Minneapolis VA Health Care System Research Service
RECOVER Affiliated Investigators
RECOVER Staff: Leadership | Affiliated Investigators | Clinical & Rehabilitation | Engineering & Design | Administration & Support | Collaborators
Core Investigators
Jacob Finn, PhD
Core Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Staff Psychologist, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota
Jacob grew up in rural town in northeastern Ohio, the son of an Army veteran and VA healthcare consumer. He attended Kent State University, where he majored in psychology (BA in 2006). He studied clinical psychology at the University of Tulsa (MA in 2009, PhD in 2012). Jacob completed his predoctoral internship at the Minneapolis VA and his postdoctoral fellowship at Kent State University in assessment psychology. He returned to the Minneapolis VA in 2014. He is a RECOVER investigator and the Project Director for the Minneapolis VA Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems. His research interests focus on psychological health and adjustment after traumatic injury for the individual and their loved ones, as well as the accurate and efficient measurement of psychosocial concepts.
Alex Senk, MD
Core Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Staff Physician, Rehabilitation and Extended Care, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Alex grew up in a rural town within the Rust Belt in northeast Ohio where he experienced the impact of sports on the identity of individuals, families, towns, and beyond. He witnessed the resiliency of the human spirit when traumatic events like spinal cord injuries sustained during football and amputations from farming accidents threatened the passions and way of life of those directly and indirectly impacted. This contributed to his professional pursuit of a career in medicine and his research interests. Alex is a board-certified physiatrist and sports medicine physician who serves as the Medical Director of PM&R Sports Medicine and Deputy Chief of PM&Rat the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. His practice centers on comprehensive musculoskeletal medicine and sports medicine with a special focus on the adaptive athlete. He has been a member of the National Medical Team for the National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events since 2018 and has served at the Golden Age Games, Golf Clinic, Wheelchair Games, and Winter Sports Clinic. In 2023, he began his tenure as the Medical Director of the National Veterans Golden Age Games. He is a co-founder of SPADE (Sports Performance Adaptive Design and Engineering), a collaboration centered on the research and development of novel solutions and equipment to enhance the wellbeing of all Veterans by facilitating their participation in exercise and sport. When not at work, you might find Alex at an agility course with his pup or in the water helping as a Handicapped Scuba Association certified dive buddy.
Howard Fink, MD, MPH
Core Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Core Investigator, CCDOR, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Director, GRECC, Minneapolis VA Health Care System Staff Physician, General Internal Medicine, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Howard grew up in Golden Valley, MN, and graduated from Stanford University (BS in Biology, 1989) and the University of Minnesota (MD, 1994; MPH 1999). He has worked for the Minneapolis VA since 1999 and currently serves as Director of the Minneapolis VA GRECC. The Minneapolis GRECC is a VA center of excellence whose mission is to engage in (1) high-impact geriatric research across the research spectrum, (2) evidence-based training and education of interdisciplinary clinical staff and trainees in care of older Veterans, and (3) development and evaluation of innovative models of geriatric care to optimize the health outcomes for older Veterans.
Kelvin O. Lim, MD, MPH
Core Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Core Investigator, GRECC, Minneapolis VA Health Care System Professor of Psychiatry, Drs. T.J. and Ella M. Arneson Land-Grant Chair in Human Behavior, University of Minnesota
Director of Adult Mental Health Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota
Kelvin's expertise is in the study of psychiatric disorders. He has been conducting biomedical research studies for over 30 years in patients with mental health disorders. He has conducting neuroimaging and noninvasive neuromodulation studies in schizophrenia, substance abuse, and major depression.
Minneapolis VA Investigators
Nina Sayer, PhD
Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Core Investigator, CCDOR, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Nina Sayer is a clinical psychologist and health services researcher. She began her VA career as a clinician on the Minneapolis VA’s PTSD team in 1996. She moved to research in 2003 because she recognized the need to improve healthcare delivery for Veterans with trauma-related difficulties. Her research focuses on identifying and implementing best practices for trauma recovery and post-deployment reintegration. Recognizing that clinician well-being is foundational to high quality healthcare, Nina also studies contextual factors that help or hinder clinicians in their ability to deliver evidence-based mental health care.
