The VA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) and the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (OMHSP) https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide-prevention have launched the Scott Hannon Initiative for Precision Mental Health (SHIPMH).
SHIPMH’s focus is to foster and coordinate biomarker research focused on mental health conditions, promote data sharing through the expansion of publicly available deidentified research data, and translate research findings to clinical care for veterans. In 2021, an Expert Working Group outlined a roadmap for success focusing on research and data collection, data sharing, and translating of research findings into Veteran care.
Maximizing data collection several ongoing research projects relevant to brain injuries needs to include:
- Studying the long-term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury -Consortium Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (LIMBIC_CENC)
- The Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS)
- The Million Veteran Program (MVP) to Measures Investigating Neuropsychiatric Disorders (MVP-MIND)
- Precision Medicine in Mental Health Care (PRIME Care)
- An Ongoing EEG clinical trial
The goal is to integrate the assessments of LIMBIC-CENC, TRACTS, and sites that have specific mental health related assessment/biomarker expertise by developing machine learning algorithms to give a completer 3600 diagnostic of brain health.
It is necessary for SHIPMH to focus on translating current research findings into clinical care. SHIPMH’s first use case is focusing on the use of psychogenetic testing to better manage medication prescriptions for opioid use disorder.
Evidence has shown that Cytochrome P450 2D6 gene metabolizes commonly prescribed opioids. The identification of this gene can inform medical decisions regarding the selection of alternative medications, doses, or monitoring approaches for adverse effects.
Currently, the SHIPMH team is working with additional operational offices, such as Pharmacy, and working to build the critical infrastructure needed to support seamless VA clinician medical decision-making.