Haley Miles-McLean is a licensed clinical psychologist who received her PhD in Human Services Psychology in 2021 at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Dr. Miles-McLean completed a predoctoral internship from 2020-2021 at the VA Washington DC Health Care System. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship from 2021-2024 at the VISN 5 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC). During fellowship, Dr. Miles-McLean obtained independent research funding, being awarded a Career Development Award (CDA-2) from VA Rehabilitation Research and Development (RR&D) Service. She has recently transitioned to a position at the VISN 5 MIRECC as a Psychologist Clinician Investigator and Assistant Director of the Education Core. Dr. Miles-McLean has clinical and research expertise in intimate partner violence, trauma, and women’s mental health.

1) Tell us about your area of research

My research focuses on promoting the functioning and wellbeing of women Veterans, especially those with mental health conditions. I am particularly interested in addressing needs related to aging, reproductive health, and gender-based stress and trauma. As such, much of my recent research has focused on menopause related concerns and care needs among women Veterans, with projects related to this described further below. I have also contributed to a VA Health Systems Research funded project focused on developing a Veteran-informed bystander activation intervention to increase awareness of and willingness to intervene to address gender-based harassment at the VA.

2) What studies/programs of research are you currently working on?

I am currently in the data analysis phase of my VISN 5 MIRECC funded Pilot study entitled Menopause Experiences among Women Veterans with Mental Health Concerns. This study collected qualitative and quantitative data with 20 women Veteran participants to address two primary goals:

(1) to learn about the experience of the menopause transition among women Veterans with mental health diagnoses; and

(2) to examine the appropriateness of study procedures to inform future research with women Veterans regarding menopause. A more in-depth description of this project was included in the Spring 2023 installment of MIRECC Matters and can be accessed online. All data collection has been completed for this project and I’m presently working with study team members to analyze the data, with the objective of disseminating our findings through presentations and publications following analyses.

I am currently working on study start-up for my recently awarded CDA-2 from RR&D that is entitled Improving Functioning among Aging Women Veterans. This research study seeks to address gaps in age-related care for women Veterans by testing one approach for delivering gender-informed services to women Veterans in midlife and beyond. This project will:

(1) integrate stakeholder feedback to tailor Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Menopause (CBT-Meno) for women Veterans with menopause concerns; and

(2) refine and evaluate tailored CBT-Meno as a treatment to address the intersecting needs of women Veterans with menopause concerns. CBT-Meno has been shown to be an effective treatment for many menopause symptoms (i.e., sleep, hot flashes, anxiety, depression), and quality of life. However, CBT-Meno has not been tested in women Veterans, nor have prior studies addressed the needs and risk factors specific to women Veterans. This project aims to address these gaps.

3) What are the implications or potential benefits of your program of research for Veterans?

Broadly, I seek to develop services that address the intersecting mental health, physical health, and psychosocial concerns that can negatively impact women Veterans as they age in order to improve their wellbeing. I am working towards this goal through my CDA-2, which will tailor CBT-Meno to address the menopause care needs of women Veterans thereby improving their functioning and ensuring their comprehensive health needs are addressed. Further, tailoring CBT-Meno and assessing the impacts of menopause on women Veterans may help to improve menopause treatment and services for this population.

4) How can people get in touch with you if they have questions about your work?

The best way to reach me is via email at Haley.Miles-McLean@va.gov.