Allison M. Gustavson, PT, DPT, PhD
Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Core Investigator, CCDOR, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Allison was raised in Minnesota and has immediate family who are active military or Veterans of the Army, Marines, Navy, and Air Force. She enjoys outdoor activities and is a strong advocate for promoting movement as a way to interact with the world. Allison attended the University of Minnesota for undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and then received her graduate degree in Physical Therapy. Her clinical interests in optimizing function across the lifespan prompted her pursuits of a PhD in Rehabilitation Science. Allison has worked with Veteran populations since 2014 and strives to answer clinically-relevant and Veteran-centered questions using implementation and rehabilitation science.
Rebecca Vogsland, DPT, OCS
Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Rehabilitation Director, Rehabilitation and Extended Care ICC, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Program Director, Headache Center of Excellence, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Rebecca has practiced at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System in the areas of traumatic brain injury, polytrauma, orthopedics and complex pain since 2007. She served in administrative and leadership roles as the Program Coordinator and Assistant Director of the Comprehensive Pain Center and is now the Program Director for the Headache Center of Excellence as well as the Rehabilitation Director for the Minneapolis VA.
Rebecca Brown, PhD, MEd, RN
Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Core Investigator, CCDOR, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Adjunct Faculty, School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, University of Minnesota
David Ewart, MD
Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Staff Rheumatologist, Specialty Care ICC, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Dave grew up in Red Wing, MN, and graduated from Red Wing high school. He went on to complete a Bachelor of Science in Business (BSB, 2008) with a finance major at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and then went to medical school at University of Minnesota (MD, 2012). He completed his Internal Medicine residency (2012-2015) at the University of Minnesota and was Chief Resident at the Minneapolis VA in 2016. He completed his rheumatology fellowship at the University of Minnesota in 2018 and started on staff at the Minneapolis VA thereafter. As a clinician scientist, Dave provides care for Veterans with arthritis and autoimmune conditions. His research interests include osteoarthritis of the knee and use of acoustics monitoring to assess knee health. The Minneapolis VA and RECOVER Center are the ideal place for him to develop new technologies to help Veterans with bad knees and other related disabilities.
Shannon Kehle-Forbes, PhD
Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Deputy Director for Scientific Strategy and Core Investigator, CCDOR, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota
>Shannon's research program focuses on understanding and treating post-deployment health problems. Specifically, her interests and expertise are in the areas of clinical effectiveness and implementation of best practices for PTSD, the impact of PTSD comorbidities on treatment and functioning (with a focus on substance use disorders), and treatment seeking and access. The mission of her program of research is to make psychotherapy for PTSD as helpful as possible for as many people as possible.
Quinn Kellerman, PhD
Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Clinical Psychologist, Rehabilitation and Extended Care ICC, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Quinn grew up in Long Island, New York. She earned her undergraduate degree from Muhlenberg College (BA in Psychology in 2002) and her graduate degrees from the University of Iowa (MA in 2007, PhD in Clinical Psychology with a Health Emphasis in 2012). She completed her predoctoral internship at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System – Seattle in 2012 and her postdoctoral residency in Rehabilitation Psychology also at the Seattle VA in 2013. Quinn has worked for the Minneapolis VA as a staff psychologist since 2013, first in SCI/D, CLC, and hospice/palliative care, and now full-time in SCI/D. She is the training director for our 2-year APA specialty accredited Rehabilitation Psychology postdoctoral residency. Her research interests are in injustice appraisals and other psychological factors that affect those with spinal cord injuries and disorders.
Snežana Urošević, PhD, LP
Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Clinician Investigator Team Program Manager, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota
Faculty Member, Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota
The major focus of Snežana's program of research is investigating neural and behavioral abnormalities that contribute to the etiology and prediction of prospective illness course in bipolar disorders (BD) across the lifespan. In her studies of BD, she has used a variety of methodologies (self-report, behavioral tasks, electroencephalography (EEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)) to examine the effects of behavioral approach system (BAS) dysregulation on prospective bipolar symptoms/episodes in adults with bipolar disorders using longitudinal study designs with prospective interview-based clinical assessments.
