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ADVANCING BRAIN HEALTH

Veterans Brain Health Advocacy

An Important Message From CEO & President Dr. Magali Haas

Dear Friends, Family, and Colleagues,

Though veterans are at the heart of our work all year round, on Veterans Day we are reminded even more powerfully of all that they give and accomplish, as well as the burdens that many of them bear as a result of their service.

This year I want to draw your attention to an important op-ed piece recently published in the Military Times. It was written by our Veterans Advisory Council (VAC), which is chaired by Frank Larkin, former U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms, and led by RADM Brian Losey, USN (Ret.) SEAL, Executive Director in partnership with VADM Bob Harward, USN (Ret.), SEAL; Robin King, CEO, Navy Seal Foundation; LTG John F. Mulholland, U.S. Army (Ret.), Special Forces; and Gayle Tzemach-Lemmon, author.

Quote from Dr. Magali Haas The op-ed opens by observing how easy it is for people to say to veterans, “Thank you for your service”—yet what veterans and service members really need is for us to take action on behalf of the too many veterans and service members whose lives are tragically altered or cut short by traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other “invisible wounds.” We are especially failing the 1.64 million Americans deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), in Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), in Iraq, who have undergone nearly two decades of combat and suffered historic levels of brain injury.

The VA and DoD, says the op-ed, have an ethical obligation to mobilize a national call to arms for research into the invisible wounds of war. Citing specifics, the VAC members call on the VA and DoD to work with leaders from nonprofits, academia, and industry to evaluate and conduct clinical trials on emerging treatments that have been embraced by the veteran community but require further clinical evaluation. Those treatments that are shown to be effective should be deployed throughout the VA system. In addition, Congress should ensure that legislation aimed at enabling research innovation, including the Commander John Scott Hannon Mental Health Improvement Act, is fully implemented.

“It is time,” the op-ed continues, “to narrow the gap between ‘thank you for your service’ and the reality that we are falling short when it comes to those who have sacrificed so much for this nation.” It closes with, “Our brave men and women are counting on us to take our ‘thank you’ one step further to meaningful action that truly honors their sacrifice.”

CVB’s VAC is committed to evidence-driven approaches to developing effective treatments for the invisible wounds of war. The council represents and advocates for Veterans’ interests to CVB, its partners, and the broader community engaged in research on the prevention and treatment of brain trauma and related conditions.

As we reflect on the end of 20 years of war, this Veterans Day should be a time not only to honor the sacrifices made by our military men and women, but to double down on our resolve to advance the research and treatment they so desperately need and deserve.

Magali Haas, MD, PhD
CEO & President
Cohen Veterans Bioscience

Q&A with Dallas Hack, MD (Colonel, U.S. Army, Retired), Veterans Science Strategy Advisor

Dr. Dallas Hack, a medical doctor and Veteran, has been involved with CVB almost since its beginning, in 2015. He brings to his role on our Strategic Advisory Council his deep expertise in medical research and in organizational leadership. We spoke to him recently about his experiences in the military, as well as his thoughts on CVB, in particular, the Brain Trauma Blueprint, in which he has been deeply involved.

Please tell us about your military experience.

I was working as a physician when the Army recruited me in 1987 to help modernize its medical research infrastructure. I thought it would be for a couple of years—it turned out to be 28 years.

In 2001 the Army sent me to Kuwait to serve as Command Surgeon. I arrived the day before 9-11. Suddenly, I was part of the leadership of a huge medical support team. While there, I saw trauma like I had never seen before. Despite all the severe wounds, we managed to save a lot of lives. The stress on the troops was tremendous, and we starting having suicides.

These were typically one-year rotations. I returned to the U.S., to Walter Reed Hospital, where I was Chief, Preventive Medicine Service, and treated returning troops. Basically, I was doing clinical work while serving in a leadership role in management.

