Abstract

Approximately 1 in 4 Veterans has a substance use or mental health disorder. Yet, the majority of these Veterans do not receive treatment for these problems. My VA research program aims is to develop innovations to improve access and engagement in substance use and mental health care for vulnerable populations, test if these innovations are effective, and facilitate their implementation. This work involves investigating the effectiveness and implementation potential of mobile health and peer-based interventions for Veterans who struggle with homelessness and/or cyclical involvement in the criminal justice system. Such research is critical to the VA’s mission, given that justice system involvement and homelessness disproportionately affect Veterans and increase risk for chronic health problems and use of high-cost services. Using a variety of sophisticated methodologies (e.g., hybrid trials, qualitative analysis), and in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams from institutions in and outside VA and operational partners in VA’s Homeless Program Office, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, and Office of Connected Care, my research contributions focus on: (1) improving treatment engagement and outcomes for justice-involved and homeless Veterans. My prior and future research in this area tests the effectiveness and implementation potential of interventions that aim to reduce risk for criminal recidivism and acute care service utilization in this high-need patient population; (2) evaluating virtual care services for Veterans with substance use and mental health disorders. My prior and future research in this area studies the scalability and implementation of mobile applications and video-enabled tablets to increase Veterans’ access to behavioral healthcare; (3) developing, testing, and implementing peer-supported mobile health interventions. To date, my research in this area has focused on developing and testing protocols for peers to support patients’ use of mobile apps for self-management of alcohol use and mental health problems. My future research will seek to advance implementation of this model of care into the continuum of behavioral health services for Veteran primary care patients. I have become a leader in these areas of research, as demonstrated by my peer-reviewed publications, grant funding, invited memberships on study sections for VA and NIH, editorial positions for leading addiction and mental health journals, and letters of support from non-VA colleagues. If I am fortunate enough to receive a Research Career Scientist award from VA HSR&D, I will devote my full-time effort to research, mentoring, and VA service activities as a distinguished leader on improving access and engagement in substance use and mental health care for vulnerable populations.

NIH Reporter Project Information: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10702023


PUBLICATIONS:

Journal Articles

1. Yoon J, Blonigen DM, Tsai J. Use of and Outcomes in Veterans Affairs and Other Hospitals Among Veterans Experiencing Homelessness After Expanded Access. Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.). 2025 Oct 17; appips20250122, DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.20250122.
2. Yoon J, Wong EP, Weber JJ, Blonigen DM, Tsai J. Implementation of Mobile Medical Units for Veterans Experiencing Homelessness: A Mixed-Methods Study. Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974). 2025 Sep 7; 140(5-6):568-576, DOI: 10.1177/00333549251365173.
3. Bell JS, Tillson M, Anvari MS, Blonigen DM, McGovern M, Magidson JF. Implementation Factors Influencing Peer-Delivered Behavioral Evidence-Based Interventions for Substance Use Disorders: A Scoping Review. Administration and policy in mental health. 2025 Aug 21 DOI: 10.1007/s10488-025-01470-x.
4. Bruzios K, Shaffer PM, Blonigen DM, Cucciare MA, Andre M, Byrne T, Smith J, Smelson D. Intervention for Justice-Involved Homeless Veterans With Co-Occurring Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trial. JMIR research protocols. 2025 Jul 18; 14:e70750, DOI: 10.2196/70750.
5. Hwong AR, Li Y, Steinman MA, Mangurian C, Zulman DM, Morin RT, Blonigen DM, Byers AL. Multimorbidity Profiles and Cause-Specific Mortality Among Older Adults with Schizophrenia. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. 2025 Oct 1; 33(10):1095-1105, DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2025.06.002.
6. Ward M, Baldwin N, Blonigen DM. Assessing the impact of combat trauma on the severity, expression, and course of posttraumatic stress disorder in justice-involved veterans. Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy. 2025 Jun 2 DOI: 10.1037/tra0001950.
7. Blonigen DM, Elbogen EB, Hyde JK. A Whole-Person Measurement Strategy for Vulnerable Veterans: Revisiting Maslow's Hierarchy. Medical care. 2024 Dec 1; 62(12 Suppl 1):S18-S20.
8. Ranney RM, Goldberg R, Maguen S, Blonigen D. Peer specialist-led interventions in primary care at the Veterans Health Administration: An integrative review. Psychological Services. 2025 May 1; 22(2):256-269, DOI: 10.1037/ser0000858.
9. Blonigen DM, Humphreys K. A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Pay-for-Performance Initiative to Reduce Costs of Care for High-Need Psychiatric Patients. Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.). 2024 Sep 1; 75(9):863-871.
10. Timko C, Macia K, Lewis M, Lor MC, Blonigen D, Jannausch M, Ilgen M. Medical-surgical patients with untreated hazardous drinking: Randomized controlled trial of the DO-MoST intervention to improve health outcomes over 12-month follow-up. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2024 May 1; 258:111259.
11. Van Doren N, Ng H, Rawat E, McKenna KR, Blonigen DM. Virtual reality mindfulness training for veterans in residential substance use treatment: Pilot study of feasibility and acceptability. Journal of substance use and addiction treatment. 2024 Jun 1; 161:209315.
12. Blonigen DM, Macia KS, Cucciare MA, Smelson D. For whom are treatments for criminal recidivism effective? Moderator effects from a randomized controlled trial of justice-involved veterans. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology. 2024 Feb 1; 92(2):118-128.
13. Gujral K, Van Campen J, Jacobs J, Lo J, Kimerling R, Blonigen DM, Wagner TH, Zulman DM. Sociodemographic Differences in the Impacts of Video-Enabled Tablets on Psychotherapy Usage Among Veterans. Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.). 2024 May 1; 75(5):434-443.