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The new ACRM Military / Veterans Affairs Networking Group (MVANG) offers networking opportunities between non-government ACRM members and VA personnel, and functions as an advisory group to the ACRM Board of Governors and CEO to maximize VA participation in ACRM. Please contact the networking group co-chairs to learn ore and get involved.
MISSION
The MVANG fosters collaboration among researchers, clinicians and organizations (both public and private) and provides high quality evidence-based education and training to rehabilitation professionals to promote and advance the science and practice of rehabilitation appropriate for military and Veteran populations and their family members.
This is accomplished primarily through Annual Conference offerings and other product development including web-based content, fact sheets, articles for publication in the ACRM journal, as well as dynamic and committed leadership of and participation in the MVANG task forces.
MVANG NEWS
Seeking Collaborators to Develop Information/Education Page on Pain
The MVANG Community Reintegration Task Force is seeking collaborators to assist with development of an Information /Education Page (I/EP) on pain and associated co-morbidities. The Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation publishes I/EPs as tear-out sheets designed for practitioners to copy or download to provide consumer-friendly information to people with disabilities, their caregivers and/or clinicians. The purpose of this I/EP is to begin reconceptualizing co-morbidities so that they are more meaningful in rehabilitation outcomes research.
If you’re interested in collaborating, please contact task force Co-Chair, Gail Powell-Cope, PhD.
Summary of proposed I/EP
Co-morbidities are typically medical diagnoses. The traditional way to examine co-morbidities in research is to sum them, weighted by the risk of dying with each one. The problem with mental health diagnoses and co-morbid disabilities is that they may rank low in risk of dying, yet could rank high if classified by disability factors that are meaningful to individuals, such as the ability to live independently.
Using a mortality risk index could underestimate the effect of functioning, a primary outcome in rehabilitation research. In addition, psychological diagnoses often have overlapping symptoms such as fatigue, pain, headache, poor concentration and difficulty making decisions and may not clearly differentiate diagnoses such as traumatic brain injury, depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder. The purpose of this informational sheet is to begin to reconceptualizing co-morbidities so that they are more meaningful in rehabilitation outcomes research.
Work Group Collaboration Opportunity
Introducing a new work group in the MVANG community, the Brain Injury-Focus on Behavioral Health (BI-FoBH) Work Group. Our mission is:
- The education of stakeholders about the negative impact of co-occurring behavioral health conditions on rehabilitation outcomes
- The promotion of evidence-based assessment and treatment of these co-occurring behavioral health conditions in the rehabilitation setting
CO-CHAIRS
Catie Johnston-Brooks, PhD, ABPP-CN
Marcus Institute for Brain Health
Assistant Professor, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus
Lisa Brenner, PhD
Director
Rocky Mountain MIRECC
2019 Projects
- Efficacy of the Evidence-Based Assessments and Treatments with mTBI in each of the diagnoses (PTSD, Depression, SUD, Pain). New members, please communicate with Catie Johnston-Brooks if you would like to join any of these writing/project teams:
- SUD: Rachel Adams, John Corrigan
- PTSD: Catie Johnston-Brooks, Shannon Miles
- PAIN: Alison Cogan + ________
- DEPRESSION: Lisa Brenner, Amy Herrold
- CPG: Chris and Catie Johnston-Brooks
We meet the second Tuesday of the month at 9:00 AM MST/ 7:00 AM EST.
Please reach out to Catie Johnston-Brooks if you are interested in joining the work group.
Linda Resnik
MVANG MEMBER RECEIVES PAUL B MAGNUSON AWARD
ACRM member, Linda Resnik, PT, PhD, FAPTA, received the prestigious Paul B. Magnuson Award in recognition of her extraordinary commitment to veterans with limb loss, contributions to the design and evaluation of prosthetic devices and controls, and her pioneering developments in the measurement and evaluation of rehabilitation care delivery. It is the highest honor awarded by the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development (RR&D) service. The award was presented at the ACRM Annual Conference Awards Gala on 27 October 2017 in Atlanta.
Dr. Resnik is a research career scientist with the Providence VA Medical Center in Rhode Island and an active member of the ACRM Military/VA Networking Group.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
CHAIR: Christina (Tina) Dillahunt-Aspillaga, PhD, CRC
Associate Professor, Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling Program
University of South Florida
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PAST CO-CHAIR: Risa Nakase-Richardson, PhD, FACRM
Clinical Neuropsychologist
James A. Haley VA Hospital
College of Medicine, University of South Florida
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PAST CO-CHAIR: Joel Scholten, MD
Director, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Washington DC VA Medical Center
EARLY CAREER & COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER: Alison M. Cogan, PhD
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Washington DC VA Medical Center
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SECRETARY: Bridget Cotner, PhD
Health Science Specialist
James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital
Center of Innovation on Disability & Rehabilitation Research
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One of the most valuable benefits of ACRM membership is the opportunity to participate in the many interdisciplinary special interest groups (ISIG) and networking groups.
