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VA » Health Care » MIRECC / CoE » VISN 16 MIRECC » Newsletter | Winter 2026 Article 6 | South Central MIRECC

MIRECC / CoE

Newsletter | Winter 2026 Article 6 | South Central MIRECC

Highlights from Our Anchor Sites

Our affiliates in Houston, Little Rock, and New Orleans work hard to promote mental health education, research, and treatment locally and nationally. Here are some highlights of their accomplishments over the past three months.

Houston

Dr. Ali Abbas Asghar-Ali Received Certificate of Appreciation

Congratulations to Dr. Asghar-Ali for receiving a Certificate of Appreciation from the VA Office of Mental Health. He was recognized for his primary role in creating and editing the enduring educational training series, “Foundations of VHA Geriatric Mental Health Practice Training Curriculum.”

Dr. Deleene Menefee

Dr. Deleene Menefee Published Article About Pregnant Veterans

Dr. Menefee published an article about improving reproductive care for pregnant Veterans by understanding their unique characteristics.

Ledoux, T., Howard, M., Sattem, E., Llaneza, D., Taylor, A., Hsieh, M., & Menefee, D. S. (2025). Characteristics of pregnant Veterans: A descriptive retrospective medical record study. Military Medicine. Advance online publication.

Dr. Derrecka Boykin Received Intent to Fund Notices for Grants

Congratulations to Dr. Boykin for receiving intent to fund notices for two grants. She received one notice for a Health Systems Research merit grant as principal investigator, “A Prospective Cohort Study Evaluating the Quality of Community Care vs. VHA Care for Veterans with PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety.” The second notice is for a Rehabilitation Research and Development merit grant as site principal investigator, “Randomized Controlled Trial of Peer Support for Whole Health.”

Little Rock

Dr. Michael Cucciare — Dr. Michael (Mike) Cucciare

Dr. Michael (Mike) Cucciare Published Article About Benzodiazepine Tapering Intervention

Dr. Cucciare published an article about an electronic intervention for patient-managed benzodiazepine tapering.

Humphreys, K., Hagedorn, H., Han, X., Kemp, L., Poitra, N., & Cucciare, M. A. (2026). Electronic Intervention for patient-managed benzodiazepine tapering: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Network Open, 9(1), e2551807.

New Orleans

Affiliates Published Article About Depression Treatment

Drs. Mary Shapiro and Amanda Raines published an article about depression treatment.

Shapiro, M. O., Threeton, E. M., Morris, P. E., & Raines, A. M. (2025). Examining reductions in thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and rumination within group-based behavioral activation treatment for depression. Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy.

Last updated: January 27, 2026

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