Coalition to Heal Invisible Wounds (CHIW)

The Coalition to Heal Invisible Wounds (CHIW): Advancing a Research-Focused Advocacy Agenda

Our nation’s heroes face an urgent challenge.
Too many of our nation’s service members and Veterans are suffering from the invisible wounds of war: post-traumatic stress (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Many do not receive the care they need.

Suicide rates among Veterans are not improving.
We can and must do better.

Up to 22
Up to 22

Tragically up to 22 American Veterans and service members die by suicide daily.

300,000
300,000

Nearly 300,000 Veterans who returned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering from PTSD.

Veterans and service members need more treatment options.

Despite decades of promising research and more than $1.1 billion spent on clinical trials1, no new drugs for PTSD and TBI have successfully advanced to FDA approval. And the research pipeline for new devices and therapies is thin as many pharmaceutical companies have abandoned research into PTSD and TBI.

Complex problems require a new approach that embraces collaborative science conducted to the highest standards of quality and with an openness to share data towards a common goal.

About the Coalition

Co-founded by Cohen Veterans Bioscience, the Coalition to Heal Invisible Wounds brings together leading non-profit organizations seeking to advance a comprehensive research-focused advocacy agenda to address the invisible wounds of war—PTSD and TBI—as well as to address co-morbid conditions such as pain and substance use disorders, which are known to dramatically increase the risk of suicide among Veterans and service members.

Advocacy Priorities

The Coalition seeks to promote reforms, policies and meaningful research investments that will spur new research discoveries and advance a precision medicine approach for the invisible wounds of war.

Coalition Members

The ultimate goal of the Coalition’s advocacy efforts is to realize better treatments, improved quality of life, new cures, and a reduction in the rate of suicide among Veterans and service members.

Chair

Co-Chair

Contact

For more information about the Coalition to Heal Invisible Wounds and how to become a member, please contact our Senior Director of External Affairs, Dr. Chantelle Ferland-Beckham.

Dr. Chantelle Ferland-Beckham, Ph.D.
Senior Director, External Affairs
Contact via Email