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The Office of Research and Development (ORD), through the Suicide Prevention Research Impact NeTwork (SPRINT), intends to continue its established VA / STARRS-LS Researcher-in-Residence Program. This opportunity is contingent upon funding support each fiscal year.
The VA / STARRS Researcher-in-Residence Program seeks to support VA investigators interested in using Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Service – Longitudinal Study (STARRS-LS) data to study suicide risk in Veterans and service members transitioning to civilian life. Residents will work as part of ongoing STARRS teams and have opportunities to develop data analytic skills necessary for research that involves large data sets and will have opportunities to establish a suicide prevention research portfolio that will be useful for other funding opportunities. Residents will serve as co-authors with STARRS investigators and other VA collaborators on scientific publications resulting from the residency. It is intended that research products from the residency will inform suicide prevention endeavors in VA.
Daniel Reis, PhD, is a clinical research psychologist with the Rocky Mountain VA Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) for Suicide Prevention. He is also an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Dr. Reis’s research program focuses on temporal patterns of suicide risk, with an emphasis on sleep- and circadian-related risk factors for suicidal processes. As part of the VA / STARRS-LS Research-in-Residency program, Dr. Reis will be investigating the progressive nature of suicidal behaviors over time. This work seeks to further our understanding of the mechanisms underlying suicide risk and to help identify novel targets for suicide prevention strategies.
Amar D. Mandavia, PhD is an investigator in the Behavioral Science Division at the National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, and an instructor at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. As a clinical psychologist and informatician, Dr. Mandavia’s research program critically focuses on improving the measurement, classification, and identification of phenotypes related to morbidity and mortality associated with psychiatric disorders. His secondary line of research concentrates on developing AI-powered diagnostics and clinical decision-making systems to enhance the quality of care and access to evidence-based psychotherapy treatments. During this residency, Dr. Mandavia will work on developing dynamic models of suicide risk using temporal disease networks and other network-medicine approaches. The specific objectives of the project are to: 1) identify and understand the complex temporal interactions between genetic, psychological, and contextual factors contributing to suicide risk, and 2) inform targeted interventions and support services for suicide prevention by identifying critical periods when suicide risk is particularly heightened.
Marcus Wild, PhD is a clinical psychologist at the VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans in Waco, TX. Dr. Wild’s background is in behavioral medicine, examining the impact of biopsychosocial mechanisms on health outcomes and behaviors. His current research focuses on identifying psychosocial mechanisms of functioning in Veterans with chronic pain and developing models for precision pain interventions, with a goal of mitigating health inequities through personalized treatment. As part of the VA / STARRS Researcher-in-Residence Program, Dr. Wild will be examining personalized pain profiles which incorporate biological, psychological, and social factors as predictors of suicide ideation and behaviors.
During their 2-year residencies, Drs. Houtsma and Edwards will be STARRS-LS team members who will pursue independent research projects. Additionally, Drs. Houtsma and Edwards may assist in responding to queries from the Office of Mental Health and Suicide prevention and other shareholders and will help establish processes for linking STARRS-LS and VA data
Emily Edwards, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist in New York State and Director of the VISN 2 MIRECC Clinical Core. As a scientist-practitioner, Dr. Edwards embraces integration of clinical practice and research. Her work focuses on themes of suicide, justice involvement, military-to-civilian transition, and mental health of military Veterans and on transdiagnostic interventions for Veterans affected by these difficulties. She has authored over 40 publications, received over $3M in grant funding to date, and provided consultation services to local problem-solving courts, the Veteran Benefits Association, and NYC Department of Corrections, among others.
Dr. Claire Houtsma is a Clinician Investigator and Suicide Prevention Coordinator at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System and the South Central Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC). She also holds academic appointments in the schools of medicine at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and Tulane University. Dr. Houtsma is currently completing a VA Clinical Science Research & Development Career Development Award-1, which aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of peer-delivered lethal means counseling among firearm owning Veterans. In particular, Dr. Houtsma is passionate about using community-engaged research approaches to develop interventions that can reach firearm owning Veterans before a suicidal crisis emerges.
