VISN 1 MIRECC

The New England (VISN 1) MIRECC is a combined effort between researchers and clinicians from VA Medical Centers in West Haven, CT, Newington, CT, and Bedford, MA and is under the current direction of Mehmet Sofuoglu, MD, PhD from the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. The mission of the New England MIRECC is to improve services for veterans with "dual diagnosis," that is veterans with histories of mental illness in combination with addiction problems. These veterans have unique needs because having two types of illness makes it more challenging to recover from either one.

With this mission in mind, VISN 1 MIRECC researchers focus on three areas:

Health Services Research:

Comparing practice patterns, costs, and outcomes of the care of dually diagnosed veterans in VA and non-VA healthcare systems.

Clinical Efficacy Research:

Evaluating innovative treatments including medications, work therapy, and a new approach for money management.

Human Neurobiological Research:

Researching genetic factors for dual diagnosis and using brain imaging to understand changes in the central nervous system of individuals with a dual diagnosis.