Veteran-led mission: Meet the service members powering USF’s landmark hyperbaric oxygen therapy research

Members of the U.S. military put their bodies and minds in harm's way to protect the country and its freedom. When their tours of duty end, many come home with physical injuries. Others return with invisible scars: the lingering effects of traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. These conditions can have lasting, debilitating impacts on veterans' sense of wellbeing long after they've hung up the uniform.

A team of veterans and researchers at the University of South Florida is determined to do something about it.

USF Health is leading a $28 million, state-funded clinical trial designed to determine whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy can effectively treat symptoms of TBI and PTSD in veterans and active-duty service members. The study is directed by Dr. Harry van Loveren, chair of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Department of Neurosurgery, Brain and Spine.

The stakes are high. While hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used for decades to treat wounds, carbon monoxide poisoning and decompression sickness, veterans across the country have increasingly sought it as an "off-label" treatment for a host of neurological and psychological conditions.

During hyperbaric oxygen therapy, patients are immersed in a pressured environment where they breathe pure oxygen - typically two to three times higher than normal air pressure - allowing the oxygen to dissolve more deeply into their bloodstream and reach damaged tissues. The idea, which has gained some cultural currency, is that this hyperoxygenation may also help reduce inflammation and promote brain healing.

While promising, current evidence to support the theory is very limited and largely anecdotal. Small-scale studies have been inconclusive or shown mixed results. And there are known risks of neurological compromise from oxygen toxicity and reactive oxygen species generation.

USF's landmark study aims to finally deliver a definitive answer. The five-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial represents the gold standard in medical research. Enrolling more than 400 veterans who will each complete 40 treatments by the end of the study, the findings will have vast implications for the future of veteran care.

If hyperbaric oxygen therapy proves effective, it could transform the standard of treatment for veterans with TBI and PTSD. If not, it will save these veterans from unnecessary costs and medical procedures. Since there is currently no rigorous scientific proof backing hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a remedy for brain injuries, insurance companies generally do not cover treatment.

For the USF Health research team, the project is a chance to advance scientific knowledge and give back to the military service members who have risked their lives for their country.

And behind the scenes, driving the study forward, is an extraordinary group of about 40 veterans working tirelessly out of the limelight to make every phase of the trial possible. They are the ones designing the protocols, building the facilities, ensuring regulatory compliance and walking alongside participants for months as they complete their treatment in the hyperbaric chambers.

Motivated by their own service in the U.S. military, this team of men and women approaches the project as their personal mission. They are united by a shared sense of purpose, which they've adopted as the study's unofficial mantra: "Veterans helping veterans."

Meet some of the veterans working behind the scenes to advance medical knowledge and make life better for those who have proudly served their country.

Erik Velasquez, Hospital Corpsman Second Class, U.S. Navy

As a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Navy, Erik Velasquez was assigned to high-acuity emergency rooms and hospitals in Guam and Texas, where he worked closely with doctors to treat service members with severe medical emergencies. He also served as an instructor at the Navy Corpsman Schoolhouse at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston where he trained his fellow sailors to deliver these same treatments.

"Through medicine, I felt what it meant to save a life," Velasquez said. "I really connected with that idea of being there for your fellow sailor in need, caring for the soldier next to you."

But his time in the Navy came to an abrupt and unexpected end. Feeling intense pain whenever he walked, Velasquez learned that he suffered from an autoimmune disease called plantar fibromatosis that caused marble-sized tumors to grow in the arches of his feet.

He underwent multiple surgeries to remove the tumors, but they were unsuccessful. The tumors kept growing back, and after several subsequent examinations, Velasquez was medically discharged from the service. His time in the military was over.

"I had no intention of getting out of the Navy," he said. "I didn't have a degree. I didn't have a plan. I didn't have anything set up."

As he plotted out his next steps, Velasquez enrolled in a clinical trial in hopes of alleviating his condition. He experienced a breakthrough. Within three years, his tumors shrank dramatically, and his pain subsided.

"I went from excruciating pain with every single step to chasing after my 3-year-old son," Velasquez said. "Research gave me my life back."

With his health returning, he soon found himself on the other end of a clinical trial. Encouraged by Dr. Tuan Vu, a professor of neurology at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, Velasquez joined Vu's clinical research team studying myasthenia gravis, a rare disease that causes muscle weakness and disruption in nerves.

During one of Vu's clinical trials, Velasquez met a veteran enrolled in the project who suffered from double vision so severe he could not perform many basic activities - he had not driven a car for 10 years and he was unable to garden, one of his favorite hobbies.

Almost two hours after the patient's first infusion, Velasquez saw the veteran crying beneath the trees outside the building.

"I walked up freaking out that something was wrong," he said. "But this man was crying from joy because he could see the blades of grass. He could see the leaves on the tree. That's when I knew research was for me."

Velasquez' years as a Hospital Corpsman and extensive clinical research experience made him a perfect fit for USF's hyperbaric oxygen therapy study, where he now serves as the senior clinical research associate. He oversees the eight-person team responsible for ensuring the study complies with FDA regulations and that the research data achieves the highest possible standards of scientific integrity. He also meets regularly with study participants, performing mental health and cognitive assessments to check progress throughout their months of treatment.

