Center for Women Veterans (CWV)

Women have traditionally been underrepresented in medical research, leading to gaps in biomedical knowledge .  By volunteering to participate in VA research efforts like those listed below, women Veterans can make a difference.

• VA’s National PTSD Brain Bank Collaborates with PINK Concussions Group
• The Vietnam Era Health Retrospective Observational Study (VE-HEROeS) is a large-scale survey study on the health and well-being of Vietnam-era Veterans.  Approximately 54,000 scientifically selected individuals, including Vietnam-era Veterans and a comparison group of similarly aged Americans without military experience, have been invited to participate.  Currently 39 percent of Veterans and 61 percent of the general U.S. population have returned their surveys.  We strongly encourage invited women Veterans and civilians to participate if you have not already responded!  More participation means more data for researchers to learn about the current health of Vietnam-era Veterans, and more knowledge to help VA care for these Veterans.
• Million Veteran Program - VA is studying how genes affect health and needs more women Veterans to participate.
• VA, Boston University, and the Concussion Legacy Foundation have partnered to form the Brain Bank to allow research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy and other brain diseases.  Learn more and follow former VA Secretary McDonald’s lead by making a pledge to join the brain donation registry .
• Tango to help Parkinson’s research - This study will research if and how two different types of partnered dance (adaptive tango) affect brain activity in people with and without Parkinson’s disease.
• Service dogs for Veterans with PTSD - This study is to determine how Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are helped by a service dog versus an emotional support dog.
• The VA National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR) mission is to improve the quality of life of Veterans and others with hearing and balance problems through clinical research, technology development, and education that leads to better patient care.  They are currently looking for research participants for numerous studies.

• Concerning Trends in Suicide Among Women Veterans Point to Need for More Research on Tailored Interventions
• Million Veteran Program:  Women Veterans
• Women Veterans Population Fact Sheet (2017)
• Understanding and Improving Pre- and Post-Natal Care for Women Veteran video and podcast
• VA Office of Inspector General Review of VHA Care and Privacy Standards for Women Veterans
• Women Veterans Forum
• Evidence Map: Women Veterans' Health Research Literature (2008-2015)
• VA Office of Health Services Research & Development (HSR&D), Women’s Health Topics
• Evidence Report:  Non-Pharmacologic Treatments for Vasomotor Symptoms Associated with Menopause
• Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs Women Veterans Health Care Study (October 2016)
• Profile of Women Veterans:  2015
• Women Veteran Report:  2015
• VA Office of Research & Development, Women’s Health Research
• Study of Barriers for Women Veterans to VA Health Care (2015)
• Women Veterans Issues - A Historical Perspecitive
• National Veteran Health Equity Report
• Sourcebook:  Women Veterans in the VHA Volume 3:  Sociodemographics, Utilization, Costs of Care, and Health Profile (2014)
• America’s Women Veterans:  Military Service History and VA Benefit Utilization Statistics (2011)

• Rates and correlates of disordered eating among women Veterans in primary care | MD Linx 05/2018
• Factors associated with persistent posttraumatic stress disorder among U.S. military service members and Veterans | BMC Psychiatry 03/2018
• Written Exposure Therapy Noninferior to Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD | Healio Psychiatriac Annals 01/2018
• Implementation Assessment of U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Veterans Employment Initiative | 12/14/2017
• Study: Integrating Legal Aid With Medical Care Improves Veterans’ Lives | 12/2017
• Developing a Risk Model to Target High-Risk Preventive Interventions for Sexual Assault Victimization Among Female U.S. Army Soldiers | 11/2017
• Supporting United States Veterans:  A review of Veteran-focused needs assessments from 2008-2017 | 11/2017
• Abortion knowledge and experiences among US servicewomen:  A qualitative study | 11/2017
• 2017 Health of Women Who Have Served Report | 11/2017
• Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity in the Armed Services:  Background and Issues for Congress | 10/04/2017
• Military Women's Health: A Scoping Review and Gap Analysis, 2000-2015 | 05/2017
• Characteristics of Female Veterans-An Analytic View Across Age-Cohorts: 2015
• American Public Health Association’ Medical Care Special Edition – Medical Care has published a special supplement on The State of the Science in VA Health Equity Research.
• Defense Advisory Committee On Women in the Services – 2017 Focus Group Report
• HSR&D In Progress:  VA Healthcare for Women Veterans (03/02/2017)
• GAO Report GOA-17-52 — VA Health Care:   Improved Monitoring Needed for Effective Oversight of Care for Women Veterans
• Got Your 6 2016 Veterans Civic Health Index
• Women’s Health Issues 2011 special supplement Health and Health Care of Women Veterans and Women in the Military and 2014 special collection on Women Veteran’s Health
• The Gerontologist 2016 supplement on Women Veterans in the Women’s Health Initiative
• Women at War, Edited by Elspeth Cameron Ritchie and Anne L Naclerio

PubMed.gov comprises more than 26 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books.  Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher websites.  Please contact your local library to obtain the full-text of any of these references.

