Center of Excellence Personnel
Elizabeth Karras-Pilato, Ph.D.
VA Appointment: Co-Research Director
Academic Affiliation: Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester
Research Affiliate: Injury Control Research Center, West Virginia University
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Research InterestsMy research interests largely focus on the use of communication strategies in public health approaches to suicide prevention with domains of inquiry designed to inform the development of evidence-based messaging. More specifically, my program of research employs a systematic, theory-driven approach to examine the mechanisms and effects of public messaging to prevent and reduce risk behaviors related to suicide among military and veteran populations. Currently, I maintain multiple research lines that examine the (a) formative process of message design and (b) summative evaluation of messaging strategies to examine the persuasive effects on attitude and behavior change to understand their social influence. This includes mixed methods studies to identify message characteristics salient to veteran audiences at increased risk for suicide and implementation strategies (e.g., community-based) to enhance message effects as well as longitudinal, population studies to assess changes in outcomes associated with VA campaign and outreach efforts. Findings from this scholarship contribute to a nascent but significantly underdeveloped body of research that examines the role of strategic communication to help reduce population suicide risk. |
Current Funding
| DATES | SPONSOR | PROJECT | ROLE |
| 05/21-04/25 | Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Services Research & Development (HSR&D) |
Public messaging to increase treatment seeking among Veterans at risk for suicide during transition from military service | PI |
| 10/20-09/22 | Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Services Research & Development (HSR&D) |
The use of VA public messaging to minimize risk for suicide among recently transitioned veterans not using VHA care | PI |
| 10/20-09/22 | American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AF SP) |
Public messaging strategies to facilitate help seeking among those at high risk for both suicide and opioid overdose | PI |
Past Funding
| DATES | SPONSOR | PROJECT | ROLE |
| 07/18-06/19 | Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Services Research & Development (HSR&D) |
Developing public messaging strategies to facilitate help seeking among Veterans at risk for suicide | PI |
| 09/17-08/21 | Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention |
Understanding Heterogeneity in Treatment of Mood Disorders | Co-I |
| 09/17-08/20 | Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention |
Pilot to test the use of community-based toolkits for safe firearm storage among active duity and veteran population: Partnered program with the National Shooting Sports Foundation & DoD | Co-I |
| 04/17-03/18 | CDC Injury Control Research Center, West Virginia University | Development of public education messaging to address opioid misuse among West Virginia residents | Co-I |
| 03/14-09/17 | Department of Veterans Affairs, Center for Innovations | Shaping determinants of behavior to promote mental health: An application of the VA's Make the Connection narrative video messages to facilitate help seeking among at-risk Veterans | PI |
| 10/15-09/16 | Department of Veterans Affairs, Mental Heath Services | Unlocking the potential of VA means safety programs: An evaluation of the use of public messaging to promote firearm safety to Veterans | PI |
| 10/14-09/16 | Department of Veterans Affairs, Mental Health Services | Evaluation of the VA's suicide prevention public communication and outreach activities | PI |
| 10/14-09/16 | Department of Veterans Affairs, Mental Health Services | Implementation of firearm safety counseling trainings to VA providers | Co-I |
| 10/14-09/15 | Department of Veterans Affairs, Mental Health Services | Understanding the unique needs of female Veteran callers to the Veterans Crisis Line | Co-I |
| 12/10-08/11 | Illinois Informatics Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | An examination of health information avoidance among Deaf people | PI |
| 11/09-10/10 | Mark Diamond Research Grant, State University of New York | Understanding Health Information Management of the Deaf | PI |
