MIRECC / CoE

Following this live webinar, participants will be able to:

• Identify the patient populations with whom DBT has been shown to be effective.
• Describe the Biosocial Theory of BPD.
• Describe the existing literature on cultural adaptations to DBT.
• Recommend cultural adaptations to DBT implementation.

Meredith Sears, Ph.D.

Meredith Sears, Ph.D., is a Suicide Prevention Coordinator at the San Francisco VA; a consultant for the national dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) training roll-out in VA’s Suicide Prevention 2.0 program; a Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco; and the president of the Greater San Francisco Bay Area chapter board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. From 2016 to 2023, Dr. Sears also served as the co-lead and training coordinator of the San Francisco VA DBT program.

Following this live lecture, participants will be able to:

• Identify how supporting loss survivors is a suicide prevention strategy.
• Describe how grief after suicide loss differs from grief after loss from natural causes.
• Identify differences between acute grief and Prolonged Grief Disorder.
• Summarize treatment options to support Suicide Loss Survivors.

Erin Higgins, LCSW, LAC

Erin Higgins is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Licensed Addictions Counselor (LAC), having received her MSW from Boston University. She joined the Rocky Mountain MIRECC in 2020 after a decade of clinical and leadership experience in VA substance use and mental health treatment settings. She currently serves as the Postvention Lead and is a consultant for the SRM Consultation program. Her clinical interests include suicide postvention, the intersection of substance use disorders with suicide risk, and using technology to improve suicide risk screening and interventions.

Following this live lecture, participants will be able to:

• Discuss current research specific to suicide among homeless Veterans, including prevalence and drivers of risk.
• Review ongoing VA Programming to prevent suicide among homeless Veterans.
• Discuss novel initiatives to identify elevated risk and prevent suicide among homeless Veterans.

Ryan Holliday, Ph.D.

Ryan Holliday, Ph.D., is a Clinical Research Psychologist and the Director of Training at the Rocky Mountain MIRECC. He is also an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. His clinical and research interests focus on understanding the intersection of trauma, psychosocial stressors (such as homelessness and justice involvement), and mental health. He is interested in translating these findings into evidence-based practice.

Shawn Liu

Shawn Liu is the Director of Communications for the VHA Homeless Programs Office, where they are responsible for developing strategic communications that enhance efforts to prevent and end homelessness among Veterans and their families. They are also the host of Ending Veteran Homelessness, a monthly podcast that offers a look into our nationwide efforts to help Veterans experiencing and at risk of homelessness. Their previous work with VA included supporting VA's efforts to house more than 40,000 homeless Veterans in 2022, integrating VA homeless programs into the department's broader suicide prevention efforts, and implementing racial equity within VA's homeless programs.

Kenny Bruemmer

Kenny Bruemmer is a Program Analyst with the Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team (HPACT) National Program Office and serves as the suicide prevention lead for the Homeless Programs Office. He has worked in VHA as a social worker since 2008 in mental health, homeless programs, and Caregiver Support.

Evan Polzer

Evan Polzer is a Health Sciences Specialist within the Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) for Suicide Prevention. His work utilizes qualitative research methods to learn from the lived histories of Veterans to develop and optimize suicide prevention strategies. Using this expertise in qualitative methods, he has assisted in creating decision tools, websites, public service campaigns, and other public-facing materials focused on suicide and injury prevention. His research focuses on patient-centered and trauma-informed approaches to suicide prevention among women Veterans and Veterans experiencing homelessness.

Following this live webinar, particpants will be able to:

• Define treatment-resistant depression and its approximate prevalence among Veterans using VA services.
• Identify the role of ketamine in the treatment of Veterans with depression and suicidality in VA.
• Describe the deployment of ketamine and other somatic treatment programs across VA.

Eric Hermes, MD

Dr. Hermes is the Director for Psychopharmacology and Somatic Treatments in the VA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. He is a psychiatrist and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine, where he studies implementation and quality improvement in mental health services.

Following this live webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe suicide prevention in Primary Care
• Discuss available resources identified in an environmental scan
• Identify clinical implications and future research

Jennifer L. Sullivan, PhD

Jenny Sullivan, PhD, is an Associate Director and Investigator at the Center for Innovation in Long-Term Services and Support (LTSS COIN) at VA Providence Healthcare System and is an Associate Professor (Research) at Brown University School of Public Health in the Health Services Policy and Practice Department. Dr. Sullivan has been a health services researcher in the VA for 20 years and has received grant funding from VA HSR&D and QUERI on several studies and evaluations. The core areas of Dr. Sullivan’s research have been assessing program implementation and quality of VA institutional and noninstitutional LTSS. More recently, her work has focused on geriatric mental health and suicide prevention for older Veterans. Her expertise includes mixed methods, qualitative research designs, and implementation science. She is a Researcher-in-Residence this year within the Office for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (OMHSP) & Serious Mental Illness Treatment Resource and Evaluation Center (SMITREC).

