CIMVHR Forum 2023 Workshops

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Integrating sex, gender and diversity factors into military health research

Sex and gender are important determinants of health and well-being. Sex and gender differences have historically often been overlooked in military health research design, study implementation and scientific reporting, as well as in health promotion communication. This has limited the generalizability of research findings and applicability to prevention and clinical practice. Many now recognize the imperative to integrate gender and diversity into military health and wellness research. This workshop will review:

• terminology relating to sex, gender and diversity variables;
• rationale for and implications of including sex, gender and diversity in military and veteran research;
• existing policy and guidelines in this area; and,
• guidance on methodology to reduce gender and diversity bias in military health and social science research.

Workshop Host:

Col Helen Wright, MD
Physician, Canadian Armed Forces

Time:

7:30AM - 9:00AM

“Same Stuff, Different Uniform” -- Mapping out Military and Public Safety Personnel culture and identity development, international contexts and why it is essential in research, policy and service design

Understanding service culture is essential for designing research, treatment, services and policy for military and public safety personnel, to effectively support them and their families. There is often a ‘lumping’ of service personnel when considering research, practice and policy, with the assumption that interventions that work with one group will work for another. However, what makes up the domains of “service culture” and how that impacts identity, looks different within services (e.g. different military roles), between services (e.g. paramedics and police), within countries (e.g. between provinces in Canada or states in Australia or USA) and in different countries around the globe. This workshop aims to discuss first of all “why” cultural awareness is important for researchers, policy makers and health professionals to effectively work with these populations. Secondly, we will discuss the differences and similarities between service contexts, to inform the development of cultural awareness programs.

Workshop Hosts:

Henry Bowen, PhD
Senior Research Officer, Military and Emergency Services Health Australia (MESHA)

Margaret McKinnon, PhD, CPsych
Homewood Chair in Mental Health and Trauma
Professor and Associate Chair, Research
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences
McMaster University

Karen May
Military and Emergency Services Health Australia (MESHA)

Time:

7:30AM - 9:00AM

Building Resilience in the Military-to-Civilian Transition

The military-to-civilian transition (MCT) is a significant event in the lives of military members, and although most members adjust well following the MCT process, research suggests that some military members may experience significant challenges. The focus of this workshop is on using the research collected on MCT experiences to build resilience in members about to undergo the MCT process. The workshop will include a review of literature on resilience among military populations, and a discussion of how resilience may be conceptualized and measured among transitioning members specifically, and at what points in the process, with examples provided from the Canadian MCT process and existing data collection practices (e.g., the Transition Support and Well-being Survey). Group discussions in the workshop will explore the concept of resilience in the MCT process in other contexts and identify best practices and potential new initiatives to support resilience among transitioning members.

Workshop Host:

Shannon Gottschall, PhD
Defence Scientist, Department of National Defence

Julie Coulthard, PhD
Defence Scientist, Department of National Defence

Time:

7:30AM - 9:00AM

Pain Reprocessing Therapy as a Group Treatment

Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) is a ground-breaking set of psychological techniques designed to retrain the brain to interpret and respond to signals from the body more accurately and effectively, thereby breaking the cycle of chronic pain (see Ashar, Gordon, Schubiner, et al., JAMA Psychiatry, 2021). Participants in this workshop will learn about the current research on PRT and gain experience with its five main components:

1. education about the brain origins and reversibility of pain,
2. gathering and reinforcing personalized evidence for the brain origins and reversibility of pain,
3. attending to and appraising pain sensations through a lens of safety,
4. addressing other emotional threats, and
5. gravitating to positive feelings and sensations.

Modifications to standard PRT for addressing non-pain chronic conditions and for offering the treatment in a group format will also be covered.

