Congratulations to Jennifer Barredo, Ph.D., who has received a VA Career Development Award (CDA2) for her project “Identification of Veterans At-Risk for Suicide: A Multidisciplinary Approach.” Barredo is a research health scientist with the VA RR&D Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology at Providence VA Medical Center and assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior (research) at Brown University.

This $1 million award began January 1 and will fund a five-year project to use magnetic resonance imaging to understand patterns of brain activity in veterans who may be at risk for suicide. Using an advanced machine learning approach, Barredo, who is affiliated with the Carney Institute, will develop new ways to identify suicide risk, and develop this into a clinical tool for early detection. New insights into the neurobiology of suicide may also guide the development and optimization of emerging treatments for suicidality in veterans. This is a critically important clinical problem, since veterans who have served in recent conflicts are now more likely to die by suicide than in combat.

The VA Career Development Program was established to attract, develop, and retain talented scientists working to improve veteran, health, care, and quality of life.