Kelly O’Malley, PhD

Kelly O’Malley is a clinical psychologist at the VA Boston Community Living Center. She provides mental health care in sub-acute rehab, long-term care, and hospice and palliative care. She also supervises clinical psychology interns and fellows. Kelly’s research focuses on examining and understanding the presentation of PTSD in later life and at the end of life and the implementation of trauma-informed care in VA medical settings. She recently received a VA Career Development Award to evaluate CLC staff and Veteran experience with trauma-related symptoms in CLCs and developed a CLC and Veteran specific model of trauma-informed care.

Following this live webinar, participants will be able to:

• Identify the potential role of ERPOs in suicide risk management
• Describe resources to determine details pertaining to ERPOs in different jurisdictions
• Describe facilitating ERPOs (or not) in a way that is broadly consistent with the tenants of therapeutic risk management

Hal Wortzel, MD

Dr. Wortzel is a forensic neuropsychiatrist at the Rocky Mountain MIRECC, where he serves as Director of Neuropsychiatric Consultation Services and Co-director of the National Suicide Risk Management Consultation Program. He is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado. He serves as the Michael K. Cooper Professor of Neurocognitive Disease and as Faculty for the Program in Forensic Psychiatry. Dr. Wortzel maintains a private practice in Forensic Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology and has consulted on numerous criminal and civil cases. Areas of research/scholarship interest include suicide risk management, aggression, and suicide in the context of PTSD and TBI, brain injury litigation, and the application of emerging neuroscientific tools to the legal arena.

This live, knowledge-based virtual presentation for interprofessional health care teams will help improve confidence and foster greater collaboration between providers and Veterans. A review of the Safety Plan mobile app will also be provided. This program will help bridge the knowledge gap for providers when it comes to the Safety Planning process and working with Veterans who are at increased risk for suicide.

Colleen Becket-Davenport, PsyD

Colleen Becket-Davenport is a clinical psychologist at the National Center for PTSD, Dissemination and Training Division. She is an Implementation Facilitator and the Communication and Training Lead for the Tech into Care Program. She is also a consultant for the PTSD Consultation Program. As part of her role, Dr. Becket-Davenport delivers trainings on VA mental health apps and works with health care teams to incorporate apps into care. She received her Psy.D. from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA.

Georgia Gerard, LCSW

Georgia Gerard received her MSW from the University of Denver and is a licensed clinical social worker with the Mental Illness, Research, Education Clinical Center (MIRECC) at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center. Her background is in the assessment of suicide risk in Veterans and suicide risk management best practices. She joined the Rocky Mountain MIRECC in 2012 where she serves as a consultant on the VA’s Suicide Risk Management Consultation Program and provides implementation and technical assistance support for VA national suicide prevention programs.

Following this live, knowledge-based webinar, clinicians and health care teams will be able to:

• Describe background knowledge on the association between mental health and relationship health
• Describe the link between relationship functioning and self-directed violence
• Identify potential strategies for attending to relationship factors within assessment and interventions with veterans

Danielle M. Weber, PhD

Danielle M. Weber, PhD is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Georgia. She completed her predoctoral internship at the Durham VA Medical Center and her PhD in clinical psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her area of research expertise centers on the functioning of romantic relationships, including how relationships shape and are shaped by individual health challenges. She is also an active clinician specializing in couple therapy for relationship distress as well as individual health challenges. As the child of two Army parents, she is interested in how the characteristics of Veterans’ relationships impact their individual mental health.

Following this live, knowledge-based webinar, clinicians and health care teams will be able to:

• Describe rates of suicidality among Black individuals.
• Recognize inherent bias within the Mental Health System directed towards Black individuals.
• Identify potential commitments for change.

Danielle L. McDuffie, MA, PhD

Danielle L. McDuffie, MA, PhD, is a current postdoctoral fellow at the Durham VA Health Care System in Durham, NC. Dr. McDuffie is originally from a small town called Scotch Plains, NJ, and completed her undergraduate studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. Both her MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology (with a specialty in Clinical Geropsychology) were completed at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL, where her research interests centered on minority aging, specifically related to Black older adults. Dr. McDuffie completed her internship at the Durham VA Health Care System. Broadly, her clinical and research interests include minority aging, religion, spirituality, grief, bereavement, and Positive Psychology. When she's not working, Dr. McDuffie enjoys spending time with her dog Cocoa, engaging in "family Facetimes," spending time with loved ones, and watching true crime docuseries.

