SUMMIT | Symposium on Unified Military & Veteran Multidisciplinary Innovation and Translation

More than a symposium, SUMMIT 2026 is full day event on August 7th at the Ohio Union, that will be a convening point for partnership across military and veteran related projects. This event brings together interdisciplinary researchers, institutional leaders, community stakeholders, and military-connected students to strengthen collaboration, expand awareness of funding opportunities, and build future pathways for research and workforce development.
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Date
August 7, 2026
Time
12:00 a.m. - 11:59 p.m.
Location
Ohio Union, Archie Griffin Main Ballroom
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Cost
There is a $5 fee for registration and processing, however this is waved for student attendees.

About this event

PURPOSE 
SUMMIT 2026 is being developed to bring together the military- and veteran-related work that already exists across Ohio State and the greater Central Ohio community, but which often operates in isolation.

The event is intended to function as more than a symposium. It is designed as a convening point where researchers, institutional leaders, students, clinicians, community stakeholders, and external partners can see one another’s work, identify aligned interests, and build pathways for collaboration, funding, and practical impact.

To Become a SUMMIT 2026 Sponsor, please click here


WHO THE EVENT IS FOR

  • Ohio State faculty, staff, clinicians, and researchers working on military- and veteran-related questions
  • Military-connected students and student leaders across undergraduate, graduate, and professional education
  • Community organizations, veteran-serving groups, state partners, and industry representatives interested in research, workforce, and applied
    partnership

WHY IT MATTERS

  • Creates a visible network across currently
    dispersed military- and veteran-connected efforts
  • Gives partners direct interaction with researchers, project teams, and military-connected student talent
  • Supports longer-term alignment with major
    research, implementation, and workforce
    opportunities

What Attendees Would Experience

  • All-day poster presentations featuring projects from OSU colleges, research centers, student initiatives, and
    community partners.
  • A lunch-time keynote focused on the future of military- and veteran-related research, partnership, and national
    opportunity.
  • A rotating set of specialty talks, including student project spotlights and sessions tied to defense, Veteran health, rehabilitation, and translational impact.
  • Structured networking and collaboration opportunities to identify shared interests, working groups, and funding
    synergies.
  • A dedicated military-connected student showcase highlighting accomplishment, leadership, and graduate or professional pathways.
  • Industry and community partner tables that allow external stakeholders to meet researchers, students, and
    collaborators directly.

Speakers

Andrew Kovich
Senior Analyst, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel
Christianne Roumie, MD, MPH
Professor of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Section Head, Veterans’ Health, Director, VETWISE-LHS VA Health Systems Research Center of Innovation
Jason Souza, MD
Director of Orthoplastic Reconstruction and Advanced Amputation Program, &Military Medicine Program, OSU Medical Center, Plastic Surgeon and Veteran, U.S. Navy Commander

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