SAN DIEGO (April XX, 2025) – Lt. Erin N. Snyder, an emergency medicine physician at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), was selected as a finalist in the Fourth Annual Young Investigator Competition hosted by the Clinical Investigations Program Office under the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Research and Engineering Directorate.

Lt. Snyder’s research, titled “Dimensions of a Ruler to Measure and Mark Donor Blood Bags to Reliably Fill to 450mL,”addresses a critical operational challenge in combat casualty care: the need for precise, reliable field methods to collect whole blood from walking blood bank donors in austere or forward environments.

“This work was driven by the need to support field medics and corpsmen who are providing life-saving care far from the safety and structure of a hospital,” said Snyder. “Being able to standardize a reliable way to fill donor blood bags to the proper volume with just a ruler and marker could reduce preventable deaths from hemorrhage, which remains the leading cause of battlefield mortality, as well as reduce complications and reduce the cognitive load on the end user.”


Snyder’s two-phase research project demonstrated that simple measurement tools—specifically, a marked ruler placed along the blood bag—could foster accurate blood volume collection to within ±10% of the 450mL target. This is critical due to the precise balance required between the blood volume and the citrate preservative in the bag. Underfilling risks citrate-induced hypocalcemia, while overfilling can result in clot formation and line blockage, both of which can compromise patient outcomes in the field.

“This research exemplifies the kind of pragmatic, mission-driven innovation that we need in military medicine,” said Capt. Nancy Miller, Director of Professional Education at NMCSD. “Lt. Snyder’s approach is resourceful, simple to implement, and directly supports warfighter survivability in the most challenging conditions.”

Snyder was selected as one of the top submissions – and the only U.S. Navy selectee – from among 35 finalists across the Army, Navy, and Air Force, whose research addressed a wide array of topics from surgical systems in space to fitness risk factors and trauma care innovations. The competition recognizes exceptional scientific inquiry and research with direct military relevance.

Her work is supported by the Combat Trauma Research Group – West and reflects NMCSD’s broader commitment to medical readiness and innovation.
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