Reference Topics

Below you will find resources and reference materials of interest to health care providers, veterans, and family members about areas of interest under the continuum of Veteran health and wellbeing.

Visit our Research page for academic institutions that provide current research on veterans and military families.

We are also building fact sheets for compartmentalized information related to military service -- check back to this page for helpful resource material on the following major topics:

VHA Veterans Health Library

In addition to the resources accessed above, the Veterans Health Administration provides an extensive Veterans Health Library to provide health related information to veterans, their families and caregivers.

Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers (MIRECC)

Each VISN in the VA features a Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) focused on understanding, treating, and improving outcomes for Veterans with serious mental illness.

The VISN 1 New England MIRECC aims to improve the clinical care of Veterans with substance use disorders (SUDs) by employing a biopsychosocial approach to SUD and comorbid/co-occurring conditions, including mental health and medical conditions and psychosocial issues. The VISN 1 MIRECC develops, evaluates, and disseminates evidence-based interventions, tests scientific theories, and proposes novel clinical programs along the full continuum of SUD care. Using this approach, we work to translate scientific findings from our research labs into practice within VA clinical programs across the nation to promote the recovery of Veterans with SUD and improve their quality of life.

The major goals of the VISN 1 MIRECC are:

(1) Advancing Understanding of SUDs. Through genetic, human laboratory, large-scale screening and survey studies, and the analysis of VHA data sets, we investigate the complex interplay of SUDs and co-occurring conditions to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies.

(2) Developing Innovative Treatments for SUD. We develop and rigorously evaluate innovative pharmacological and psychosocial interventions for SUDs across the NIH Stage Model (e.g., intervention generation, efficacy testing, and effectiveness evaluations).

(3) Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice. We conduct implementation and dissemination research to optimize the delivery of effective SUD treatments and educational programming, including leveraging innovative technologies.

(4) Cultivating Future SUD Clinician-Scientists. We recruit and train medical residents, psychology interns, practicum students, clinical fellows, and early-career scientists and encourage them to build SUD-focused careers in research and/or clinical care at the VHA.

Behavioral Healthcare Toolkit for Providers

The VA also provides access to supportive research for healthcare providers through its VA Community Care Network website, featuring this Behavioral Health Toolkit for Providers which offers links to various resources.

Reference Topics ​

Reference Topics