Jessica Fraser, PsyD

Dr. Jessica Fraser is a proud Baltimorean (from Baltimore, MD) who attended Johns Hopkins University for undergrad and Loyola University Maryland for her graduate studies in Clinical Psychology. She completed her internship at the Federal Medical Center of Carswell in Ft. Worth, Texas and began her early career as the Addictions and Trauma Recovery Services Clinical Coordinator at Springfield Hospital Center in Sykesville, MD. Her areas of expertise include Racial Identity development, Racial trauma, Racial Identity development as a protective factor, Comprehensive Trauma, Substance Use, Reentry, Supervision, Grief, and Bias. Currently Dr. Fraser serves as a Staff psychologist in the Baltimore PCT. Additionally, Dr. Fraser serves as the Chair of the Mental Health Diversity committee within the Baltimore VAMC and is an active part of the training program within the Baltimore VAMC.

Following this live, knowledge-based webinar, clinicians and health care teams will be able to:

• Discuss and describe suicidal thoughts, behaviors and prevention strategies among people of different cultures, races, and ethnicities.
• Describe cultural factors that impact the experience of depression and depression-related behaviors among people from marginalized and underserved communities.
• Identify research-based directions and strategies for suicide prevention rooted in culturally informed care for all people.

Charlotte McCloskey, PhD

Dr. Charlotte McCloskey, Sicangu Lakota, is the Local Recovery Coordinator and a staff psychologist at the KCVA. She is active in American Psychological Association, Division 18: Psychologist in Public Service, VA Section and chair for Psychologists In Indian Country Section, and a former member of Committee for Women in Psychology. She is a co-coordinator for the national call for the Psychologists of Color Special Interest Group for the Association for VA Psychology Leaders, and a member of the Society of Indian Psychologists and the Society of American Indian Government Employees. Most recently, she held a detail that was collaboration of the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Office of Rural Health and the Rocky Mountain MIRECC focused on efforts to better serve Native American Veterans. She is also a Subject Matter Expert and Co-Chair for the OMHSP DE&I Resource SharePoint project. She received her masters and doctorate from the University of Missouri-Columbia

Following this live, knowledge-based webinar, clinicians and health care teams will be able to:

• Discuss background literature on suicide mortality rates among rural and urban populations.
• Describe the overall trends in suicide mortality rates among rural and urban VA patients.
• Identify best practices for coding of race and ethnicity data using VA electronic medical record data.
• Display suicide mortality rates among demographic sub-populations of VA patients.

Brian Shiner MD, MPH

Brian Shiner is a psychiatrist and preventive medicine physician who has been conducting research in the areas of PTSD and suicide prevention at the White River Junction VA Medical Center since finishing residency in 2009. He is currently the associate chief of staff for research at White River Junction, as well as associate professor at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. Over the last four years, Brian collaborated with the Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-White River Junction to complete a series of studies on the rural-urban disparity in death by suicide among VA patients. He will be presenting his findings from this work.

Following this live, knowledge-based webinar, clinicians and health care teams will be able to:

• Describe the Whole Health System;
• Discuss the relationship of purpose and self-care as protective factors;
• Identify at least one strategy for connecting with the Veteran's mission, aspiration and purpose;
• Describe resources related to Whole Health and Suicide Prevention

Dr. Jennifer Patterson, PhD, ABPP

Dr. Jennifer Patterson is the National Director for Integrated Services with the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (OMHSP). In this position she serves as a member of the OMHSP Executive Leadership Team and has direct oversight for the integration of mental and behavioral health care into medical settings and the integration of Whole Health across mental health programs. Dr. Patterson is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and is board certified in Organizational and Business Consulting Psychology via the American Board of Professional Psychology. She is committed to values-driven leadership, investing in people and cutting-edge innovation, and translating strategic vision into measurable healthcare transformation. In support of health and well-being, Dr. Patterson enjoys fishing and hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountains and spending time with her husband, mischievous parrot and 2 exuberant dogs.

