03/22/2013

Scientists Search for Gulf War Illness Answers

29:13 minutes

According to the Institute of Medicine as many as 250,000 of 700,000 veterans of the first Gulf War suffer from an array of unexplained medical ailments. Guests discuss the latest research on Gulf War illness and its treatment and why it’s been hard to pinpoint a cause.

Segment Guests

Lea Steele

Lea Steele is a research professor of biomedical studies at Baylor University; director of the Baylor Veterans Health Research Program; and member of the congressionally-mandated federal research advisory committee on Gulf War veterans’ illnesses
(and was scientific director of the committee from 2003-2008).

Melissa A. Forsythe

Melissa A. Forsythe is a retired colonel of the United States Army and research program manager/science officer of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) for the U.S. Army Medical Research & Materiel Command (USAMRMC) in Fort Detrick (Frederick), Maryland.

Frank Verloin deGruy III

Frank Verloin deGruy III is member of the Institute of Medicine Committee on Gulf War and Health: Treatment for Chronic Multisymptom Illness and the Woodward-Chisholm Professor and Chair at the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colorado.

Anthony Hardie

Anthony Hardie is a U.S. veteran of the U.S. Army with 7 years active duty military service (including 1991 Gulf War) based in Madison, Wisconsin.

Meet the Producer

About Annette Heist

Annette Heist is a former senior producer for Science Friday.