The State of the American Veteran Conference will set the tone for the future of U.S. veterans.

Nearly a decade ago, the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work opened the Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families (CIR). From the outset, CIR’s mission has been to “enhance the visibility and impact of research, education and outreach to inform policies and practices affecting veterans and their families.”

USC was among the first research universities to offer a large-scale social work program to increase the number of social workers specifically trained to meet the needs of veterans and their families. […]