Consultation Within VA

The National Center is an integral part of VA, so the staff is extensively involved in consultations within the organization. National Center staff played key roles in the Under Secretary for Health’s Special Committee on PTSD, a Congressionally-mandated committee that oversees all PTSD programs within the VA. Dr. Friedman serves as Co-Chair of this committee, Drs. Patricia Resick and Josef Ruzek serve as members, and Dr. Paula Schnurr plays an advisory role. The committee is responsible for determining VA’s capacity to provide assessment and treatment for PTSD as well as offering guidance on related educational, research and benefits projects.

Members of the National Center participated in an Office of Research and Development work group, which subsequently set the stage for collaboration between National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), VA, and DoD and the formation of a Working Group on Post-Deployment Mental Health Research. In FY 2006 this work culminated in a conference, Mapping the Landscape of Deployment Related Adjustment and Mental Disorders, which assessed the entire research portfolio on this topic across agencies so that future research efforts can be better aligned.

National Center personnel are involved in many other VA advisory groups and task forces at the facility, VISN and Central Office levels.