MIRECC / CoE

Webinar Series

NEXT UP: October 11th 12-1PM

Predictive Analytics to Reduce Suicide Attempts for Transitioning Veterans

with Joseph Geraci, PhD

To date, there has not been a precision medicine approach to address the significant increase in suicide attempts as Veterans transition to civilian life. Given partnerships between the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs and nonprofit public private partners, there is now a precision medicine approach that provides a stepped-care intervention approach based on predictive analytics. This presentation will provide specific information on the DoD STARRS predictive analytics model and resulting interventions, namely the Veteran Sponsorship Initiative.

Presentation Objectives:

At the conclusion of this educational program, learners will be able to:

1. Describe the risk factors that contribute to the elevated prevalence rates of suicide attempts for Servicemembers as they transition to civilian life;
2. Explain how the recently developed DoD STARRS practical risk calculator for suicidal behavior is being utilized to categorize transitioning Veterans based on risk-level;
3. Summarize how the VA is leveraging predictive analytic tools to provide stepped-care interventions for transitioning Veterans, especially the Veteran Sponsorship Initiative.

Program Description: 
The Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers (MIRECC) at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx is an international leader in research and treatment of Severe Mental Illness (SMI). The center pursues a discovery-to-recovery approach to determine the causes, identify predictors, and develop treatments for individuals with SMI, with emphasis on schizophrenia and suicide. The topics for this series consist of innovative treatments that we have created/tested and insights that have helped to develop that inform clinical care.

Target Audience (1 CE Per Webinar):
Physicians, Social Workers, Counselors, and Psychologists

Registration:
VA Providers (TMS #131009437)
Non-VA Providers (TRAIN #1113794)

PRESENTER:
Joseph Geraci, PhD, retired from the U.S. Army as an Infantry Lieutenant Colonel after serving for 20 years and deploying as a combat leader with elite Special Operations/Ranger, Airborne, and Infantry units to Afghanistan four different times since 9/11. While in uniform, he also served as an assistant professor at the U.S. Military Academy in both the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership and the Department of Military Instruction. One of his last positions in the U.S. Army was serving as an Infantry Battalion Commander in which he was directly responsible for the health, welfare, and combat readiness of his soldiers. He received his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Teachers College at Columbia University. He teaches military psychology to graduate students at Teachers College, and was a co-founder of the college’s Resilience Center for Veterans and Families. He serves within the VISN 2 MIRECC as a licensed psychologist and is focused on studying and developing interventions that mitigate the significant suicidal risks that our Modern Warriors (some of them being his former soldiers) face as they attempt to reintegrate back into their civilian communities after military service. Within the MIRECC, he leads two national VA programs (Veteran Cultural Competence training and the Veteran Sponsorship Initiative).

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Accreditations: ACCME, ACCME-NP, APA, ASWB, JA IPCE, NBCC, NYSED SW, NYSED-Psychology


Additional Information for TMS Registration:

Questions?
Non-VA employees, please contact the VHA TRAIN Help Desk by email at VHATRAIN@va.gov.
VA employees, please contact Lauran Hardy at Lauran.Hardy@va.gov. 

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Last updated: September 25, 2023