• Kibler JL, Ma M, Tursich M, Malcolm L, Llabre MM, Greenbarg R, Gold SN, Beckham JC. Cardiovascular risks in relation to posttraumatic stress severity among young trauma-exposed women. J Affect Disord. 2018 Dec 1;241:147-153. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.08.007. Epub 2018 Aug 7. PMID: 30121447
• Morris DH, Davis AK, Lauritsen KJ, Rieth CM, Silvestri MM, Winters JJ, Chermack ST. Substance use consequences, mental health problems, and readiness to change among Veterans seeking substance use treatment. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2018 Nov;94:113-121. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2018.08.005. Epub 2018 Aug 19. PMID: 30243411
• VanHorne-Sealy J. The Impact of Military Women in Health Physics. Health Phys. 2018 Nov;115(5):616-622. doi: 10.1097/HP.0000000000000893. PMID: 30260852
• Andresen FJ, Blais RK. Higher self-stigma is related to lower likelihood of disclosing military sexual trauma during screening in female Veterans. Psychol Trauma. 2018 Oct 4. doi: 10.1037/tra0000406. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30284856
• Callegari LS, Katon JG, Gray KE, Doll K, Pauk S, Lynch KE, Uchendu US, Zephyrin L, Gardella C. Associations between Race/Ethnicity, Uterine Fibroids, and Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy in the VA Healthcare System. omens Health Issues. 2018 Oct 4. pii: S1049-3867(18)30175-0. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2018.08.005. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30293778
• Blais RK, Geiser C, Cruz RA. Specific PTSD symptom clusters mediate the association of military sexual trauma severity and sexual function and satisfaction in female service members/Veterans. Affect Disord. 2018 Oct 1;238:680-688. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.05.052. Epub 2018 May 29. PMID: 30029163
• Ursano RJ, Kessler RC, Naifeh JA, Herberman Mash HB, Nock MK, Aliaga PA, Fullerton CS, Wynn GH, Ng THH, Dinh HM, Sampson NA, Kao TC, Heeringa SG, Stein MB. Risk Factors Associated With Attempted Suicide Among US Army Soldiers Without a History of Mental Health Diagnosis. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018 Oct 1;75(10):1022-1032. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.2069. PMID: 30167650
• May AM, Lawson WC, Bryan A, Bryan CJ. Nonsuicidal self-injury, suicide ideation and suicide attempts in the National Guard. Compr Psychiatry. 2018 Oct;86:115-118. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2018.08.003. Epub 2018 Aug 9. PMID: 30114657
• Evans EA, Herman PM, Washington DL, Lorenz KA, Yuan A, Upchurch DM, Marshall N, Hamilton AB, Taylor SL. Gender Differences in Use of Complementary and Integrative Health by U.S. Military Veterans with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain. Womens Health Issues. 2018 Sep - Oct;28(5):379-386. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2018.07.003. Epub 2018 Aug 31. PMID: 30174254
• Katon JG, Ma EW, Sayre G, Zephyrin LC, Cordasco KM, Yano EM, Fortney JC. Women Veterans' Experiences with Department of Veterans Affairs Maternity Care: Current Successes and Targets for Improvement. Womens Health Issues. 2018 Sep 29. pii: S1049-3867(18)30286-X. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2018.08.006. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30279054
• Monteith LL, Bahraini NH, Gerber HR, Dorsey Holliman B, Schneider AL, Holliday R, Matarazzo BB. Military sexual trauma survivors' perceptions of Veterans health administration care: A qualitative examination. Psychol Serv. 2018 Sep 27. doi: 10.1037/ser0000290. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30265071
• Holder N, Holliday R, Suris A. The Effect of Childhood Sexual Assault History on Outpatient Cognitive Processing Therapy for Military Sexual Trauma-Related PTSD: A Preliminary Investigation. Stress Health. 2018 Sep 26. doi: 10.1002/smi.2838. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30259650
• Evans EA, Glover DL, Washington DL, Hamilton AB. Psychosocial Factors that Shape Substance Abuse and Related Mental Health of Women Military Veterans who Use Community-Based Services. Subst Use Misuse. 2018 Sep 19;53(11):1878-1892. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2018.1441309. Epub 2018 Feb 27. PMID: 29485302
• Najavits LM, Krinsley K, Waring ME, Gallagher MW, Skidmore C. A Randomized Controlled Trial for Veterans with PTSD and Substance Use Disorder: Creating Change versus Seeking Safety. Subst Use Misuse. 2018 Sep 19;53(11):1788-1800. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2018.1432653. Epub 2018 Feb 20. PMID: 29461920
