NIH, DoD, and VA host two day conference
on Trauma Spectrum Disorders: The Role of Gender, Race & Other
Socioeconomic Factors, October 1-2, 2008
As we know from history, health innovations developed in the civilian
and military contexts are synergistic; what is learned in each
context has relevance to the other and contributes greatly to improved
health of all citizens. The Office of Research on Women's Health
(ORWH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is pleased to
collaborate with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders
and Stroke (NINDS), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH),
and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development (NICHD), and the Defense Centers of Excellence
for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DoD/DCoE)
and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on a two day scientific
conference entitled "Trauma Spectrum Disorders: The Role of
Gender, Race & Other Socioeconomic Factors."
The conference will be held at the Natcher Conference Center on
the NIH Campus on October 1-2, 2008 from 8am to 5pm each day. This
event will address what is known and what needs to be learned about
the role of gender, race, and other sociodemographic factors in
the identification and treatment of gender and race factors in
traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury-related adjustment
conditions. Identifying and closing knowledge gaps in these areas
is a shared goal of the sponsoring agencies as they relate directly
to health and quality of life for civilian, military, and veteran
populations as well as their family members. Selected speakers
will include S. Ward Casscells, M.D., Assistant Secretary of Defense
for Health Affairs, DoD; RADM Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H., Acting
United States Surgeon General; Brigadier General Loree S. Sutton,
M.D, Director, DCoE; Raynard S. Kington, M.D., Ph.D., Deputy Director
NIH; Vivian W. Pinn, M.D., Director, ORWH; the Honorable Margaret
Gianinni, M.D., F.A.A.P, Director, HHS Office of Disability; Joel
Kupersmith, M.D., Chief Research and Development Officer (CRADO),
VA Office of Research and Development (ORD); and Lee Woodruff,
Bob Woodruff Family Foundation.
Brigadier General Loree Sutton, M.D., Director of the Defense
Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain
Injury noted "this conference is a tremendous opportunity
to partner with other organizations to improve the lives of our
Warriors and their Families. Partnerships and collaboration, especially
in the areas of research and identifying best practices, will be
vital to addressing the psychological health needs of our Warriors."
Conference participants will review the best existing science
on trauma spectrum disorders related to military deployment such
as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. In
addition to exploring how research can lead to improved care, the
conference will help in identifying evidence-based strategies o
better assess and treat psychological health issues and traumatic
brain injury. During the conference, invited speakers and guests
will explore gender and other factors specific to: a) psychological
health needs of populations exposed to high stress, traumatic events,
and deployment; b) traumatic brain injury (TBI); and c) treatment
outcomes.
Vivian W. Pinn, M.D., Director of the Office of Research on Women's
Health at the National Institutes of Health said "by bringing
together the best in research the NIH, the DoD, and the VA have
to offer, this trans-federal initiative will provide a forum for
civilian and military researchers to share experiences from both
the laboratory and field." She further noted that these efforts
will in turn "develop better research strategies to address
how gender and race/ethnicity may affect the identification, prevention,
treatment, and long term care issues related to trauma stress disorders.
ORWH is pleased to work with its NIH IC colleagues as well as sister
agencies in the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans
Affairs on such an important and vital concern to all Americans."
For registration and agenda information, please go to: http://www.dcoe.health.mil/events.htm.
NINDS (http://www.ninds.nih.gov)
is the nation's primary supporter of biomedical research on the
brain and nervous system. Information from the NINDS about cerebral
palsy is available at http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cerebral_palsy/cerebral_palsy.htm.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) mission is to reduce
the burden of mental and behavioral disorders through research
on mind, brain, and behavior. More information is available at
the NIMH website, http://www.nimh.nih.gov.
The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth;
maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population
issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit
the Institute's Web site at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/.
The Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH), Office of the
Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH) serves as a focal
point for women's health research at the NIH. For more information
about NIH's Office of Research on Women's Health, visit http://orwh.od.nih.gov/.
The Office of the Director, the central office at NIH, is responsible
for setting policy for NIH, which includes 27 Institutes and Centers.
This involves planning, managing, and coordinating the programs
and activities of all NIH components. The Office of the Director
also includes program offices which are responsible for stimulating
specific areas of research throughout NIH. Additional information
is available at http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/index.htm.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov. |