Dr. Kathy Hedrick, PhD

Dr. Kathy Hedrick is a Senior Consultant with the Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation (OPCC&CT). In this position, she leads the work for Whole Health in Oracle Cerner integration, the Coding and Tracking team, and is Chair of the Whole Health Clinical Care Task Force. She works as the primary contact for OPCC&CT for the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. Dr. Hedrick is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and, prior to joining OPCC&CT, worked for several years as a psychologist in VHA focusing on trauma processing with Veterans who have experienced Combat and Military Sexual related traumas. Dr. Hedrick lives and works out of North Carolina and, in support of her health and well-being, is currently training for her fifth half marathon.

Following this live, knowledge-based webinar, clinicians and health care teams will be able to:

• Describe the situation of military caregiving in the United States
• Identify the unique characteristics and factors associated with the health and wellbeing of military caregivers, specifically mental health
• Explain the phenotypes of distress and the association with suicidal ideation in caregivers of wounded, ill and injured Veterans

Roxana E. Delgado, PhD, MSH

Dr. Roxana Delgado is a health scientist and an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, School of Medicine, General and Hospital Medicine Division. Dr. Delgado developed the "Military and Veteran Caregiver Portfolio," a research platform that addresses the short and long-term health-related outcomes of caregivers of wounded, ill, and injured service members and Veterans. Her research focuses on predictors and health outcomes in military caregivers, with an emphasis on the long-term trajectory of disease and illness. Dr. Delgado's professional experience was inspired by her firsthand experience as the wife of a combat wounded veteran and Purple Heart Recipient. She is a nationally recognized speaker, author, researcher, and avid advocate for traumatic brain injury and caregiving. She co-founded the TBI Warrior Foundation, where she volunteers her time to improve access and care for traumatic brain injuries. She serves on various advisory boards to inform national policies and programs for Veterans and caregivers. A 2015-16 Elizabeth Dole Foundation Fellow representing the State of Texas. She is passionate about what she does. Her goal is to dedicate her life and profession to contributing to science and helping wounded, ill and injured Veterans and their caregivers discover ways to thrive.

This month, Maurice Endsley, Ph.D., and Charlotte McCloskey, Ph.D., will provide information to help providers explore the impact of historical trauma on contemporary grief and loss recovery with a focus on BIPOC Veterans.

Following this live, knowledge-based webinar, clinicians and health care teams will be able to:

• Provide overview of suicide risk in the context of bereavement and loss for BIPOC Veterans
• Define historical trauma and describe how it influences contemporary reactions to grief and loss in BIPOC Veterans
• Share resources to further mitigate suicide risk in the context of bereavement and historical trauma

Maurice Endsley, Ph.D.

Dr. Endsley obtained a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Missouri — St. Louis with an emphasis in Behavioral Medicine. He has specialized training in health psychology in primary care settings and psycho-oncology. He is currently serving as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program Manager for VA Northern California. His interests include multicultural psychology with a focus on the impact of coping with race-based stress on mental and physical health. He was co-lead for a VA Innovation and VA Office of Health Equity supported project to spread a race-based stress and trauma group-based intervention to support Veterans of Color. He is also a Subject Matter Expert and Co-Chair for the OMHSP DEI Resource SharePoint site. He has provided numerous trainings and talks on the impact of racism on mental and physical health, including interventions to improve health equity.

Charlotte McCloskey, Ph.D.

Dr. Charlotte McCloskey, Sicangu Lakota, is the Local Recovery Coordinator and a staff psychologist at the KCVA. She is active in American Psychological Association, Division 18: Psychologist in Public Service, VA Section and chair for Psychologists In Indian Country Section, and a former member of Committee for Women in Psychology. She is a co-coordinator for the national call for the Psychologists of Color Special Interest Group for the Association for VA Psychology Leaders, and a member of the Society of Indian Psychologists and the Society of American Indian Government Employees. Most recently, she held a detail that was collaboration of the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Office of Rural Health and the Rocky Mountain MIRECC focused on efforts to better serve Native American Veterans. She is also a Subject Matter Expert and Co-Chair for the OMHSP DE&I Resource SharePoint project. She received her masters and doctorate from the University of Missouri-Columbia with an emphasis on teaching and multicultural psychology. Her professional/clinical interests are focused on mentorship, consultation, recovery/resiliency, trauma, and grief and loss.

Following this live, knowledge-based webinar, clinicians and health care teams will be able to:

• Identify why talking about a suicide attempt in the family is important for kids in that family
• Describe when and how family members should talk about the attempt
• Discuss ideas on how much information to share by age group that is developmentally appropriate
• Describe ways adults can support a child after a suicide attempt in the family

Christie Machan, LCSW

Christie Machan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Veteran Suicide Prevention with the VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System. She has worked with Veterans and their families across a range of clinics and settings through her 13 year career in the VA Healthcare System. In her current role, Ms. Machan works with the VISN 19 MIRECC Clinical Core Team on projects including; National Suicide Risk Management Consultation Program, Postvention Consultation, and the Risk ID Implementation Team. She is passionate about supporting Veteran's wellbeing by nurturing their parental and partner relationships to build up protective factors and reduce suicide risk.