Velasquez says the project represents a full-circle moment. After once treating military patients and being in a clinical trial himself, he now helps others living with chronic conditions find answers.

"I come to work every day because I get to help veterans feel hope again," he said. "The feeling that comes from seeing research change someone's life, and getting to do that alongside these veterans - nothing can really compare."

Kayla Steen, Petty Officer Second Class, U.S. Navy

Kayla Steen joined the U.S. Navy at just 17 years old, trading the frigid winters of Battle Creek, Michigan, for the warmth and sunshine of Pensacola, Florida. She turned 18 a week before she completed basic training.

Over the next five years, Steen trained as an avionics electronics technician, learning to repair and calibrate aircraft systems at bases in Mississippi and California. Her small team at Southwest Regional Maintenance Center in San Diego was responsible for about 10,000 equipment calibrations a week. During that time, she developed a close-knit relationship with her leadership and team members.

"It was like establishing a little bit of a family," Steen said. "We celebrated birthdays and became close friends. We did everything together."

When she made the difficult decision to start a new path as a civilian, she felt disoriented and overwhelmed with a sense of culture shock. The Navy had always provided structure and companionship. Now she had to set out on her own.

Steen decided to take an internship in hyperbaric medicine, a subject she knew little about, and she quickly became well-versed in the field. Not knowing her next step, she made a bold move - selling most of her belongings, packing her car and driving across the country with her dog, Diego, to start a new life in Florida.

Arriving in Tampa, she cold called a hyperbaric facility that provided civilian wound care and took a job working as a technician. It wasn't long before a fellow veteran asked if she'd be interested in coming to USF to help launch a new hyperbaric research facility for veterans with TBI. She jumped at the opportunity.

"Getting to work with veterans again, it almost felt like coming back home," she said.

Today, Steen serves as a hyperbaric technician and safety director at USF Health where she administers patient treatments for the clinical trial, working side by side with the veterans as they complete their "dives" in the hyperbaric chambers. She also helps coordinate policies to improve safety and patient experience.

Veterans in the study visit the facility five days a week for several months, some arriving as early as 5:30 each morning. The many hours spent together have fostered close bonds between the HBOT team and participants, as well as a friendly rivalry between veterans of different branches.

"We see each other every day, we speak the same language, we understand each other's jokes. Being able to share our stories and build that camaraderie has given the project a special sense of community," she said.

Steen is also studying biomedical sciences on the pre-med track as an undergraduate at USF, preparing for a future where she can continue caring for patients. She hopes to apply her experiences in both the Navy and hyperbaric medicine to improve quality of life for veterans and civilians alike.

She draws inspiration from the veterans in the study who dedicate months of their lives to advance medical knowledge that could change the way future patients receive care.

"These vets are sacrificing so much," Steen said. "I want to make their experience as enjoyable as possible and let them know how much we appreciate them. They are not just doing this for themselves, but for the people they served with and for every future service member who will follow in their footsteps."

Michael Andrews, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Air Force

Michael Andrews was trained to always find solutions, no matter the obstacle. Removing obstacles, in fact, was a critical part of his job.

During his six years of active duty in the U.S. Air Force, Andrews served as a civil engineer in special operations tasked with creating landing zones in some of the most demanding environments on earth. Whether clearing jungle terrain for helicopters, carving runways from desert sands for cargo planes or building support structures for fuel and lodging, his team worked under intense pressure and time constraints to complete their mission.

They lived by the motto: "Anywhere, anytime."

"When you are dropped into a location, you don't have all the answers," Andrews said. "There's no room for excuses. You just get it done."

After the military, that same mentality carried him through nearly three decades in the energy sector, where he climbed from an entry-level role to managing an entire power station at Southern Company.

As in the Air Force, thousands of people were counting on him. If his station lost power, so did everyone it served. Keeping the lights on through hurricanes and emergencies was akin to "running a small self-contained city" that required the same discipline and determination that defined his military career.

"Keeping the power on for customers was one of the hardest jobs I've ever done," Andrews said. "It was 24 hours, seven days a week. We could never slow down."

Andrews retired after 28 years at the power company. But it took only a few months before he felt the pull of a new mission.

He found that mission at USF Health, where he is the director of facilities operations. Right away, he identified new opportunities to improve operational efficiency and furnish doctors, scientists and patients with the best possible infrastructure.

When USF launched the hyperbaric oxygen therapy clinical trial in 2024, he took charge of transforming an existing space into a state-of-the-art hyperbaric research facility. On an aggressive timeline, Andrews and his team oversaw everything from facility design and safety compliance to the construction of a new external oxygen field and underground pipelines to connect it to the main building.

The project was completed well ahead of schedule.

Andrews continues to support the project's facilities needs and ensure the chambers and systems run seamlessly. He says it is an honor to bring the values and skills he learned in the military to a research study that will help his fellow veterans.

"The vets are coming here for a reason, they have been through a lot," he said. "It is exciting to support the men and women who protect this country, who put their lives on the line every day to protect our rights and freedoms."