In response to concerns about the health effects of deployments following the 1991 Gulf War, the Congress and the Institute of Medicine recommended that DoD conduct prospective epidemiological research to evaluate the impact of military exposures, including deployment, on long-term health outcomes. The Millennium Cohort Study, the largest prospective health study in the military with more than 200,000 participants, meets this critical need. Although the original designers of the Millennium Cohort Study could not foresee the post-2001 military conflicts, the project is perfectly positioned to address health outcomes related to these operations. As force health protection continues to be a priority for the future of the United States military, the Millennium Cohort Study will be providing critical information towards enhancing the long-term health of future generations of military members.
Dr. Rudy Rull
Dr. Rull is the Principal Investigator of the Millennium Cohort Study at the Naval Health Research Center. He received his PhD and MPH in Epidemiology from the University of California, Los Angeles and BA in Environmental Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. In addition to military health, Dr. Rull's research has focused on the assessment of environmental exposures to metals, pesticides, and other pollutants using biological markers, environmental databases, geographic information systems and mapping technologies, and the effects of these exposures on cancer, respiratory health, and birth defects.
The External Advisory Board
The Millennium Cohort Team wishes to acknowledge the contributions of the External Advisory Board for the Millennium Cohort Study:
Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, MD, DCMT | Member 2000 - 2015 |
Dan G. Blazer, II, MD, PhD, MPH | Member 2000 - 2013 |
Laurence G. Branch, PhD | Member 2002 - 2004 |
Rhonda Cornum, MD, Brigadier General, USA, Retired | Member 2011 - 2015 |
Bradley N. Doebbeling, MD, MSc | Member 2000 - 2005 |
Michael E. Kilpatrick, MD | Member 2011 - 2015 |
Harold M. Koenig, MD, Vice Admiral, USN, Retired | Member 2000 - 2015 |
Shannon Middleton, MPH | Member 2002 - 2005 |
Michael J. O’Rourke | Member 2000 - 2010 |
Lawrence A. Palinkas, PhD | Member 2000 - 2013 |
CDR Al Pavich, USN, Retired | Member 2000 - 2007 |
K. Michael Peddecord, DrPH | Member 2000 - 2015 |
John D. Potter, MD, PhD | Member 2000 - 2002 |
Joseph C. Sharpe, Jr., MA | Member 2000 - 2015 |
Lisa Spahr | Member 2000 - 2001 |
G. Marie Swanson, PhD, MPH | Member 2000 - 2015 |
Dr. Noel Weiss | Member 2000 - 2001 |
Marc Weisskopf, PhD, ScD | Member 2011 - 2015 |
The Staff
Our study staff of epidemiologists, biostatisticians, research psychologists, analysts, programmers and research coordinators are comprised of both military and civilian professionals. The staff is located at the Deployment Health Research Department, Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, California