UPItt Warrior Human Performance Research Laboratory located in Stennis, MS. Katie holds a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from the University of North Dakota and a Master’s of Science in Sports Nutrition from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. While attending UCCS, she interned at USAFA’s Human Performance Laboratory and the Olympic Training Center. Her Master’s project was in conjunction with Dr. Nanna Meyer and the USOC in the development of “The Athlete’s Plate and Timeline for Fueling and Training” used at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Prior to joining NMRL, Katie was the Registered Dietitian for Grand Forks Air Force Base’s Health and Wellness Center. Her personal research interests include the effects of nutrition and dietary supplement use on performance and body composition. .

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