MIRECC / CoE

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

Affiliates Attended National Rural Health Association Conference

SC MIRECC affiliates and the Personalized Implementation of Virtual Treatments (PIVOT) team recently attended the National Rural Health Association annual conference in San Diego. They presented two sessions (Strategies for Implementing Telehealth Programs across Care Contexts; Wearables, Apps, and Virtual-Reality for Rural Veterans’ Mental Health) and one poster (Rural-Urban Differences in Access to Mental Health Care for Serious Mental Illness at The Veterans Health Administration: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis).

Drs. Julianna Hogan, Anthony (Tony) Ecker and Jan Lindsay Featured in Houston VA High Fives

Drs. Hogan, Ecker and Lindsay were highlighted during Psychology Recognition Week in April. Dr. Hogan was recognized for her work co-leading the implementation and dissemination project, VIP Boot Camp. Dr. Ecker was recognized for presenting SUD and dual diagnosis trainings. Dr. Lindsay was recognized for her leadership of the SC MIRECC and PIVOT project.

Dr. Hilary Touchett Co-Hosted Workshop and Received Community Choice Award

Dr. Touchett and Dr. Felicia Skelton with the Houston VA Medical Center, partnered with Kay Burnett, Deputy Director of the VA Clinical Resource Hub, and Immergo Labs to co-design a VR-based mental health tool with clinicians nationwide. This project aims to expand access to engaging and immersive care for rural and underserved Veterans through virtual reality-based telehealth.

Additionally, Dr. Touchett was selected as a recipient of the Community Choice Award in recognition of her impact on departmental culture by the DoM Vice Chair Group for Faculty Development.

Little Rock

Dr. Marcela (Marci) Weber Published Articles on Virtual Mental Health Care and Psychotherapy for PTSD

Dr. Weber published two articles this past quarter. The first article, "Outcomes for implementation of virtual mental health care for rural native Veterans," was published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine. The second article, “Toward a strengths-based approach to evidence-based psychotherapy for PTSD: A qualitative comparison of Veterans’ and clinicians’ perspectives,” was published in Psychological Trauma. This article was also featured in the April issue of the National Center for PTSD’s Clinician’s Trauma Update.

Dr. Alexis Childs Received Outstanding Process Improvement Award

Dr. Childs, a SC MIRECC fellow, won the Outstanding Process Improvement award for Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) Psychology Week in April. Recipients are nominated by CAVHS psychologists and psychology trainees, who then vote for the winner. Dr. Childs was also nominated for Trainee of the Year, Early Career Psychologist, and Embodiment of ICARE Values.

Dr. Brandon Griffin Received Moral Injury Grant

Dr. Griffin and Rev. Dr. Timothy Usset will co-direct the lead VA site for a national Moral Injury Treatment and Training Network. The grant was awarded by the VA/DoD Joint Incentive Fund. The project will provide more than 500 service members and Veterans across the country with access to evidence-based moral injury treatments delivered through telehealth. It will also train 120 VA and DoD chaplains and mental health clinicians over two years.

Last updated: July 20, 2026