VISN 5 MIRECC - Research
Research Core
The Research Program, in keeping with the overall mission of the VISN 5 MIRECC to support and enhance the recovery and community functioning of Veterans with serious mental illness, emphasizes research that promotes the translation of research findings into evidence-based practice. The VISN 5 MIRECC focuses primarily on five topic areas all related to enhancing recovery in Veterans with serious mental illness: peer involvement in mental health recovery; strategies for enhancing engagement in mental health treatment; whole health approaches for facilitating mental health recovery; enhancing treatments and services for women Veterans with serious mental illness; and preventative and treatment strategies for suicide in serious mental illness.
Research Core Sub-Units
The Associate Director for Research, Julie Kreyenbuhl, Pharm.D., Ph.D., oversees and is responsible for the Research Core and its sub-units. Bob Buchanan, M.D. is the Assistant Director of Research. The Research Core consists of five sub-units:
| Sub-Unit | Description |
|---|---|
| Human Subjects and Quality Assurance | This sub-unit is led by Sera Havrilla, LCPC who oversees and monitors all MIRECC staff human subject interactions and research protocol submissions to ensure they are in accordance with local/Central Institutional Review Board (IRB) and VA Office of Research & Development rules and regulations. |
| Administrative Data | This sub-unit is led by Lijuan Fang, M.S. and has many years of expertise in utilizing the VA’s vast administrative health service utilization databases for research and quality assurance purposes. The sub-unit uses many years’ of local and national VA data to assist VISN5 MIRECC investigators in demonstrating the feasibility of research proposals and in conducting retrospective observational research studies on healthcare utilization among Veterans with mental illness. This sub-unit also responds to requests from Mental Health administrators with VISN 5 for information about patterns of health care use and costs within the VISN to inform service planning and for program evaluations. |
| Biostatistics | Led by Clayton H. Brown, Ph.D., the biostatistics sub-unit develops and performs descriptive and model-based analyses for all randomized clinical trials and other studies that are based in the MIRECC. |
| Data Management | This sub-unit, led by Deborah R. Medoff, Ph.D., provides comprehensive data quality control, data security, and backup for all studies that are based in the MIRECC. The unit provides Access database participant tracking and reporting programs and develops electronic data entry programs that are customized for each research project. A digital library of over 200 commonly used assessments is maintained that includes the standardized assessment, scoring instructions, SAS programs and references. |
| Qualitative and Mixed Methods | The qualitative and mixed methods sub-unit is led by Karen Besterman-Dahan, PhD, RD. The unit’s overarching goal is to provide guidance and assistance to MIRECC investigators and research staff in conducting qualitative and mixed methods data collection and analysis in support of MIRECC’s current and future research activities. |
