Steps: supporting transitions and enhancing psychological health in military children through pediatric healthcare solutions

The Defense Health Agency awarded The Henry M. Jackson Foundation For The Advancement Of Military Medicine, Inc. $1.882 million on October 1, 2026, under the Military Medical Research and Development program (CFDA 12.420) to support STEPS: Supporting Transitions and Enhancing Psychological Health in Military Children Through Pediatric Healthcare Solutions.

The award funds research and clinical activities addressing mental health, emotional development, and behavioral conditions in military-connected children through pediatric healthcare delivery. The recipient will perform the work at its location in Westlake, Maryland, over a four-year period extending through September 30, 2030.

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation is a non-profit military medical research organization headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, that serves as a prime recipient and contractor for the Department of Defense and related federal agencies. The foundation's federal portfolio is heavily concentrated in DOD funding, with the Defense Health Agency accounting for approximately 79 percent of its recent award value. The foundation's capabilities span infectious disease countermeasures, vaccine development, traumatic brain injury research, post-traumatic stress disorder interventions, and military deployment health research, supported by partnerships with academic research institutions including Johns Hopkins, University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown, and others.