Undersea Medicine Program

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Undersea Medicine Program develops science and technology solutions aimed at optimizing submariner and diver performance and enhancing the flexibility, efficiency, and safety of undersea warfighter missions. An important result of this program is to decrease the logistical burden of medical operations for both diving and submarines and enable safe submarine escape and rescue operations. Solutions should extend the reach of the warfighter and allow freedom of action in the water column, thermal extremes, and in contaminated water. Solutions from diverse areas such as biological, computer, and behavioral sciences are encouraged, with the objective of developing improved methods, models, treatments and devices for understanding, preventing or mitigating adverse health effects (including psychological) that negatively impact submarine and diving operations.

Program interests currently include, but are not limited to, understanding the pathology and etiology of decompression illnesses [i.e., decompression sickness (DCS) and arterial/venous gas embolism (AGE/VGE)], hyperbaric oxygen toxicity, nitrogen narcosis, and high-pressure nervous syndrome; nonrecompressive prevention and treatment of DCI; management and mitigation of hyperbaric oxygen toxicity; identifying potential long-term health effects of diving and exposure to submarine environment; safe diving in contaminated water; interventions against underwater sound/blast effects; improvements in submarine crew and diver performance; improved trauma management in submarine special forces operations.