Brief Veteran-centered anxiety program in VA primary care
Official title: Improving Anxiety Treatment Engagement and Effectiveness in Primary Care-Mental Health Integration: Multi-site Hybrid I RCT of a Brief Veteran-Centered Anxiety Intervention
Funded at Syracuse VA Medical Center · NIH-11193235 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A short, Veteran-focused program delivered in VA primary care to help Veterans begin and benefit from anxiety treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Syracuse VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Syracuse, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2021 |
| Project end | August 30, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01HX003206-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11193235 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Veterans aged 21 or older who have noticeable anxiety symptoms and receive care in participating VA primary care clinics.
✕Less likely to help
Veterans who do not receive care at participating VA sites, are under 21, or need specialized psychiatric treatment for severe or complex conditions may not benefit from this brief program.
What this research studies
If you are a Veteran with anxiety seen in VA primary care, clinicians at participating VA sites will offer a short, modular program called VAST that adapts CBT skills for Veterans. You may be randomly assigned to receive VAST delivered by primary care mental health providers or to usual care, with symptom, engagement, and satisfaction surveys collected over time. The project is happening at multiple VA locations and uses routine clinic providers to see how the program works in real-world care. The aim is to make anxiety help quicker, easier to use, and more acceptable for Veterans in primary care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, Veterans could get faster access to brief, effective anxiety care in primary care settings, improving symptoms and satisfaction with VA care.
How similar studies have gone: Brief, CBT-based approaches have shown promise for anxiety and an initial single-site pilot of VAST suggested feasibility, but multi-site testing in routine VA care is new.
Where this research is happening
-
Syracuse VA Medical Center
Syracuse, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shepardson, Robyn Leanne — Syracuse VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Shepardson, Robyn Leanne
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.