Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion
CHERP Research and Accomplishments
Photo by Tommy C.
Gala True, PhD Presents Findings From Her VA HSR&D Funded Project
From War to Home: Through the Veteran’s Lens is a result of collaboration between Gala True, a researcher at the VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, and Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans (VA Health Services Research and Development PPO 10-255; True, PI).
Using a method called PhotoVoice, Veterans who had deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) were given cameras and asked to tell their stories of military service, deployment, and homecoming. The purpose of the project was to answer 4 main questions:
1. What impact does a deployment have on a Veteran’s physical, mental, and emotional health?
2. What challenges do Veterans face in making the transition home from deployment?
3. What are Veterans' experiences of care, and what barriers do they face when it comes to accessing healthcare and other resources?
4. Where do Veterans find strength and support to move forward?
Veterans took photos and contributed pictures from their personal collections. Through individual interviews, Veterans described the meaning behind each image. Overall, Veteran participants contributed over 900 photographs and 40 hours of narrative to the project, culminating in an exhibit that opened at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center in November 2012.
Since the original exhibit opened at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center in November 2012, Dr. True and Veteran participants have presented panel discussions about the project to diverse audiences both within and outside the Department of Veterans Affairs. The exhibit has been displayed at University of Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center, and International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Images and narratives from the project are currently being used to develop trainings on Military Cultural Competency with pilot funding from the VISN 4 Center for the Evaluation of Patient Aligned Care Teams (CEPACT). (A detailed report on study findings, presentations, and products thus far is available upon request.)
If you are interested in learning more about the project, or in having the exhibit visit your organization, please contact Gala True at 215-823-5800 ext. 5780 or Jennifer.True2@va.gov.
Thumbnail: Camera in hand photo by Drew B.
