Presenters
- Randall Reitz, PhD, Director of Behavioral Medicine, St Mary's Family Medicine Residency, Grand Junction, CO
- Jennifer Funderburk, PhD, Clinical Research Psychologist, Syracuse VA Hospital, Center for Integrated Healthcare, Syracuse, NY
- Keith Dickerson, MD Associate Director, St Mary's Family Medicine Residency, Grand Junction, CO, Air Force Veteran
- Alicia Gutierrez, LCSW, Behavioral Health Consultant, St Mary's Family Medicine Residency, Grand Junction, CO, Army Veteran
- Cara Pozun, MS, Researcher at San Diego VA , San Diego, CA, Air Force Veteran
Summary
This presentation brings together clinicians of different disciplines to share lived experiences and lessons learned from serving in the military and serving military veterans. We represent widely different backgrounds: -A family physician who is a Quaker by faith who chose to accept an Officer Commission in the USAF and ended up serving on active duty in the years surrounding 9/11. (Keith Dickerson) -A Latina whose parents immigrated from Mexico, who joined the Army as a way out of poverty and who has progressed professionally within the same clinic from medical assistant to care manager to social worker to LCSW (Alicia Gutierrez). -A woman who was a pilot and captain in the Air Force at a young age but was medically discharged due to an infectious disease she contracted while in active deployment. She used GI Bill benefits to complete a masters degree in family therapy and now conducts research with the VA (Cara Pozun). -A foremost researcher in the field of integrated behavioral health whose primary research and clinical populations have been veterans (Jennifer Funderburk). -A healthcare innovator who has created and researched peer-based systems for treating suicide and building community within the VA (Blaire Ehret) -A specialist in narrative medicine who has produced several narrative-based presentations for CFHA (Randall Reitz). Over the next 6 months, this group will meet monthly in writing workshops to develop brief personal narratives. We will identify the key themes from these narratives and weave them together into a coherent and compelling experience that will incorporate music and evocative imagery. Conference attendees who attend this presentation will learn about the lives and health needs of military members and Veterans. We will highlight clinical stories and healthcare advances that are particularly relevant to these populations-”whether they’re served through the Department of Defense, the Veterans Administration, or an outpatient clinic. We will use various methods of audience engagement so that participants can augment the sharing of narratives and bring their own stories to the presentation.
Objectives
- Understand the experiences and challenges of serving in the military and living as a Veteran.
- Describe research and innovations in the behavioral health treatment of Veterans and active military
- Share their own personal narratives of military service, Veteran status, and/or service provision.