Center for Harmonizing and Improving Interventions to Prevent Suicide (CHIIPS) to begin in January
In January 2022, CSRD released an RFA seeking applications to establish a new suicide prevention research center devoted to growing and expanding clinically focused suicide prevention research in VA. The intention was to expand and leverage the successes of the HSRD-funded Suicide Prevention Research Impact Network (SPRINT) and create new opportunities for suicide prevention investigators across the entire VA research enterprise.
CSRD is pleased to announce activities associated with new suicide prevention research center, called the Center for Harmonizing and Improving Interventions to Prevent Suicide (CHIIPS), will commence in January 2023. The mission of CHIIPS is to advance a precision medicine approach to suicide prevention research. CHIIPS content area hubs will include Predictive Analytics (Robert Bossarte, PhD, lead), Biomarkers (Nathan Kimbrel, PhD, lead), Identification and Screening (Brian Marx, PhD, lead), Social Determinants/Disparities (Melissa, Dichter, PhD, lead), Interventions (Marianne Goodman, MD, and Bryann DeBeer, PhD, leads) and Training and Education (Alejandro Interian, PhD, lead). The ultimate aim of establishing a suicide prevention research center with an explicit focus on promoting precision medicine for suicide prevention is to improve individual suicide prevention outcomes, address unsatisfactory response rates for standardized treatments, promote the incorporation of diverse patient presentations, characteristics, and needs into treatment plans and suicide prevention research, improve system and population-level outcomes, and increase efficient use of finite resources (staff, funds, infrastructure).
CHIIPS will merge with HSRD’s Suicide Prevention Research Impact Network (SPRINT) to form one overarching SP-CRC which will serve all of VA Office of Research and Development (ORD) suicide prevention-related activities. This new CSRD and HSRD co-sponsored SP-CRC will help set VA priorities for future suicide prevention research and help VA achieve its mission of significantly reducing the number of Veteran suicides.
--from the desk of Dr. Joseph Constans
A recent Wall Street Journal article referenced the CSRD funded research of Sherry Beaudreau, PhD, Palo Alto VA, The article was titled “New Help for a Group at Risk for Suicide: Middle-Aged Men” with the subtitle, “Researchers are investigating new approaches to fight a long-running mental-health problem.” In the article, Dr. Beaudreau is quoted as saying, “Health problems, physical pain and the losses that can begin to emerge in midlife can hit men hard.” She is a clinical psychologist and PI of the study of a problem-solving therapy to reduce suicidal thinking in older Veterans, the majority of whom are men. The article further stated, “Dr. Beaudreau’s treatment, like some others being tried, modifies an existing therapy, which could make implementing it easier and quicker.” The article may be accessed at https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-help-for-a-group-at-risk-for-suicide-middle-aged-men-11669469286.
Merit Review Clinical Trial LOIs
Decisions regarding merit clinical trial letters of intent (LOIs) were sent to the field on November 30.
Submitted 23
Approved 19 = 82.61%
Disapproved* 4 = 17.39%
*Did not met criteria for clinical trial; may submit via parent RFA
Career Development LOIs
This round, CSRD received 22 Career Development Letters of Intent (LOIs), all for the CDA-2 mechanism. Two submissions were withdrawn because they did not meet our program guidelines. Of the remaining 20, we approved 13 (65%) and disapproved seven (35%). All decisions regarding Career Development LOIs were sent to the field by December 6..
We encourage all stations that will be submitting a Career Development LOI for the May 1, 2023, deadline to join us at our program office hours. These are open to all research office staff, prospective applicants, and mentors who have questions about an upcoming Career Development LOI or application submission. The next session will be held in March of 2023, and an invitation will be sent to the Associate Chiefs of Staff for Research (ACOS/R) and Research Administrative Officer (AO) distribution lists.
The CSRD Data Monitoring Committee (DMC), that provides data and safety monitoring for CSRD funded projects, is seeking new members. For more information, please contact DMC Manager Tamara Paine, DBA. (Tamara.Paine@va.gov).
Career Development: VHACADEReview@va.gov
Clinical Trials: clin-review@va.gov
General Mailbox: VHABLRD-CSRD@va.gov (Please note this is a shared mailbox that should be used for general questions that will triaged by staff to the appropriate individual.)
Just in Time Mailbox: VHACOBLCSRDJIT@va.gov
Newsletter: Lucindia.Shouse@va.gov
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