San Antonio Combat PTSD Conference to feature latest advances in treating psychological wounds of war

CONTACT: Rosanne Fohn, fohn@uthscsa.edu, (210) 567-3026

ON-SITE CONTACTS: Julie Collins, (210) 218-8746, and Joel Williams, (210) 837-4015

DIRECTIONS: Enter the Convention Center from Market Street via Lila Cockrell Theatre entrance, then go to River Level

NOTE: Conference breaks for lunch off-site from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., so no interviews are available at this time

SAN ANTONIO (Oct. 21, 2019) – Leaders in the field will report the latest advances in the assessment and treatment of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder and co-occurring conditions Oct. 23-24 during the fourth annual San Antonio Combat PTSD Conference.

The national scientific meeting, unique in its attendance and focus, is presented by the UT Health San Antonio-led STRONG STAR Consortium and Consortium to Alleviate PTSD (CAP) and will be held at the Henry B. González Convention Center.

More than 600 people have registered for the conference, including a national and international audience of researchers, clinicians, leaders and policy makers within the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, as well as from academia and the civilian sector. Many other active duty military, veterans and community members with an interest in the mental health needs of our nation’s war fighters will be on hand.

Attendees will hear from investigators with STRONG STAR and CAP, who will share their most recent study findings, along with other prominent speakers from around the United States discussing their own research and other topics.

Speakers and presentation topics will include:

  • Day 1 Keynote: “Profiles in Resiliency,” presented by retired Air Force Col. Regina Aune, Ph.D., RN, discussing her experience with “Operation Babylift,” which evacuated orphans out of Vietnam at the end of the Vietnam war. Joining her will be Aryn Lockhart, one of the orphans who survived a tragic plane crash during that humanitarian mission.
  • Day 2 Keynote: Craig J. Bryan, Psy.D., a national expert on military and veteran suicide risk and prevention, discussing the complexity and emergence of suicidal behaviors.
  • Plenary sessions featuring speakers who will share preliminary findings from just-completed clinical trials evaluating:
    • Novel delivery methods for the top PTSD treatments (such as intensive outpatient, in-home, telehealth and web-based delivery of care).
    • Promising new PTSD treatment approaches, including brain stimulation.
    • Treatments targeting PTSD and co-occurring conditions such as sleep problems and post-traumatic headache.
  • Featured speakers from national organizations, such as the Bob Woodruff Foundation, RAND Corp., President George W. Bush Institute and the VA’s National Center for PTSD.
  • Breakout sessions focusing on topics such as lifestyle factors and PTSD, improving suicidal outcomes through provider training and biological studies that are leading the way to precision medicine.
  • New grant awards to advance the work of STRONG STAR, CAP and the STRONG STAR Training Initiative that will be announced on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 4:45 p.m., in Room 007.

Alan Peterson, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UT Health San Antonio and director of STRONG STAR and CAP, thanks the Bob Woodruff Foundation for its help in providing a compelling program either free of charge or for a nominal fee. The foundation, which is the presenting sponsor of the conference, invests in programs helping impacted veterans, service members and their families thrive.

“Our conference is rapidly growing and becoming the premier scientific meeting of its kind,” Dr. Peterson said. “Having a major sponsor like the Bob Woodruff Foundation allows us to continue that growth while keeping our costs down. That is important to us. We want as many people as possible to attend so that we can get information into the hands of people who need it, but we also want to hear from attendees about current clinical needs and research gaps. That will help guide us as we formulate ideas for future research.”

For more about the San Antonio Combat PTSD Conference, including information on the conference program and schedule, visit www.combatPTSDconference.com

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