DCoE Centers
DCoE oversees three centers, each of which contributes unique insights, standards, clinical tools and research products to the fields of psychological health and traumatic brain injury.
Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center
The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) was founded in 1992 and is the traumatic brain injury (TBI) operational component of DCoE. The DVBIC mission is to serve active-duty military, their beneficiaries and veterans with TBIs through state-of-the-science clinical care, innovative clinical research initiatives and educational programs, and support for force health protection services.
DVBIC supports a network of 16 centers, operating out of 11 military treatment facilities and five Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers. The specific activities vary at each site and can include conducting research; providing education in military and civilian settings; providing direct care to service members; helping service members, veterans and their families locate services; and assessing TBI injury data.
Learn more about DVBIC goals and ongoing initiatives on the DVBIC website.
Deployment Health Clinical Center
Deployment Health Clinical Center (DHCC) is the psychological health component of DCoE.
The DHCC mission is to advance excellence in psychological health care across the Military Health System (MHS) by enhancing care quality, effectiveness and efficiencies; facilitating the translation of research to practice; and providing leadership, advocacy and implementation support.
Here’s how DHCC supports the military health community:
- Develops and implements evidence-based treatments and clinical support tools to improve psychological health specialty care
- Promotes a culture of support for psychological health by improving psychological health literacy, developing patient empowerment tools, encouraging help-seeking behavior and reducing barriers to care
- Conducts a wide-range of critical research to improve the psychological health system of care
- Integrates behavioral health into primary care to improve early identification and treatment of psychological health concerns
- Provides program monitoring and evaluation services, and develops metrics and measures to inform program performance, outcomes and health care utilization
DHCC was first established in 1994 as the Gulf War Health Center at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The center was re-established with its current name in 1999 as one of three Defense Department centers of excellence for deployment health. In 2008, DHCC became a DCoE center and is currently the primary authority on psychological health for the Defense Department. For more information, visit pdhealth.mil.
National Center for Telehealth and Technology
The National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2) is comprised of clinical psychologists, researchers, interactive designers and technical specialists who develop behavioral health assessment, screening, reference and treatment tools for the military community.
Its mission is to lead the development of telehealth and technology solutions for psychological health and TBI to improve the lives of the nation’s warriors, veterans and their families. T2 seeks to identify, treat and minimize or eliminate the short- and long-term adverse effects of TBI and mental health conditions associated with military service. T2 partners with the VA and other organizations throughout the world.
Key Objectives:
- Serve as the Defense Department resource for use of technologies in psychological health and TBI care
- Deploy technological strategies to provide care in remote or underserved areas
- Leverage innovative technologies to help reduce care-based stigma
- Develop psychological health and TBI telehealth standards, processes and review mechanisms
- Coordinate services with other Defense Department, VA and civilian partners
- Research and validate technological applications for psychological health and TBI care
T2 also works to eradicate the stigma that can deter people in the military from seeking help. The center conducts quality research to evaluate the efficacy of its technology-based products and programs. T2 is also the principal coordinator of Defense Department initiatives involving telehealth, online behavioral health tools, suicide surveillance and prevention, and information technology. For more information, visit t2health.dcoe.mil.