Aaron Murray-Swank, PhD

Aaron Murray-Swank, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist in the Virtual Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) in the VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System. He has worked with Veterans and their families across a range of clinics and settings throughout his 19 year career in the VA Healthcare System. Dr. Murray-Swank is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and an Affiliate Faculty Member at Regis University in the Division of Counseling and Family Therapy. He has authored or co-authored over 20 professional publications, including work on family interventions for serious mental illness and suicide postvention.

Following this live, knowledge-based webinar, clinicians and health care teams will be able to:

• Examine CPG population- and community-based interventions related to gatekeeper training
• Understand a brief overview of existing literature published
• Explore various models of gatekeeper trainings and key components to the models
• Identify and access information on gatekeeper trainings for various settings

Cicely Burrows-McElwain, LCSW-C,

Cicely Burrows-McElwain, LCSW-C, joined the VA Suicide Prevention Office in the Community-Based Interventions for Suicide Prevention Technical Assistance and Resource Center Director in 2021. Prior to her current role Cicely served as the Military & Veteran Affairs Liaison at SAMHSA and has over 2 decades practice experience in community settings.

Kendra "Kenner" Barnes, LCSW

Kendra "Kenner" Barnes, LCSW, joined the VA Suicide Prevention Program Office in December 2021 as part of Community Based Interventions for Suicide Prevention as the Program Manager for VISN 20. She has been with the VA since 2011. Previous experience includes supporting Veterans through SPC, PCMHI, M2VA and PACT/SCI programs.

John McQuaid, PhD

John McQuaid, PhD is Associate Chief of Staff for Health Equity, San Francisco VA Health Care System as well as Vice Chair, Department of Psychiatry of the Weill Institute of Neuroscience at University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Eric Elbogen, PhD, ABPP

Dr. Eric Elbogen, PhD, ABPP is a Clinical Psychologist at the VA and Professor of Psychiatry at Duke University. He ran a money management group at the VA for over a decade, and has been Principal Investigator of a randomized controlled trial of a recovery-oriented money management intervention for Veterans and of a nationally representative longitudinal survey of Veterans identifying a link between financial strain and suicidal ideation. Dr. Elbogen and colleagues also demonstrated a link between financial strain and suicide risk in the US general population and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

James Haug, MD

James Haug received his MD from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He completed his residency in psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina, serving as a chief resident in his final year. He returned to Colorado and completed a fellowship in addiction psychiatry at the University of Colorado. He is currently the Medical Director for Substance Use Disorder Clinics for Eastern Colorado Healthcare System. He is involved in medical student education and is the psychiatry liaison for the Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships at the Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC.

Erin Higgins, LCSW, LAC

Erin Higgins is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Addictions Counselor with the Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention. She serves as Postvention Lead and is a consultant for the Suicide Risk Management Consultation Program. Prior to joining the MIRECC in 2020, she served as Program Manager for the Outpatient Substance Use Disorders Clinic at the Rocky Mountain Regional Medical Center in Denver, Colorado. Her clinical interests include suicide postvention, the intersection of substance use disorders with suicide risk, and using technology to improve suicide risk screening and interventions.

Pamela Steadman-Wood, PhD, ABPP

Dr. Steadman-Wood is a board certified Geropsychologist. She is Chief of General Outpatient Mental Services at the Providence VA Medical Center and a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University's Alpert Medical School. Her primary areas of interest are in the development and implementation of integrated geriatric behavioral health programs, geropsychology training and evidence-based psychotherapy competency training.

Kristen Dillon, PsyD, ABPP

Dr. Dillon is a board certified Geropsychologist practicing in Hospice and Palliative Care at VA Bedford. She is the Geriatric Mental Health Champion for VISN 1. She provides care to Veterans and families in hospice, serves as a member of the palliative care consult team, manages the bereavement program and facilitates the hospice and palliative care rotation for psychology trainees.

Ryan Holliday, PhD

Dr. Holliday is a Clinical Research Psychologist at the Rocky Mountain MIRECC Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Veteran Suicide Prevention and an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. His clinical and research interests focus upon understanding the intersection of trauma, psychosocial stressors and mental health. He is further interested in translating these findings into evidence-based practice.