Veterans Advisory Council Members to Meet with Congressional Leaders

Next week, members of the Veterans Advisory Council (VAC) will travel to Capitol Hill to meet with Congressional leaders and staffers to advocate for a better approach to research for the invisible wounds of war–post-traumatic stress (PTS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The Hill Day will support CVB's advocacy efforts as part of the Coalition to Heal Invisible Wounds, and their message will center around four driving principles:

Improve Veterans' Access to High-Quality Mental Health Care
Leverage Large-Scale Collaborative Research Roadmapping Efforts
Increase the Body of Evidence on Emerging Therapeutic Solutions
Ensure Full Implementation of Important Mental Health Legislation.

The VAC members look forward to sharing the perspectives of Veterans and caregivers on living with the invisible wounds and how a new approach to research can help drive meaningful progress in diagnosis and treatment. Members of the VAC will also hold their first in-person meeting since the start of the pandemic to discuss plans for outreach and advocacy in 2022 and beyond.

Reflections On The Impact of 9/11 From a Secret Service Agent Who Was There – And Whose Family Was Forever Changed

By Frank Larkin, Chair of the Veterans Advisory Council

On Sept. 11, 2001, I was a U.S. Secret Service senior supervisor/special agent assigned to our New York Field Office located in Building #7 of the New York City World Trade Center (WTC) complex.

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Advancing Veterans Brain Health Through Advocacy

CVB Participates in First Convening of the Mental Health Action Network Focused on Veterans Mental Health

Our Director of Policy & Advocacy Dr. Chantelle Ferland-Beckham participated in the first convening of the Mental Health Action Network to discuss Veterans Mental Health.

Watch the webinar

CVB Recommends a Prioritization of Research for the White House Suicide Prevention Plan

Recently, the Biden administration announced a new military and Veterans suicide prevention roadmap. The plan, which is designed to coordinate prevention efforts across the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and other key federal agencies, outlines the administration’s five key priority areas to reduce the statistics on suicide: 1. Improve Lethal Means Safety, 2. Enhance Crisis Care and Facilitate Care Transitions, 3. Increase Access to and Delivery of Effective Care, 4. Address Upstream Risk and Protective Factors, and 5. Increase Research Coordination, Data Sharing, and Evaluation Efforts.

While we applaud the administration for recognizing the moral imperative to address the suicide epidemic among our nation’s Veterans and service members through a coordinated long-term strategic vision, Cohen Veterans Bioscience (CVB)—as a brain health research organization—would like to see research into the underlying causes of suicide brought to the forefront of the discussion.

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Bringing Regulatory Advances into Neuroscience (BRAIN) Act

We are thrilled to announce the introduction of the Bringing Regulatory Advances Into Neuroscience (BRAIN) Act, to establish a Neuroscience Center of Excellence (NCOE) at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Modeled after the highly successful Oncology Center of Excellence created by the 21st Century Cures Act, a NCOE could play a powerful role in helping to speed the delivery of safe and effective treatments for brain diseases, disorders, and injuries, especially those for which there are currently few or no approved treatments.

Cohen Veterans Bioscience thanks U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Bill Pascrell, and Don Bacon for their leadership in introducing the BRAIN Act and will be working with the American Brain Coalition and others in the brain health community to advocate for this bill.

Thank you to all the Veterans and service members who supported our research this year. Your support makes a difference!

Video: A Conversation with Veteran BASE Jumpers of 22 Jumps

Hear personal stories and thoughts from Veterans raising awareness of the need for better solutions for traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress to reduce the incidence of suicide.

Quote from Brent Lake, Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran

Quote from Michael Murphy, USMC Active Duty

Watch Veterans Discuss Their Thoughts on Mental Health & More

This Veterans Day, we pause to thank all military Veterans across America for their service to this country.

While we rightly honor their sacrifices on November 11, we remain committed to ensuring that the challenges our Veterans face after they come home are prioritized every day.

This includes finding new solutions for the invisible wounds of war - traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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