# HSR&D Research Career Scientist Award

> **NIH VA IK6** · VETERANS ADMIN PALO ALTO HEALTH CARE SYS · 2023 · —

## Abstract

Approximately 1 in 4 Veterans has a substance use or mental health disorder. Yet, the majority of these
Veterans do not receive treatment for these problems. My VA research program aims is to develop innovations
to improve access and engagement in substance use and mental health care for vulnerable populations, test if
these innovations are effective, and facilitate their implementation. This work involves investigating the
effectiveness and implementation potential of mobile health and peer-based interventions for Veterans who
struggle with homelessness and/or cyclical involvement in the criminal justice system. Such research is critical
to the VA’s mission, given that justice system involvement and homelessness disproportionately affect
Veterans and increase risk for chronic health problems and use of high-cost services.
Using a variety of sophisticated methodologies (e.g., hybrid trials, qualitative analysis), and in collaboration
with multidisciplinary teams from institutions in and outside VA and operational partners in VA’s Homeless
Program Office, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, and Office of Connected Care, my research
contributions focus on: (1) improving treatment engagement and outcomes for justice-involved and
homeless Veterans. My prior and future research in this area tests the effectiveness and implementation
potential of interventions that aim to reduce risk for criminal recidivism and acute care service utilization in this
high-need patient population; (2) evaluating virtual care services for Veterans with substance use and
mental health disorders. My prior and future research in this area studies the scalability and implementation
of mobile applications and video-enabled tablets to increase Veterans’ access to behavioral healthcare; (3)
developing, testing, and implementing peer-supported mobile health interventions. To date, my
research in this area has focused on developing and testing protocols for peers to support patients’ use of
mobile apps for self-management of alcohol use and mental health problems. My future research will seek to
advance implementation of this model of care into the continuum of behavioral health services for Veteran
primary care patients.
I have become a leader in these areas of research, as demonstrated by my peer-reviewed publications, grant
funding, invited memberships on study sections for VA and NIH, editorial positions for leading addiction and
mental health journals, and letters of support from non-VA colleagues. If I am fortunate enough to receive a
Research Career Scientist award from VA HSR&D, I will devote my full-time effort to research, mentoring, and
VA service activities as a distinguished leader on improving access and engagement in substance use and
mental health care for vulnerable populations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10702023
- **Project number:** 1IK6HX003763-01
- **Recipient organization:** VETERANS ADMIN PALO ALTO HEALTH CARE SYS
- **Principal Investigator:** Daniel Michael Blonigen
- **Activity code:** IK6 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-10-01 → 2028-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10702023

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10702023, HSR&D Research Career Scientist Award (1IK6HX003763-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10702023. Licensed CC0.

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