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Student Spotlight: Ron Eo, MSW student and COBI Fellow in Social Innovation
Ron Eo is a graduate student at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and COBI Fellow in Social Innovation. He spent a semester placed at the Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families full-time. Here, he talks with Nathan Graser, CIR’s community program administrator, about military life, his decision to attend USC, and the importance of innovation for creating change.
Transcript of audio
NG: Can you say your name?
RE: Ronnie Eo
NG: What did you do in the military?
RE: I was a helicopter pilot
NG: And what do you do now?
RE: I’m a change agent. I’m a social work […]
Mindfulness expert discusses work with pre-deployment service members
High amounts of stress can negatively impact performance, but current research suggests that incorporating mindfulness training to the time leading up to a high-stress event can improve performance.
Amishi Jha, neuroscientist and associate professor of psychology at the University of Miami, visited the Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families on March 20 to discuss her work on how mindfulness training can improve performance among high-stress cohorts. Jha has been studying the effects of mindfulness training on cognition, emotion and resilience. Recently, she’s focused on populations that regularly experience high levels of stress leading up to the time […]
CIR provides ‘smart conversation’ on California’s returning veterans
by Claudia Bustamante
Many veterans feel discrimination from employers and co-workers, which could hinder their success at work and in transition to civilian life, according to reasearch from the Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
Asked to recommend ways to make workplaces more veteran-friendly, the veterans’ responses pointed toward broader societal concerns, including an assumption that not all vetrans are violent or have PTSD, translating military skills to civilian industry and connecting to other veterans with similar experiences.
“The point here is that veteran employment is more than an issue […]
Women veterans topic of joint CIR-VA research meeting
The nation’s 2 million women veterans make up less than 10 percent of the total veteran population, but their growing ranks and individualized experiences require more focused research and policy.
These experiences of women transitioning to civilian life—including employment, health and homelessness—were discussed during a recent roundtable on women veterans co-hosted by the Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. During the Feb. 7 meeting in Arlington, Virginia, representatives of universities, nonprofits and various VA departments gathered to discuss how research could […]
CIR director discusses need for suicide research
Carl Castro, associate professor and director of the Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families, participated in a suicide prevention podcast from the VA’s Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center. In the 30-minute podcast, Castro discussed his work in this field, including a recent journal article outlining when a veteran might be more prone to suicide, a first step in more effective prevention efforts.
In the article, authors Castro and Sara Kintzle, research assistant professor, found that veterans are more likely to take their own lives when they feel they have become a burden to their […]
VA suicide expert discusses group therapy research
A new type of group therapy is helping veterans at VA hospitals cope with suicidal tendencies.
Peter Gutierrez, clinical research psychologist with the VA’s Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center in Denver, spoke at USC on Feb. 9 about the benefits of suicide-focused group therapy for preventing suicide among veterans.
Gutierrez presented research findings on a study he’s undertaken that uses CAMS (Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality) in a group-centered environment. The patient becomes more involved in his or her treatment plan, shifting the power dynamic between clinician and patient. Patients are able to describe their symptoms and […]
CIR working to get LA veterans better employment services
USC has partnered with key community organizations to build a better employment system in Los Angeles that supports veterans.
Research from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families (CIR) shows that more than 80 percent of veterans exit the military and move to Los Angeles without a job. This data has helped guide the work of the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative (LAVC), which has spent years planning a more efficient way to capitalize on the expertise, resources and networks of organizations working in the employment field.
Thanks to a grant from […]
New CIR study on military sexual assault finds long-term consequences for victims
Victims of military sexual assault experience unique circumstances and require specific treatment compared to civilian sexual trauma victims, according to a new University of Southern California study.
Researchers with the Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work examined the physical and psychological health, along with risk-taking behaviors, of men and women who had experienced sexual assault in the military.
CIR researchers surveyed more than 2,500 veterans in Southern California and found 4.8 percent of men and 40.6 percent of women reported experiencing military sexual assault. Both male and female veterans […]
Leaders work to make California more veteran-friendly
by Claudia Bustamante
More than 200 statewide leaders recently met to discuss how to make California the most veteran-friendly state in the nation.
The “State of the American Veteran in California” conference—held in September at the California Science Center in Los Angeles—was organized by the Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work to explore and design actions to address the most pressing issues facing veterans today.
During the two-day conference, leaders from corporate, community and philanthropic foundations built a groundwork for developing new policy, encouraging innovation and supporting collaboration across the […]