Together With Veterans

Lisa A. Brenner, PhD
Title: Principal Investigator
Bio: Lisa A. Brenner, Ph.D., is a Board-Certified Rehabilitation Psychologist, and a Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Psychiatry, and Neurology at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus. Dr. Brenner is a Senior Clinical Investigator at the Department of Veterans Affairs Rocky Mountain Regional Medical Center. She co-leads the VA Brain Health Coordinating Center (BHCC) and the Military and Veteran Microbiome Consortium for Research and Education (MVM CoRE). She is the past Chair of the International Brain Injury Association and a past President of Division 22 (Rehabilitation Psychology) of the American Psychological Association (APA), as well as an APA Fellow. She serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. Dr. Brenner is a leading expert in the field of traumatic brain injury and comorbid psychiatric disorders. She has over 300 peer-reviewed publications, participates on national advisory boards, and has co-authored a book titled: Suicide Prevention After Neurodisability: An Evidence-Informed Approach. She is also a Co-Editor of the APA Handbook of Rehabilitation Psychology (3rd Edition) and is the current editor of the Oxford University Press Academy of Rehabilitation Psychology Series.
Email: Lisa.Brenner@va.gov

Nazanin H. Bahraini, PhD
Title: Principal Investigator
Bio: Dr. Bahraini is the Acting Director at the Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) for Suicide Prevention and Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine. Her work focuses on designing and evaluating system-level strategies to improve implementation of evidence-based practices in suicide prevention. Her clinical research interests include application of acceptance and commitment therapy for suicide prevention and understanding the impact of social determinants of health on suicide risk.
Email: Nazanin.Bahraini@va.gov

Kelly Stearns-Yoder, MA
Title: Co-Investigator
Bio: Ms. Kelly Stearns-Yoder is the Operations Manager at the Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention and serves as a Research Instructor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She is also responsible for the operational management and administration of complex research, clinical, and educational programs, providing leadership in strategic planning, workforce management, human resources, budget and resource coordination, process improvement, compliance, and organizational development. Ms. Stearns-Yoder is currently a doctoral candidate in Research Psychology. Her training in research and organizational psychology is focused on the data-driven approach to organizational development. This includes the process of continuous diagnosis, action planning, implementation and evaluation, with the goal of transferring knowledge and skills to organizations to improve capacity for solving problems and managing future change. Specific areas of research include programmatic outcomes and evaluation at the patient and organizational levels.
Email: Kelly.Stearns@va.gov

Linda Sajbel, LCSW, BCD
Title: Clinical Researcher
Bio: Linda Sajbel, LCSW, BCD has been a VA employee in Mental Health Service since 2000. She joined the Rocky Mountain MIRECC October 2022 to work on the Together with Veterans Project. She received a MSW at Smith College School for Social Work. Linda has over 27 years of clinical experience as a psychotherapist providing outpatient therapy services in the VA Mental Health Clinic, as well as in community mental health clinics. She is experienced in the delivery of multiple evidenced based therapies (treating PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, and Insomnia) and is an Approved Consultant for EMDR Therapy. Linda has extensive training and experience in providing suicide prevention services to military Veterans and has witnessed the lifesaving benefits of intervention firsthand. She is excited to partner with Together with Veterans community members towards better understanding the unique needs in their respective rural communities around adopting suicide prevention programming to address and reduce military and Veteran suicide risk.
Email: Linda.Sajbel@va.gov

Molly E. Penzenik, MPH
Title: Data Analyst
Bio: Molly Penzenik, MPH has been a member of the Rocky Mountain MIRECC Data and Statistical Core since 2015. She completed an MPH in biostatistics at West Virginia University School of Public Health. She has supported program evaluations and numerous research studies focusing on mental health and suicide prevention, including traumatic brain injury, PTSD, upstream suicide prevention interventions and complementary and alternative medicine. She has extensive experience with online data collection methods.
Email: Molly.Penzenik@va.gov

Joseph Mignogna, PhD
Title: Co-Investigator
Bio: Dr. Joe Mignogna is a Clinical Psychologist and Investigator at the Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He also serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Dr. Mignogna is a health services researcher with a particular interest in implementing and scaling brief evidence-based psychotherapies and suicide prevention interventions. His work focuses on improving Veterans’ access to high-quality psychological and suicide prevention services.
Email: Joseph.Mignogna@va.gov

