HSR&D Research Career Scientist Award

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Behavioral health (BH) conditions, including mental health and substance use disorders, remain common and persistent among Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients. Several VHA key priority areas coincide with BH conditions, including disability, overdose, suicide, and women's health. VHA remains a national leader in providing high-quality BH treatment and serves as an early responder to policies and programs designed to improve health and wellbeing for individuals experiencing these conditions. VHA must develop and evaluate new strategies to manage and resolve the complicated array of problems facing Veterans with BH conditions and their providers. Kara Zivin, PhD, MS, MA has focused on improving VHA BH services using used mixed methods research and evaluation approaches. The three primary thematic aims of her work include: 1) to continue research to evaluate the impacts of health policies and system initiatives on outcomes among Veterans with BH conditions, leading to intervention development, implementation, dissemination, and targeted policymaking; 2) to extend research to improve Veteran functional outcomes including disability and employment among those with BH conditions and enhance VHA clinician wellbeing; and 3), to develop and lead women's health research to improve Veterans' perinatal BH. These three thematic areas directly relate to positive treatment outcomes, including overall function and wellbeing, and reducing the likelihood of adverse events among Veterans with BH conditions. Dr. Zivin's has demonstrated her contributions to these areas through her externally funded research with support from VA Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) among others in addition to over 160 peer- reviewed scientific publications. Dr. Zivin has actively mentored ten early career investigators and/or trainees within the VA and has served in key leadership and service roles locally within the Ann Arbor VA Center of Innovation (COIN) and nationally within the VHA. Given her active and productive research portfolio and demonstrated commitment to mentoring colleagues in developing VHA research careers, Dr. Zivin is a strong candidate for a Health Services Research Career Scientist Award. The proposed Research Career Scientist Award will support her continued research, an expanded role in mentorship and training of the next generation of HSR&D researchers, and targeted VHA service designed to enhance and extend the reach and impact of her research and mentoring. Her research portfolio has the potential to address some of the most critical and vexing BH-related priorities in VHA and improve care for some of the most challenging and highest-risk Veterans treated within the VHA system.