Dr. Celia Byrne is a tenured faculty member in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics at the Uniformed Services University. She completed her Master’s and Ph.D. in Epidemiology at UCLA, conducting her dissertation research as an Epidemiology Fellow at the National Cancer institute (NCI). Her work at NCI established mammographic breast density as a risk factor for breast cancer, providing the early foundation for the efforts to inform women about their mammographic breast density, now a national requirement as of September, 2024. Dr. Byrne continued working to understand the environmental and genetic determinants of mammographic density as a faculty member at Harvard and Georgetown Universities. She was the first to publish the positive association between higher percent mammographic density and insulin-like growth factors and to determine the inverse association of mammographic density with endogenous estrogen levels in post-menopausal women. Her research established that the increased breast cancer risk associated with post-menopausal use of estrogen plus progestin was mediated by an increase in mammographic density in the first year of use among participants in the Women’s Health Initiative. As a Breast Cancer Environmental Research Project investigator, she evaluated the impact of heavy metal levels on change in mammographic breast density across the menopausal transition. During the SARS-COV-2 pandemic she provided her epidemiologic expertise to study the impact of Covid-19 infections within the MHS. Her study of the “Environmental Determinants of Breast Cancer Risk among Women in the Military” is evaluating the impacts of exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on subsequent risk of developing breast cancer among active duty women.

Laurel Proulx received her Doctor of Physical Therapy from Regis University and her PhD focusing on musculoskeletal impairments of persistent pelvic pain from Texas Woman’s University. Proulx is also a Board-Certified Orthopedic Specialist and is certified in Applied Functional Science. She is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor at Baylor University. Clinically, her passion is exploring the biomechanical link between the hip, lower extremity, and core cannister to the pelvic floor while also implementing pain science principles for those with complex pelvic pain presentations. She has presented nationally on her research of persistent pelvic pain with the goal of improving access to pain relieving treatment in an evidence-based way. Proulx operates an online education, telehealth and in-person pelvic health clinic in Colorado Springs, FEM PT and Performance. She has a vested interest in improving the gap between pelvic health research and clinical practice for her patients, physical therapists, and all health professionals. Laurel lives in Colorado Springs with her husband who is an active-duty Army officer and 1 year old daughter, Eve who enjoys jumping off of high surfaces.

Eileen K. Fry-Bowers, PhD, JD, RN, CPNP-PC, FAAN Eileen Fry-Bowers is Dean and Professor at the University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions. Her academic experience includes faculty and leadership appointments in Schools of Nursing, Medicine and Public Health and her extensive clinical experience spans multiple health care settings, including acute care facilities, specialty and community-based clinics, and military institutions. She is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner (CPNP), a licensed attorney, and veteran having served in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps. Dr. Fry-Bowers is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and former Chair for the Expert Panel on Child, Adolescent and Family. She was named a Faculty Policy Fellow for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and served two terms on AACN’s Health Policy Advisory Council. Her research falls into three categories: examining the impact of social policies on child and family health, especially among vulnerable and underserved populations; exploring the impact of legislative and regulatory change on the delivery of health services; and investigating healthcare workforce education, practice, legal and ethics issues. She has authored multiple journal articles and book chapters in seminal nursing and health care texts on advocacy, child health, and health policy.

I am Major Kathryn “Katie” Capple, Air Force, and I am a PhD Candidate at the Uniformed Services University in the Graduate School of Nursing. I graduated with my BSN from Kent State University in 2013. Following graduation, I entered the United States Air Force as a staff nurse on an orthopedic surgical floor. In addition, I have worked as a medical surgical nurse, an Executive Officer, and a Senior Health Care Integrator. With a Master’s in Public Health, my expertise and interests lie in population health, health promotion, and chronic disease prevention and management. Since pursuing my PhD, I have specialized in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) induced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). My dissertation research is focused on exploring the effects of alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid, on mTBI-induced PTSD in women.