Angel Garcia, MBA
Title: Program Manager
Bio: Angel Garcia, MBA is an Instructor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She holds an MBA in Healthcare Management and a B.S. in Biology, bridging scientific literacy with strategic leadership to advance patient-oriented research and operational excellence. She is an accomplished research operations and administrative executive with more than 20 years of progressive experience spanning clinical research management, financial administration, regulatory compliance, and academic medical center operations. She has managed multimillion-dollar budgets, overseen human-subjects research portfolios, guided interdisciplinary research teams, and developed policies and systems that strengthen institutional efficiency.
Email: Angel.Garcia5@va.gov

Dianna Flamenco
Title: Research Coordinator
Bio: Ms. Flamenco is a licensed clinical social worker who earned her master’s degree in social work, with a concentration in mental health and trauma, from the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. She provides bilingual therapy to diverse populations through individual, family, and group counseling. Her clinical experience includes a wide range of therapeutic approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), strength-based therapy, person-centered therapy, Brainspotting, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), yoga, mindfulness, and Motivational Interviewing.
Email: Dianna.Flamenco@va.gov

Ryan Holliday, PhD
Title: Clinical Research Psychologist
Bio: Ryan Holliday, PhD, is a Clinical Research Psychologist in the Department of Veterans Affairs and an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. His research aims to understand the intersection of social drivers of health (e.g., homelessness, criminal legal involvement), trauma exposure, and suicide risk. He is further interested in translating these findings into evidence-based practice to ensure all Veterans receive equitable and optimal care.
Email: Ryan.Holliday@va.gov

Matthew Igo
Title: Biostatistician and Bioinformatician
Bio: Dr. Igo is a biostatistician and bioinformatician in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He also serves as a data analyst and engineer for electronic medical records and other large-scale datasets at the Brain Health Coordinating Center (BHCC). His research focuses on the relationships between the microbiome and other biological markers, and the physical and mental health of Veterans.
Email: Matthew.Igo@va.gov

Jessica Castillo
Title: Research Coordinator
Bio: Jessica Castillo is a research coordinator supporting clinical trials aimed at improving mental health interventions for individuals experiencing depression and suicidal ideation. With a background in education, entrepreneurship, and mental health research, she has worked closely with youth, Veterans, and underserved populations to improve access to care. Driven by a passion to advance mental health treatments, Jessica is set to start her first year in the doctoral program in clinical psychology to develop and implement culturally responsive, evidence-based treatments that meet the needs of marginalized communities.
Email: Jessica.Castillo4@va.gov

Christina LaValle, MS
Title: Research Statistician
Bio: Chrissy LaValle holds an MS in Applied and Computational Mathematics from Johns Hopkins University. As a career research statistician, she has contributed to initiatives spanning multiple domains across federal, state government, and academia sectors. She brings years of experience conducting statistical analyses, applying data-driven approaches to inform programs, and researching health and well-being of military-connected communities such as Veterans. Growing up and living much of her life in a rural community, coupled with her analytical skillset, Chrissy brings a meaningful and informed perspective to the Together with Veterans project study team.
Email: Christina.LaValle@va.gov

Dennis F. Mohatt, MA
Title: Vice President for Behavioral Health for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)
Bio: Dennis received his undergraduate training at the University of Oregon, and received an NIMH Training Fellowship in rural mental health while at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania, where he received a Master of Arts in rural community-clinical psychology. He has been a member of the Board of Directors for the National Association for Rural Mental Health since 1987, and served as the association's President from 1992-1995. In 1996, Dennis was awarded the Victor I. Howery Award for outstanding contributions to rural mental health. His professional work has primarily focused on rural and remote issues of prevention and treatment, and integration of mental health with other systems of care (e.g., primary care, school health, military/Veteran). In his role at WICHE, he leads the mission to improve systems of behavioral health care and build a highly competent behavioral health workforce for the West by promoting innovation, cooperation, resource sharing and data driven public policy formation.
Email: dmohatt@wiche.edu

Jason Alves, MPA
Title: Director for Veterans Initiatives
Bio: Jason Alves, is the Director of Veterans Initiatives at WICHE, bringing to the Behavioral Health programs over 13 years of service to Veterans in public and community led mental health. He serves as implementation manager for the Together with Veterans rural veteran suicide prevention program, in partnership with the Rocky Mountain MIRECC. Previously, he served as president of Washington State Chapter for the Farmer Veteran Coalition, Programs Manager for the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. Alves utilized his G.I. Bill and received his B.S. in Political Science from the University of Oregon and M.P.A. in Public Non-Profit management from The Evergreen State College.
Email: jalves@wiche.edu