MIRECC / CoE

VA San Diego's Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health Brings Together Veterans to Advise Clincal Researchers

In December of 2024, VA San Diego's Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health (CESAMH) assembled a group of Veterans to inform research within the VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS). They call themselves SDVetRep. Led by Drs. Laurie Lindamer and Arpi Minassian, these Veterans meet monthly via videoconference to hear about prospective and ongoing projects and answer investigators questions about how to make the work more relevant for Veterans. 

The 10 members of SDVetRep represent a variety of military branches (e.g., Marine Corps, Army, Navy), service eras—from the Vietnam War to post-9/11—, military occupational specialties, deployment experiences, and duty stations around the world. Though each had different military experiences, they relate to one another through their shared service in the armed forces. This common understanding helps them to advocate for the healthcare needs of themselves and their comrades to investigators and other healthcare providers conducing research within the VA ecosystem. 

Each monthly meeting begins with a brief lesson on basic research methodology or the topic at hand. Then an invited investigator explains their project to the group and asks key questions to help guide and refine their questions, methods, or ways of involving Veterans. For example, Dr. James Pittman of VASDHS presented information about  the Innovative Treatments for Recovery Implementation Program (iTRIP) Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) Center and asked for feedback on how the evidence-based practices  the Center proposes to implement in several VA facilities align with the needs and preferences of Veterans and how the Center could disseminate their work in non-academic settings. The members provided perspectives informed by their personal experiences during service and reintegration into civilian life. For example, one of the Veterans advocated for the dissemination of Dr. Pittman's treatments into community-based organizations, such as those focused on assisting unhoused Veterans. 

As another example of service, several members of SDVetRep attended the 2025 CESAMH retreat and spoke as a panel to advise researchers about how to best utilize the group. They spoke about common concerns when reviewing an investigator’s study, such as ways to reduce participant burden and factors that might influence a Veteran’s willingness to participate in research studies. Audience members included VASDHS healthcare providers and investigators , who then had an opportunity to interact with panel members and foster collaborative conversation. 

The value of these exchanges is evident. VASDHS investigators hear first-hand what Veterans want from their healthcare, and which aspects of each project will and won't work from a Veteran's perspective. Veterans get to learn about the latest VA research and advocate for themselves and their peers. This initiative has been implemented within other VA healthcare systems as well, including the Veteran Engagement Core¹, Veteran Engagement Group², and Veteran Research Engagement Panel³. Collectively, these groups serve to strengthen the connection between dedicated providers and the resilient Veterans they serve. 

References 

1.https://www.ccdor.research.va.gov/CCDORRESEARCH/CCDOR_VetEngagement.asp 

2.https://hsrd.research.va.gov/centers/thrive/veteranengagementgroup.cfm#:~:text=VEG%20members%2C%20who%20bring%20diverse,of%20healthcare%20for%20all%20Veterans 

3.https://www.durham.hsrd.research.va.gov/VetREP.asp