Suffolk Reporter

Anthony Szema, a research assistant professor in the Department of Technology and Society, recently participated in a Pentagon briefing to discuss his work with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Szema aims to help soldiers who suffer from Iraq Afghanistan War Lung Injury (IAW-LI) with coverage for medical assistance.

IAW-LI, a term coined by Szema, describes the respiratory diseases of veterans who served at Karshi Khannabad (K2) airbase in Uzbekistan. These veterans developed respiratory diseases from burn pits, which burned waste and released harmful chemicals into the air.

Szema helped write the PACT ACT law, which provides medical care for veterans exposed to harmful chemicals released by burn pits. He also found that soldiers who were in contact with K2 burn pits were reporting different diseases compared to other sites. These new diseases were originally not covered by the PACT ACT law.

“The VA acknowledges there was depleted uranium, asbestos in all the buildings, lead in one of the buildings,” said Szema. “The doctors on the ground are saying that there is enriched uranium and series five nerve gas agents. And it was a disaster because when our American forces set up camp there, the Taliban was actually entering Uzbekistan and actively attacking these soldiers. So a lot of these soldiers have gotten sick — and they are sicker — and they have different diseases than the soldiers who are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.”

The Department of Defense’s concern about potential exposures was considered sufficient evidence at the Pentagon briefing for the VA to proceed with providing medical care for these sick veterans.

Szema already has his eyes set on his next research project to help ailing veterans. He is currently collaborating with computer science colleague Klaus Mueller, chair of the Department of Technology and Society. Their project will focus on data artificial intelligence (AI) to make mathematical predictive models used to avoid future soldier inhalation problems.

“I am excited to bring in my expertise on explainable AI for this important work and research,” said Mueller. “It has the potential to significantly reduce long-term health risks for our veterans by enabling earlier detection and prevention strategies, ultimately improving their quality of life and protecting those who serve our country.”

Szema’s projects have inspired many Stony Brook University students and beyond to pursue medicine. He is always looking for more research volunteers for his lab and has helped roughly 100 first-generation medical students attend medical school.

“We hope that we can get grants and that we can do other things to help the veterans,” said Szema. “And we hope to develop medicine so this will be broadly scientifically applicable to lots of diseases, not just the veterans exposed to burn pits.”

— Angelina Livigni