News & Events
Dr. J. Don Richardson - Best Overall Oral Presentation, Joint Mental Health Research & Innovation Day 2023
For the presentation titled “Moral Distress and Mental Health of Canadian Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic”.
Kate St. Cyr - The Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health (JMVFH) Editors’ Choice Award
For the presentation titled “A retrospective cohort analysis of mental health-related emergency department visits among Veterans and non-Veterans in Ontario, Canada”.
Dr. Anthony Nazarov - Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR) Fellow
Dr. Nazarov was one of two individuals named as 2023 Fellows with the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research. This fellowship initiative recognizes leading experts who demonstrate exceptional research advancements within the field of military, Veteran, and family health and wellbeing.
Dr. J Don Richardson - Tanna Schulich Chair in Neuroscience & Mental Health
Dr. J Don Richardson has been appointed as the Tanna Schulich Chair in Neuroscience & Mental Health at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, effective February 1, 2023 to January 31, 2028.
Dr. Rachel Plouffe - Robert S. & Mary Gay, Donald, James, and Helen (Taylor) Gay Endowed Fellowship in Vet Care
Dr. Rachel Plouffe, Postdoctoral Associate at the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre was awarded the Robert S. & Mary Gay, Donald, James, and Helen (Taylor) Gay Endowed Fellowship in Vet Care, valued at $30,000, from the Parkwood Institute Research Specific Endowments Awards 2022/2023 for a new study “Risk Factors for Moral Injury: The Light of Triad Personality”.
Dr. Jenny JW Liu & Dr. Rachel Plouffe - Parkwood Mental Health Travel Grant
Dr. Jenny Liu and Dr. Rachel Plouffe, Postdoctoral Associates at the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre was awarded the Parkwood Mental Health Travel Grant, valued at $500, from the Parkwood Institute Research Specific Endowments Awards 2022/2023 to provide travel funding support to enable successful applicants to present their own research.
Dr. J. Don Richardson - Postdoctoral Supervisor of the Year Award
Dr. J Don Richardson, Scientific Director at the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre, received the 2022 Postdoctoral Supervisor of the Year Award at the Virtual Postdoctoral Research Forum. Dr. Richardson has been recognized as a postdoctoral supervisor who has demonstrated exemplary support for postdoctoral scholars at Western University by going above and beyond supervisory expectations. As a mentor, Dr Richardson has put forth extra effort to ensure a successful experience for postdoctoral scholars. He has unequivocally surpassed supervisory expectations to ensure his postdoctoral scholars' success as independent researchers and scholars. He is an exceptional role model and has provided unparalleled professional development opportunities in research, teaching, and service-related endeavours.
Dr. Jenny JW Liu & Dr. Rachel Plouffe - Placed Top 10 at the Virtual Postdoctoral Research Forum’s 3 Minute Research Competition (3MR)
Dr. Jenny Liu and Dr. Rachel Plouffe, Postdoctoral Associates at the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre, have placed in the Top 10 at the Virtual Postdoctoral Research Forum’s 3MR for overall excellence in communication skills and competencies describing their research. Specifically, Dr. Liu's presentation focused on developing a treatment algorithm for post-traumatic stress disorder in military and Veteran populations, and Dr. Plouffe presented her research on Veteran post-traumatic stress disorder and the Light Triad of personality.
Dr. Natalie Ein - Western Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
Dr. Natalie Ein, Postdoctoral Associate at the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre was awarded a two-year Postdoctoral Scholarship, valued at $90,000, from the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Western University. Dr. Ein’s research will focus on international comparisons of health outcomes across Veteran populations through the creation of an international dataset. Dr. Ein will work with our international collaborators to clarify the prevalence of mental health conditions such as PTSD and patterns of comorbidity between Veteran samples by nation.
Dr. Rachel Plouffe - LHRD Gold Postdoctoral/Resident/Fellow Award
Dr. Rachel Plouffe, Postdoctoral Associate at the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre is the recipient of a 2022 London Health Research Day Gold Postdoctoral/Resident/Fellow Award. Dr. Plouffe’s poster/presentation was selected for its scientific excellence or impact on the field.
Dr. Jenny JW Liu - CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
Dr. Jenny JW Liu, Postdoctoral Associate at the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre is the recipient of a 2021 Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Postdoctoral Fellowship Award. The two-year award, valued at $90,000 will allow Dr. Liu to examine the challenges and needs of CAF Veterans transitioning out of services and develop a digital resilience training program in response to needs. The INSPIRE program will support Veterans by increasing their individual resilience capacities and empowering them during their transition.
