Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC)
The Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC), a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Health Services Research (HSR) Center of Innovation (COIN), located at VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS), was founded in October 2013. CIVIC’s mission is to conduct research that empowers Veterans to improve their health through engagement in self-care, engagement with VA and non-VA healthcare systems, and engagement in the research process. This mission directly supports VHA’s 2018-2024 strategic objectives, VHA’s Whole Health Initiative Flagship program, HSR and other VHA priorities.
About
Mission
News
About
With 26 core investigators CIVIC conducts research on mental health conditions, including depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, chronic pain and opioids, suicide, mental health conditions in cancer patients, substance abuse, chronic opiate use, and traumatic brain injury, as well as health disparities, clinician-patient communication, interprofessional learning, social networks, and health informatics. A major strength of CIVIC’s research efforts is that many investigators actively work directly with patients in clinical settings. Led by Director Steven Dobscha, MD and Associate Director Lauren Denneson, PhD, CIVIC’s operational partners include the VHA Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, VHA Office of Mental Health Operations and Suicide Prevention, VHA Pain Management Office, Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISN) 20, and VAPORHCS.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at CIVIC
The Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC) is committed to developing and sustaining a workforce that supports the inclusion and professional growth of all people regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, Veteran status, familial status, disability status, or genetic information.
Mission
CIVIC’s Mission is to support high quality research on patient-centered approaches that promote Veteran engagement and active participation in VA and non-VA healthcare and other resources to improve Veteran health and well-being.
We have designated two primary impact goals that align with HSR and VHA priorities:
Goal 1: Develop and implement interventions and other approaches that improve the healthcare, health, and safety of Veterans who have elevated suicide risk and mental health conditions including pain.
Goal 2: Develop innovative strategies that increase access and improve care coordination within VHA and across VHA and community settings.
Additional CIVIC goals are to:
Goal 3: Support additional high value, innovative research that falls outside our focused areas.
Goal 4: Collaborate with a diverse set of stakeholders including Veterans to enhance research and build bridges between innovation and evidence.
Goal 5: Further develop CIVIC expertise and activities in dissemination and implementation.
Goal 6: Support equitable career development of promising early and established investigators and staff in order to build and sustain health services research capacity.
News
CIVIC researchers share why they choose to work in VA in Veterans Day video.
To find out more about what CIVIC team members are working on, take a look at the latest edition of the CIVIC Newsletter.
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