• Haeger KO, Lamme J, Cleland K. State of emergency contraception in the U.S., 2018. Contracept Reprod Med. 2018 Sep 5;3:20. doi: 10.1186/s40834-018-0067-8. eCollection 2018. PMID: 30202545
• Judge-Golden CP, Borrero S, Zhao X, Mor MK, Callegari LS. The Association between Mental Health Disorders and History of Unintended Pregnancy among Women Veterans. J Gen Intern Med. 2018 Sep 5. doi: 10.1007/s11606-018-4647-8. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30187377
• Driscoll MA, Knobf MT, Higgins DM, Heapy A, Lee A, Haskell S. Patient Experiences Navigating Chronic Pain Management in an Integrated Health Care System: A Qualitative Investigation of Women and Men. Pain Med. 2018 Sep 1;19(suppl_1):S19-S29. doi: 10.1093/pm/pny139. PMID: 30203009
• Fenton BT, Goulet JL, Bair MJ, Cowley T, Kerns RD. Relationships Between Temporomandibular Disorders, MSD Conditions, and Mental Health Comorbidities: Findings from the Veterans Musculoskeletal Disorders Cohort. Pain Med. 2018 Sep 1;19(suppl_1):S61-S68. doi: 10.1093/pm/pny145. PMID: 30203016
• Leapman MS, DeRycke E, Skanderson M, Becker WC, Makarov DV, Gross CP, Driscoll M, Motamedinia P, Bathulapalli H, Mattocks K, Brandt CA, Haskell S, Bastian LA. Variation in National Opioid Prescribing Patterns Following Surgery for Kidney Stones. Pain Med. 2018 Sep 1;19(suppl_1):S12-S18. doi: 10.1093/pm/pny125. PMID: 30203013
• Browne KC, Dolan M, Simpson TL, Fortney JC, Lehavot K. Regular past year cannabis use in women veterans and associations with sexual trauma. Addict Behav. 2018 Sep;84:144-150. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.04.007. Epub 2018 Apr 10. PMID: 29684763
• Vest BM, Homish DL, Fillo J, Homish GG. Military status and alcohol problems: Former soldiers may be at greater risk. Addict Behav. 2018 Sep;84:139-143. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.04.011. Epub 2018 Apr 13. PMID: 29679924
• Ogoh S, Yoo JK, Badrov MB, Parker RS, Anderson EH, Wiblin JL, North CS, Suris AM, Fu Q. Cerebral blood flow regulation and cognitive function in women with post-traumatic stress disorder. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2018 Aug 30. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00502.2018. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30161010
• White KL, Harris JA, Bryan AO, Reynolds M, Fuessel-Herrmann D, Bryan CJ. Military sexual trauma and suicidal behavior among National Guard personnel. Compr Psychiatry. 2018 Aug 18;87:1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2018.08.008. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30172073
• Bannister JA, Lopez FG, Menefee DS, Norton PJ, Wanner J. Military and Premilitary Trauma, Attachment Orientations, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Severity Among Male and Female Veterans. Trauma Stress. 2018 Aug 9. doi: 10.1002/jts.22309. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30091801
• Gerber MR, Bogdan KM, Haskell SG, Scioli ER. Experience of Childhood Abuse and Military Sexual Trauma Among Women Veterans with Fibromyalgia. J Gen Intern Med. 2018 Aug 3. doi: 10.1007/s11606-018-4594-4. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30076571
• Coughlin SS, Young L. A review of dual health care system use by Veterans with cardiometabolic disease. J Hosp Manag Health Policy. 2018 Aug;2. pii: 39. doi: 10.21037/jhmhp.2018.07.05. PMID: 30198018
• Weiss BJ, Azevedo K, Webb K, Gimeno J, Cloitre M. Telemental Health Delivery of Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR) for Rural Women Veterans Who Have Experienced Military Sexual Trauma. J Trauma Stress. 2018 Aug 2. doi: 10.1002/jts.22305. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30070399
• Buchholz LJ, King PR, Wray LO. Rates and correlates of disordered eating among women Veterans in primary care. Eat Behav. 2018 Aug;30:28-34. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2018.05.002. Epub 2018 May 16. PMID: 29777967
• Calhoun PS, Schry AR, Dennis PA, Wagner HR, Kimbrel NA, Bastian LA, Beckham JC, Kudler H, Straits-Tröster K. The Association Between Military Sexual Trauma and Use of VA and Non-VA Health Care Services Among Female Veterans With Military Service in Iraq or Afghanistan. Interpers Violence. 2018 Aug;33(15):2439-2464. doi: 10.1177/0886260515625909. Epub 2016 Jan 21. PMID: 26802046
• Dardis CM, Dichter ME, Iverson KM. Empowerment, PTSD and revictimization among women who have experienced intimate partner violence. Psychiatry Res. 2018 Aug;266:103-110. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.05.034. Epub 2018 May 30. PMID: 29859496

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