New Funding Award - Government of Canada - Community Support for Sexual Misconduct Survivors Grant Program
We are excited to announce that the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre has been selected by the Government of Canada to work with the Sexual Misconduct Response Centre for the Community Support for Sexual Misconduct Survivors Grant Program - Barriers and Facilitators to Treatment Following Military Sexual Misconduct.
Funding Award - CIMHVR / DND - Optimizing Canadian Armed Forces Mental Health and Resilience Program
We are excited to announce that the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre has been selected by the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMHVR) to work with Canada's Department of National Defence on research for Task Authorization 61 – Improving Canadian Armed Forces mental health and resilience training: understanding trainee preferences for the Road to Mental Readiness (R2MR) Program.
Funding Award - PHAC - Mental Health and Resilience Program for Health Care Workers
We are excited to announce that the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre has been selected by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) for “Promoting Resilience and Mental Health: Adapting Canada’s Department of National Defence Road to Mental Readiness (R2MR) Program to Support Canadian Health Care Workers”.
Funding Award - CIMHVR / DND - Developing and validating a measure of CAF psychological safety
We are excited to announce that the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre has been selected by the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMHVR) to work with Canada's Department of National Defence on research for Task Authorization 59 – Literature Review and Scale Development on “Psychological Safety in the Military”.
Funding Award - CIMHVR / DND - Exploring challenges faced by personnel supporting disaster relief operations
We are excited to announce that the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre has been selected by the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMHVR) to work with Canada's Department of National Defence on research for Task Authorization 63 – Literature Review on “Challenges faced by military and public safety and security personnel supporting disaster relief operations”.
Funding Award - Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans - Ketamine for the management of chronic pain
We are excited to announce that the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre has received funding support from the Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans to conduct research related to the effectiveness of ketamine for the management of chronic pain and related mental health conditions. We look forward to making an impact with our research to further optimize the management of chronic pain and improve the lives of Veterans.
New Publication - Mediating Roles of Workplace Support and Ethical Work Environment in Associations Between Leadership and Moral Distress
Plouffe, R. A., Nazarov, A., Heesters, A. M., Dickey, C. C., Foxcroft, L., Hosseiny, F., Le, T., Lum, P. A., Nouri, M. S., Smith, P., & Richardson, J. D. (2023). The Mediating Roles of Workplace Support and Ethical Work Environment in Associations Between Leadership and Moral Distress: A Longitudinal Study of Canadian Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1235211.
New Publication - Veterans' Spouses Mental Health and Well-being: The Impact of COVID-19
Hansen, K. T., Plouffe, R. A., Walker, D. L., Wanklyn, S. G., Lamrock, L., Maher, P., Nazarov, A., & Richardson, J. D. (2023). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and well-being of Veterans’ spouses: a cross sectional analysis. BMC Psychiatry, 23, 188.
New Publication - Potentially Morally Injurious Nature of Encountering Children During Military Deployments
Ein, N., Houle, S. A., Liu, J. J. W., Easterbrook, B., Baker, C., Fuertes, M., Turner, R. B., MacDonald, C., Reeves, K., Deda, E., Hoffer, K., Abidi, C. B., Nazarov, A., & Richardson, J. D. (2023). The potentially morally injurious nature of encountering children during military deployments: A call for research. Journal of Military Veteran and Family Health, (aop), e20220044.
New Publication - Challenges Faced by Relief Workers Supporting Natural Disasters: Systematic Review
Ein, N., Plouffe, R. A., Liu, J. J. W., Gervasio, J., Baker, C., Carleton, R. N., Bartels, S. A., Lee, J. E. C., Nazarov, A., & Richardson, J. D. (2023). Physical and Psychological Challenges Faced by Military, Medical and Public Safety Personnel Relief Workers Supporting Natural Disaster Operations: A Systematic Review. Current Psychology, 1-16.
New Publication - Personality, Combat Experiences, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in CAF Veterans
Plouffe, R. A., Nazarov, A., Forchuk, C. A., Gervasio, J., Le, T., Liu, J. J. W., Nouri, M. S., Trahair, C., Walker, D. L., & Richardson, J. D. (2023). The roles of personality and resilience in associations between combat experiences and posttraumatic stress disorder among Canadian Armed Forces Veterans. Personality and Individual Differences, 206, 112141.