Princess Ackland, PhD, MSPH
Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Core Investigator and Director of Implementation and Dissemination Core, CCDOR, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota
Princess is a clinical psychologist with an interest in improving the implementation of evidence-based treatments for PTSD, depression, and other mental health conditions. Specifically, her research focuses on the provider role in the implementation of evidence-based treatments and the use of effective implementation strategies.
Robert McGovern III, MD
Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Staff Neurosurgeon, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Fellowship Director, University of Minnesota Medical School
Robert is a stereotactic and functional neurosurgeon treating patients with movement disorders, epilepsy, hydrocephalus and degenerative spinal disease. The other half of his time is dedicated to translational neuroscience research. His research background includes the collection and analysis of motion capture data in patients with Parkinson's disease.
Uzma Samadani, MD
Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Staff Neurosurgeon, Department of Surgery, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Associate Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota
Uzma is a board certified neurosurgeon in private practice and at the Minneapolis VA. She completed residency at the University of Pennsylvania and a Van Wagenen Fellowship in Goettingen, Germany. She has dedicated her career to research in neurotrauma, specifically investigating objective measures for classification and treatment of brain and spinal cord injury. She is a founder of the company Oculogica, which markets a rapid non-invasive FDA-cleared diagnostic for concussion. In her spare time, she likes to ski, bike, and be outside.
Casey S. Gilmore, PhD
Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Health Science Specialist, Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC), Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Casey earned his PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience in 2007 from the University of Georgia. He went on to do his post-doctoral fellowship studying psychophysiology and behavioral genetics in the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research in the Psychology Department at the University of Minnesota. He has worked at the Minneapolis VA since 2013. First, as a Research Scientist in the Defense and Veterans’ Brain Injury Center, then in 2020 he joined the Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC). His research interests are the investigation of longitudinal changes in multiple domains in Veterans with TBI and executive function disorders, the examination of the relationship among these multiple domains and their roles as potential biomarkers of progressive neural degeneration and for prediction of suicide risk. He also investigates neuromodulation technologies (e.g. transcranial electrical stimulation methods such as tDCS and tACS, and transcranial magnetic stimulation, TMS) as potential adjunctive treatments in TBI, Parkinson’s Disease, PTSD, substance use disorders, and Veterans at risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
William H. Menton, PhD
Investigator, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Staff Psychologist, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
William grew up in the Twin Cities area and studied psychology as an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota. In 2019, he earned a PhD in clinical psychology at Kent State University, and he then completed postdoctoral training at Kent State University and the Psycho-Diagnostic Clinic, a certified forensic center located in Akron, Ohio. He has been a full-time Staff Psychologist at the Minneapolis VA since 2022. He provides a range of clinical psychological services at the VA and has a special interest in clinical psychological assessment. Much of his research specifically involves applications of clinical assessment data; however, he is also broadly interested in methods for using information to improve prediction and clinical decision making.
Eric Nickel, MS
Investigator/Research Biomedical Engineer, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System</br /> United States Army Veteran
Eric was an army brat as a young child, traveling from base to base as his father’s assignments shifted, eventually putting down roots in Wisconsin. Growing up, he was always passionate about Legos and any toy that involved building/assembly and spent untold hours in the garage woodshop with his dad building something or working on home projects. He became passionate about engineering (grown-up Legos) and received his bachelor’s in biomedical engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering shortly before deploying for OIF in 2005. After his return, he pursued a master’s in biomedical engineering at Northwestern University and joined Dr. Hansen at the Minneapolis VA Health Care system in 2011 so that he could use his engineering skills to advance the care of his fellow Veterans. He has served as project lead or lead engineer on several funded VA and DoD projects and has been PI of projects funded under BRAVE (through the Technology Transfer Program) and Joint Incentive Funds. He is transitioning to a role as an independent investigator as he builds out his own research portfolio.