Workshop Hosts:

Pamela L. Holens, Ph.D., C.Psych.
Clinical Psychologist, Winnipeg Operational Stress Injury Clinic
Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Health Psychology, University of Manitoba
Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba

Sara DePottie, O.T. Reg. (MB), M.O.T.
Occupational Therapist, Winnipeg Operational Stress Injury Clinic
Deer Lodge Centre, Winnipeg, MB

Time:

7:30AM - 9:00AM

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Health and Climate Change: Civil-Military Challenges and Opportunities

Most international organizations state that climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. From a healthcare perspective, climate change affects multiple social and environmental determinants of population health such as changes in the distribution of infectious diseases, potable water and food availability and has placed additional strain on health and healthcare systems globally. From a military perspective, climate change has contributed to an increase in within-country stability, between-state military competition, and an increase in the number of humanitarian requests for natural disaster response. As climate change accelerates, Canadian health agencies at all levels, including DND, will need to identify and develop specific capabilities to ensure readiness to respond to future events, both domestically and internationally.

Workshop Hosts:

LCol Carlo Rossi
Canadian Armed Forces Health Attaché

Time:

7:30AM - 9:00AM

Considerations for the assessment, treatment and research of military/Veteran PTSD – an updated primer

The proposed workshop will review guidelines with case examples on best practice and special considerations for assessment, treatment and research of military/Veteran PTSD. Psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy and collaborative care will be highlighted with break out discussions. Assessment topics will include the importance of identifying an index trauma, connecting assessment of symptomatology to this trauma, considerations when using self-report questionnaires in treatment, and highlight the importance of outcome monitoring. Treatment discussion will focus on integrating adjuvants to standard psychopharmacology (i.e., ketamine and rTMS), pharmacogenetics, and exploring factors underlying the suggestion that military/Veteran PTSD is less responsive to treatment. To promote research, the importance of continuing to emphasize evidence-based treatments while exploring ways to adapt these treatments will be reviewed, and areas of much needed research will be highlighted. Strategies to engage and educate Veterans in treatment to better inform outcomes and collaborative treatment decision making will be discussed.

Workshop Host:

Maya L. Roth, PhD
Clinical Psychologist, St. Joseph’s Operational Stress Injury Clinic – Greater Toronto Site
Associate Member, Yeates School of Graduate Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University
Adjunct Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, and
Associate Scientist, Lawson Health Research Institute

J. Don Richardson, MD, FRCPC
Consultant Psychiatrist
Physician Clinical Lead - Parkwood Operational Stress Injury Clinic
Associate Professor - Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University
Associate Scientist, Lawson Health Research Institute
Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, McMaster University

Time:

7:30AM - 9:00AM

So What?! Operationalizing priorities from a Community Health Needs Assessment for Canadian Veterans

For the first time, VAC is completing a Veterans’ Well-being Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). Collecting new and building on existing data, the CHNA will engage with Canadian Veterans to systematically identify their health and well-being strengths and needs and communicate results in an accessible way. Of particular interest, are the unique needs of equity-deserving Veteran groups including women, 2SLGBTQI+, Indigenous, Black, and racialized Veterans and Veterans with disabilities. Results can be used to inform decision-makers in program, policy, and research, and to support equitable allocation of resources for all Veterans. Building on the CHNA engagement approach, participants in this workshop will transform knowledge into action by brainstorming meaningful ways to share CHNA results with Veterans/stakeholders; and identify tangible and impactful strategies to address highlighted priorities. Input from this workshop will contribute to planning an implementation strategy, highlighting the health strengths and needs of Canadian Veterans and recommendations for action.

Workshop Hosts:

Margaret Fry, CD, MHS, RN
National Nursing Officer, Veterans Affairs Canada

Lisa Garland Baird, RN, PhD
Senior Researcher, Policy and Research Division
Veterans Affairs Canada

Time:

7:30AM - 9:00AM

Charting Your Path Forward: A Mentoring Event for Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

In response to the overwhelming feedback and demand after last year’s event, the Student and Postdoctoral Engagement Committee are thrilled to host this mentoring event. This event will provide students and postdoctoral fellows with formal mentoring and networking opportunities where they will hear from and engage with seasoned researchers in the fields of military, Veteran, public safety personnel, and family health. The event will include two components, first starting with a World Café in which participants and researchers will engage in multiple smaller collaborative discussions covering relevant questions and topics related to developing a high-impact research career. The second component will include a panel discussion of what these researchers wished they knew as students and postdoctoral fellows, what they know now regarding their careers and research trajectories, and what they are currently working on to make meaningful contributions and advancements in their fields.

Workshop Host:

Student and Postdoctoral Engagement Committee

Time:

7:30AM - 9:00AM