Publication - Characterizing Primary Care Patients with PTSD: Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study
Singer, A., Kosowan, L., Muthumuni, D., Katz, A., Zafari, H., Zulkernine, F., Richardson, J.D., Price, M., Williamson, T., Queenan, J., & Sareen, J. (2022). Characterizing primary care patients with posttraumatic stress disorder using electronic medical records: a retrospective cross-sectional study. Family Practice.
Publication - The Effects Encountering Children During Military Deployments: Systematic Review
Ein, N., Liu, J.J.W., Houle, S.A., Easterbrook, B., Turner, R.B., MacDonald, C., Reeves, K., Deda, E., Hoffer, K., Baillie Abidi, C., Nazarov, A., & Richardson, J.D. (2022). The effects of child encounters during military deployments on the well-being of military personnel: a systematic review. European Journal of Psychotraumatology.
Publication - Mental Health Services Use Among CAF Members and Veterans
St. Cyr, K., Liu, A., Plouffe, R. A., Nouri, M. S., Forchuk, C. A., Wanklyn, S. G., Bird, B. M., Fikretoglu, D., Mahar, A. L., Nazarov, A., & Richardson, J. D. (2022). Mental Health Services Use Among Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans: Data From the 2018 Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Mental Health Follow-Up Survey (CAFMVHS). Frontiers in Health Services.
Publication - Development and Validation of the Moral Injury Outcome Scale
Litz, B. T., Plouffe, R. A., Nazarov, A., Murphy, D., Phelps, A., Coady, A., Houle, S. A., Dell, L., Frankfurt, S., Zerach, G., Levi-Belz, Y. & the Moral Injury Outcome Scale Consortium. (2022). Defining and Assessing the Syndrome of Moral Injury: Initial Findings of the Moral Injury Outcome Scale Consortium. Frontiers in Psychiatry.
Publication - Addressing Moral Injury in the Military
Phelps, A. J., Adler, A. B., Belanger, S. A. H., Bennett, C., Cramm, H., Dell, L., Fikretoglu, D., Forbes, D., Heber, A., Hosseiny, F., Morganstein, J. C., Murphy, D., Nazarov, A., Pedlar, D., Richardson, J. D., Sadler, N., Williamson, V., Greenberg, N., Jetly, R. & Members of the Five Eyes Mental Health Research and Innovation Collaborative. Addressing moral injury in the military. BMJ Military Health.
Publication - Association between Positive Mental Health and exposure to PMIEs in CAF personnel
Hansen, K. T., Nelson, C. G., & Kirkwood, K. (2022). Association Between Self-Rated Positive Mental Health and Exposure to Potentially Morally Injurious Events in Deployed Canadian Forces Personnel. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma.
Publication - Influences of moral injury in Canadian armed forces
Easterbrook, B., Plouffe, R. A., Houle, S. A., Liu, A., McKinnon, M. C., Ashbaugh, A. R., Mota, N., Afifi, T. O., Enns, M. W., Richardson, J. D., & Nazarov, A. (2022). Risk Factors for Moral Injury Among Canadian Armed Forces Personnel. Frontiers in Psychiatry.
Publication - Validation of the Mental Health Continuum - Short Form
Plouffe, R. A., Liu, A., Richardson, J. D., & Nazarov, A. (2022). Validation of the mental health continuum: Short form among Canadian Armed Forces personnel. Statistics Canada.
Publication - Protocol for COVID-19 Longitudinal Veteran Well-being Study
Forchuk, C. A., Nazarov, A., Plouffe, R. A., Liu, J. J., Deda, E., Le, T., Gargala, D., Soares, V., Bourret-Gheysen, J., St. Cyr, K., Nouri, M. S., Hosseiny, F., Smith, P., Dupuis, G., Roth, M., Marlborough, M., Jetly, R., Heber, A., Lanius, R., & Richardson, J. D. (2022). Well-being of Canadian Armed Forces Veterans and Spouses of Veterans During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Protocol for a Prospective Longitudinal Survey. JMIR Research Protocols, 11(1), e34984.
Newsletter
A curated collection of research, news, and events in Veteran and military mental health brought to you by the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre.
Upcoming Presentations
***Presentations have concluded for 2023***