After a brief hiatus, CIVIC’s Research Newsletter has returned. Beginning with this newsletter, we are aiming for a somewhat more streamlined reading experience for you. Our goal is for this to be a go-to space for you to quickly review news and updates related to the CIVIC community. You can click on items in our Table of Contents to quickly get to the sections of highest importance to you. Or just grab your coffee and sip as you browse through each of the sections below. As you’ll read below, CIVIC has grown to a center comprised of nearly 150 staff and investigators, and we are excited to share these updates with ever more folks.
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Research Newsletter
Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC)
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Research Newsletter
CIVIC Publishes a newsletter multiple times a year that features news, summaries of recent and high impact publications from investigators, advertises upcoming center events, as well as other CIVIC highlights.
Research Newsletter
Summer 2024
CIVIC to be re-funded; official intent to fund
If you haven’t already heard, CIVIC has received its official 5-year renewal notification. CIVIC is now 10 years old and continuing to grow in terms of funding and other productivity, impact on clinical services, and national reputation. As we look forward, our mission and goals have changed slightly. CIVIC’s updated mission is to support high quality research on patient-centered approaches that promote Veteran engagement and active participation in VA and non-VA healthcare and other resources to improve Veteran health and well-being.
We have designated two primary impact goals that are aligned with VA Health Systems Research (HSR) and VHA priorities:
- To develop and implement interventions and other approaches that improve the healthcare, health, and safety of Veterans who have elevated suicide risk and mental health conditions including pain;
- Develop innovative strategies that increase access and improve care coordination within VHA and across VHA and community settings.
While we have not done a major overhaul in terms of our areas of focus, we do want to continue to develop our expertise and footprint in implementation science in particular.
We received little criticism on our renewal application other than a recommendation to pursue more QUERI projects—this reflects ORD’s and VA’s increasing emphasis on taking research to impact on practice and policy. Here is some of the positive feedback we received from reviewers of our renewal application: “With a 10-year track record of success and substantial expertise in suicide prevention, mental health, pain management, and care coordination, CIVIC’s research team is well-positioned to make sustained and meaningful progress.”; and “The selected areas of research demonstrate a strong scientific foundation and innovative approaches to achieving impact.” Thanks to every member of the CIVIC community for contributing to our successes!
New Staff
We'd like to give a warm welcome to all of our new CIVIC employees that have joined us over the last few months!
Pictured above: From left to right, new staff as listed below.
Emily Masucci is a new Health Systems Research Fellow with CIVIC. Emily recently earned her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Oregon. Her dissertation research broadly explored the social determinants that shape access to health and social services for survivors of intimate-partner violence (IPV), particularly among low-income women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At CIVIC, Emily hopes to continue exploring questions pertaining to women’s health, IPV risk and resilience, and access/barriers to care for help-seeking survivors. She is eager to collaborate with CIVIC researchers to explore how these issues intersect with other variables specific to the lives of women Veterans.
Sara Vlajic joins Maya O'Neil's team as a Biostatistician. Sara earned an MS degree in Biostatistics from OHSU. After completing her graduate program, she worked for OHSU School of Nursing performing institutional research to improve the student experience, programmatic outcomes, and course and teaching effectiveness. Sara has also provided statistical consultation for projects in the public health, medical, and biotechnology fields. Previously, she worked for a neuroimaging lab at Colorado State University studying cognitive aging and brain function which sparked her interest in neuroscience and psychology. Throughout her work experience, Sara has been passionate about showcasing results through data visualization and centering data equity. Outside of work, she volunteers for Statistics Without Borders, which provides statistical support to organizations with limited access to analytical services. Sara is excited to join Dr. O’Neil’s team to further her expertise and contribute to meaningful research at the VA.
Leah James is a new program manager with Dr. Vranas. She worked at CIVIC several years ago with Dr. Slatore as a research coordinator primarily on the Lung Cancer Screening Implementation: Evaluation of Patient-Centered Care study. She is excited to return to the VA to work with new and familiar faces as well as further explore research to improve quality of care and health outcomes for Veterans. Leah has a Master of Public Health with a focus on health promotion and health behavior from Oregon State University.
Rachel Culp joins Alan Teo's team as a Research Assistant. Rachel received their MPH in Public Health from Oregon State University, specializing in Health Promotion and Health Behavior. During Rachel’s studies, they interned with the Disability Equity Center, where they adapted, conducted, and analyzed a series of community listening sessions for adults with disabilities, ensuring that all materials were inclusive and accessible. They have spent the last two years working with the Coast to Forest project at the OSU Center for Health Innovation. While there, Rachel fostered their passion for mental health promotion by managing a comprehensive web-based library of Oregon-focused behavioral health tools and resources. Additionally, they served as the lead author of a report on evidence-based suicide postvention practices and the role of Extension Services within postvention responses. Rachel is excited to expand their passion for suicide postvention work into suicide prevention research for Veterans with Dr. Teo’s Team.
Daniel Claypool joins Kathleen Carlson's team as a Research Associate. Daniel grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and received a B.S. in Forensic Science in 2013 from Virginia Commonwealth University. After graduating from college, he served over five years in the U.S. Coast Guard. During his service, he spent a year at a search and rescue unit along the Oregon Coast and another four years in Rhode Island. When he completed his service, he moved back to Oregon and attended the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, where he received an MPH in Epidemiology in 2023. In his new role, Daniel will work with the LIMBIC-CENC team, where he will work to collect data to enhance our understanding of the long-term effects of mild TBI in current and former U.S. military personnel.
Kate Clauss joins Maya O'Neil's team as an investigator. Kate has a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Auburn University. She completed her predoctoral internship at the New Orleans VA before coming to the Portland VA for a 2-Year MIRECC Fellowship. In her new role, Kate will be assisting with clinical trials on cognitive functioning and data repository projects in the areas of PTSD, suicidality, and traumatic brain injury. Kate’s research focuses on cognitive factors (e.g., attentional bias, attentional control) that influence trauma-related psychopathology and the examination of novel cognitive interventions for trauma-related distress. Kate is excited to join the CIVIC team and continue to contribute to Veteran mental health through her research.
Olivia Reynolds, BS, MPH, is joining Dr. Jessica Wyse’s team as a Research Assistant. She received her Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Portland State University in 2021 and her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health in 2023. Prior to CIVIC she worked as a homeless outreach worker, where she helped connect individuals to social services in the Portland area. Olivia also worked and continues to work on research with Dr. Kathleen Carlson at OHSU focusing on firearm injury and prevention. At CIVIC, she’ll work on Dr. Jessica Wyse’s team researching opioid use and treatment among US Veteran populations.
