The Department of Veterans Affairs is partnering with NIH and will award $6 million in research grants to examine the link between substance abuse and military deployments and combat-related trauma. NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is collaborating with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and NCI. NIH is awarding more than $4 million in grant funding with VA awarding around $2 million.
Several projects will look at treatment seeking patterns to study why and when veterans ask for help, and why many won’t seek treatment. Scientists will also explore treatment strategies, including cognitive behavioral therapy and web-based approaches as well as the most effective therapies for soldiers who have other disorders, such as depression and substance abuse. Researchers will also determine if early intervention can improve outcomes along with other projects to help veterans readjust to their work and families after returning from war.
The eleven research institutions in 11 states to receive the grants are Brandeis University, Dartmouth College, the Medical University of South Carolina, the National Development and Research Institutes in New York City, The University of California, San Francisco, the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, the University of Missouri in Columbia, and the VA medical centers in West Haven, Connecticut, Philadelphia, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Seattle.
