VISN 2 Center of Excellence Personnel
Stephanie Gamble, Ph.D.
Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention: Executive Director
Academic Affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry,
University of Rochester
|
Research InterestsMy research and training interests focus on improving care for individuals with co-occurring substance use disorders and depression – a population at high risk for suicide and suicide attempts. As Director of VA's Behavioral Health Autopsy Program, I have seen the potent role that co-occuring disorders can have among Veterans' suicides and I bring this expertise to bear in VA's suicide prevention efforts. Relatedly, with funding from NIH, I developed and tested a behavioral intervention for individuals with alcohol use disorders and depression. In that study, substance use counselors were trained to deliver an empirically supported treatment for depression as an adjunct to traditional substance use treatment. Conducting that trial allowed me to witness, first hand, the benefits of providing integrated care versus siloed treatment. It also ignited my desire to dedicate my efforts to training, education and rigorous program evaluation. |
Practice & Innovation
In my role as Director of the CoE's Education Division, I have worked with VA leadership to implement national trainings designed to prevent suicide among Veterans. Through its education and training efforts, the CoE translates leading-edge suicide prevention findings into applied practice across a variety of Veteran-focused settings. The CoE's Education Division develops and disseminates training programs that engage learners through a variety of modalities, including face-to-face education programs, innovative web-based trainings and webinars. In recent years, through the creation of the VA Suicide Prevention Training Council, the CoE has helped to galvanize national suicide prevention education efforts and create standardized processes across courses.
