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Research Program Report to the Community: January, 2007

Submitted by: M. Laurie Leitch, PhD

I. This has been an exciting time for research at FHE. The two disaster outcome studies (Tsunami project and Katrina/Rita project) have been completed, written up and submitted for publication. It takes some time for revisions, etc. before the articles will be in print.

II. A proposal was submitted to The National Center for PTSD at Dartmouth University. This is a grant for Advanced Research Mentoring. If awarded, the grant monies will support an in-depth study of the use of physiological monitoring with disaster populations. The grant period is 2 years.

III. The research focus in 2007 will be obtaining funds for and implementing an SE outcome study with Iraqi vets. The project will be implemented in three phases: 1) small focus groups of vets, 2) a single site pilot study, 3) a multi-site, national study.

There are several ways the SE community can be involved in this important work:

  1. If you have contacts with VA hospitals and other large organizations that serve vets and could help with access issues please let me know (L.Leitch@comcast.net).
  2. If you have knowledge of and/or experience working with vets and want to offer suggestions for the focus group content, please contact me.
  3. If you are willing to organize and lead/co-lead a focus group (following the protocol we develop) let me know.
  4. If you have suggestions for funding sources, contact me with that info.
If you do want to be involved and are sending an email, be sure to include:
  1. name and organizational affiliation
  2. brief description of your experience with vets
  3. brief description of how you would like to be involved
  4. description of your access to vets populations
  5. description of your funding connections for a vets project

IV. Several SEPs have contacted me saying they have reports and/or studies using SE that have been written up but never published. I am willing to review such products and ask the FHE Research Committee for their comments, to see if FHE can help prepare these products for publication. It is important that we establish an evidence base for SE. While not all studies have the rigor that can best demonstrate evidence of effectiveness it is still a useful endeavor to heighten the awareness in the broader clinical community of SE as an important treatment modality. Please let me know if you have a study or report of work you have done that may contribute to increasing SE's visibility.