Click the JOIN NOW button to learn more or contact Member Services at +1.703.435.5335 for personal assistance.
TASK FORCES
Inbal Eshel
Gail Powell-Cope
Co-Chair: Gail Powell-Cope, PhD
Co-Director, HSR&D, Center of Innovation on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (CINDRR)
James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa
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Co-Chair: Inbal Eshel, MA, CCC-SLP
General Dynamics Health Solutions (GDHS)
Contractor Employee Supporting the Defense & Veterans Brain Injury Center Clinical Affairs Division
LinkedIn Profile
Mission
- Connecting military, veteran and civilian researchers who study community reintegration
- Participation in community life: employment or other productive activity, such as volunteering, work, or school; independent living; and social relationships and activities.
- Members contribute to dissemination products, e.g., ACRM conference symposia, workshops, fact sheets, manuscripts.
- We welcome researchers from academia, private institutions, government (DOD, VA)
- Open-membership task force – We encourage members to invite colleagues’ participation.
Projects for 2019
- Information Education page focusing on the topic of Military Family Issues for Private Sector Clinicians (Cogan, Cervelli, Rosietter)
- Information Education page focusing on the topic Military Culture (Larry Cevelli)
- Information Education page focusing on the topic of Comorbidities and functional outcomes sheet (Powell-Cope, Carlson, Dillahunt)
- Needs Assessment for future products, Veterans Issues, General survey to ACRM community (Dillahunt, Eshel)
Goals for 2019
- Submit two to three symposia to 2019 ACRM conference and four posters ( we had 2 symposia and one poster accepted in 2018)
- Increase collaboration among Members by facilitating partnerships through networking at conferences and during quarterly calls.
- Recruit 10-15 new members using ACRM incentives. Target ECNG.
- Continue to Collaborate Across Communities (Chronic Pain, BI-ISIG)
- Recruit new officers (Secretary, Communications)
- Mentor 1-2 individuals who have never led the development of a product
Accomplishments
- Archives Information/Education Page In Press: Treating Military Service Members and Veterans in the Private Sector: Information and Resources for Clinicians
Authors: Alison Cogan, Larry Cervelli, Tina Dillahunt-Aspillaga, Alicia Gill Rossiter - Archives Supplement: Community Reintegration, Participation, and Employment Issues in Veterans and Service Members With Traumatic Brain Injury
Supplement Editors: Christina Dillahunt-Aspillaga, Gail Powell-Cope
Military Caregiver Task Force
Angelle Sander
Lillian Stevens
Co-Chair: Lillian Flores Stevens, PhD
Research Psychologist
Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center
Co-Chair: Angelle Sander, PhD, FACRM
Associate Professor
Baylor College of Medicine
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Mission
- To promote collaboration and translation of research toward improving the quality of life of caregivers of Veterans and Service Members
- To develop research and dissemination materials to improve the lives of caregivers of Veterans and Service Members
2019 Projects
- Collaboration on submissions to the Vertical Programming track: Caregiving for Individuals with Chronic Illness or Injury
Please contact the co-chairs if you are interested in joining this new task force!
Maheen Adamson
Co-Chair: Maheen Mausoof Adamson, PhD
Senior Scientific and Research Director, Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC), VA Palo Alto Health Care System
Clinical Associate Professor, Neurosurgery/Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford Medical School
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Co-Chair: Karen Besterman-Dahan, PhD, RD
Research Health Science Specialist, Center of Innovation On Disability & Rehabilitation Research
James A. Haley Veterans Hospital
LinkedIn Profile
Mission
The ACRM Novel Research Methods Task Force focuses on bringing together Veteran and Military research groups from various research backgrounds, such as those that utilize either qualitative and quantitative assessment methodologies. Members contribute to ACRM conference, develop workshops and other products of interest and provide networking opportunities for researchers from diverse backgrounds.
Ideas for Future Panels or Symposia
- Qualitative Comparative Analysis:
- ATLAS.ti v.8: A focus of a symposium could be the ways people use it and what features they use (because researchers use it differently)
- GIS mapping for implementation research
MVANG 2018 POSTER AWARDS
The MVANG gave two awards for outstanding posters presented during the ACRM 2018 Annual Conference in Dallas.
- Military & Veteran Affairs Networking Group Best Poster Award: Dayana Calvo
- Military & Veteran Affairs Networking Group Early Career Poster Award: Bridget Cotner
