# Enhancing Social Connectedness Among Veterans at High Risk for Suicide through Community Engagement

> **NIH VA IK2** · PORTLAND VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · —

## Abstract

The objective of this HSR&D Career Development Award-2 Proposal is to facilitate Dr. Jason Chen's transition
into an independent, VA mental health services research career focused on intervention development for
Veterans at high-risk of suicide. The goal of the project is to develop a multicomponent intervention focused on
increasing social connectedness among Veterans with recent psychiatric hospitalizations through supported
participation in community activities. This intervention will be informed by input from Veteran, VHA clinical (e.g.
psychiatrists, administrators), and community (e.g. non-profit organizations, family) stakeholders. Research
Plan: Although multiple national efforts have been introduced to address Veteran suicide, suicide rates remain
high. Systematic reviews have identified few interventions that effectively decrease suicide risk. One promising
area for intervention is social connectedness which has been identified as a strong protective factor. However,
few interventions directly target social connectedness among at-risk individuals. Increasing Veteran
participation in community activities may be one way to improve social connectedness difficulties. The current
project proposes the following research aims: 1) Identify Veterans' current behaviors, needs, and preferences
for community engagement following psychiatric hospitalization, 2) Identify VHA staff and community
stakeholder perceptions and perceived needs related to Veteran community engagement following psychiatric
hospitalization, and 3) Develop and pilot a multicomponent, peer-support facilitated intervention for increasing
social connectedness among Veterans at elevated risk of death by suicide. Expected outcomes from these
aims include clinical toolkits for VA and community stakeholders, academic manuscripts and presentations,
and two HSR&D IIR submissions over the course of the CDA award period. Career Plan: Dr. Chen has
assembled a mentorship team who will support his development as a VA mental health services researcher.
Team members include: Steven Dobscha, MD (Primary Mentor), Julie Lowery, PhD (Co-Mentor;
Implementation Science/Qualitative Methods), Paul Pfeiffer, MD, MS (Co-Mentor; Peer Support Intervention
Development), Sarah Ono, PhD (Consultant; Veteran Engagement/Qualitative Methods), and Alan Teo, MD,
MS (Consultant; Social Support). Dr. Chen will also have three Operations Partners/Consultants: Aimee
Johnson, LCSW (Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention), Tracy Weistreich, PhD (Office of Community
Engagement/Center for Compassionate Intervention), and Jason Zimmerman, CPSC (Peer Support Lead). Dr.
Chen and his mentorship team have developed the following training goals which align with his research aims:
1) Develop advanced qualitative health services research skills, 2) Acquire intervention development and
evaluation skills for conducting clinical trials, 3) Gain didactic and applied training in implementation science,
and 4) Achieve further...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9719310
- **Project number:** 1IK2HX002787-01
- **Recipient organization:** PORTLAND VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Jason I Chen
- **Activity code:** IK2 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2019-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9719310

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9719310, Enhancing Social Connectedness Among Veterans at High Risk for Suicide through Community Engagement (1IK2HX002787-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9719310. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*