Nov 17  
● 01:15 
- 02:45 PM
Bench to Barracks and Back to the Pitch: Lessons from the Military for Female Bone Stress Injuries

Date

Nov 17, 2026

Time

01:15 
- 02:45 PM

Location

Edward Suites 1

Audience

All Attendees

About this Talk

Bone stress injuries affect female athletes and military recruits at markedly higher rates than in their male counterparts. Military training offers a rare natural experiment: large, prospectively tracked female cohorts exposed to standardised and rapidly escalating loads. Drawing on bone biology and military research, this talk will identify why the early weeks of training carry the highest risk, which interventions have worked, and where equipment and programme design have failed women. It will conclude with practical, evidence-based recommendations for clinicians working with female athletes in sport and tactical settings.

Speakers

Dr Julie Greeves
Dr Julie Greeves
OBE

Dr Julie Greeves is the Head of the Health and Performance Research team for the British Army, with over 25 years of experience researching human performance in the military, particularly bone stress injuries and female physiology.

Julie began her postdoctoral career at the Defence Evaluation Research Agency/QinetiQ, leading research on female performance and the mechanisms of musculoskeletal injuries (MSkIs) in service personnel. Her early work informed Army training policy, including the introduction of single-sex training in basic military environments, which halved MSkI-related medical discharges.

She has since led research shaping policy for servicewomen at every level. In 2014, she was an invited panel member of the Women in Ground Close Combat Review, which led to the lifting of restrictions on women serving in the most arduous roles in the Armed Forces. She went on to launch the most comprehensive research programme on servicewomen conducted to date, generating evidence that continues to inform policy and practical guidance across the services. She is now Chair of the NATO Research Task Group on optimising the menstrual health of servicewomen.

Her research on micronutrient deficiencies and MSkI risk in Army recruits also shaped force health protection measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to a policy change on vitamin D provision for high-risk populations.

Dr Greeves holds honorary Chair appointments at the School of Medicine, UEA, and at UCL, supervises PhD students, has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers, is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and holds an MBA from Henley Business School.

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01:15 
- 02:45 PM
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