Center for the Studyof Traumatic Stress
2019

CSTS
The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) is part of the Department of Psychiatryin the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine (America’s Medical School) of the Uniformed
Services University (USU). The Center supports USU, the Military Health System (MHS), andthe Department of Defense (DoD).
Since it was established in 1987, the Center has been working to mitigate the impact of
trauma from exposure to war, disasters, terrorism, community violence, public health threats,and humanitarian operations throughout the nation and across the globe.
The Center’s work encompasses both military and civilian populations, but it focuses on healthissues of special interest to the military, including combat, post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), suicide and suicide-related behavior, and the impact ofdeath and loss on the families of Service members.
CSTS is comprised of a multi-disciplinary and collaborative team of scientists, educators,
clinicians, and leaders who help inform our nation’s policies and responses to the impactsof exposure to trauma from disasters, both human-made and natural. The Center is wellpositioned to rapidly respond to DoD mission-relevant activities. CSTS sustains national
readiness, enhances national security, and serves an essential role for the DoD and the nation.

USU
School ofMedicine
Dept of
Psychiatry

CSTS

The Center consists of more than 100 people. In 2019, CSTS directed more than
$64 million in funding through a core grant and 13 external grants.
For more information, visit the CSTS website at: www.CSTSonline.org
SERVING OUR NATION SINCE 1987

CSTS Mission
The Center provides leadership, education, training, research, scholarship, service, outreach,consultation, and global health engagement. CSTS informs and educates community, regional,
state, national, and global stakeholders in government, industry, healthcare, public health,and academia. The Center’s work includes innovative and ground-breaking research that
ranges from the micro level in laboratories to the macro level in communities, the nation,
and all acrossthe world. CSTS helps to foster communityand national resilience, and improve
As an integral part of USU, CSTS activities
humanitarian operations. CSTS has been involved
trauma-relatedcare
bypreparingtreatment
providerstoaddress
impactof trauma.
support the USU Strategic Framework andin nearly every major thedisaster
our nation
has

Our Mission

the mission of the DoD. CSTS is committed toexperienced in the past 30 years. The Center helps
The workof the Center also:
advancing trauma-informed care. We are dedicatedto ensure that behavioral health is addressed in the• Uniquely
combinesandintegratesofmilitary
andfacedisasterto furthering
the nation’s
understanding
theof publicpsychiatry
health threats, disaster planning andimpactoftraumaonindividuals,
familiesanddisasterrecovery.to the person, to the community• Moves science from the gene, to the cell, to theorganism,communities. The Center is part of our nation’s
Mitigating the effects of disaster and trauma in• Applies
state-of-the-art approaches to neuroscienceand precision medicine
federal medical school (America’s Medical School)
military and civilian populations is part of the effort• Movesknowledge
to action
at USUfrom
and theCenter’s missionis aligned with
to foster community and national resilience. The
the
needs
of
the
DoD
and
the
nation,andiswellCenter
informs
andofeducatesregional,• Helps ensure that behavioral health is addressedin thefacepubliccommunity,
health threats,
positioned
torapidly
respond
to
DoD
missionstate,national
andglobalstakeholders
ingovernment,
disaster planning, and disaster recovery.
relevant activities.
The Center’s work includes
a broad range of trauma
exposures: combat,
terrorism, naturaland human-madedisasters,
public healththreats,
andindustry, healthcare, public health, andacademia. CSTS contributes toadvancing trauma-informedcare by providing
leadership in research,education,
training,
consultation,
globalhealth, andservice.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT | 3

CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, USU

Research
CSTS research encompasses a broad spectrum both in the laboratory and in the field. All
the Center research is designed to support the Military Health System (MHS) in its efforts toprovide a medically-ready force to Combatant Commands in both peacetime and wartime,
and to deliver integrated, affordable, and high quality health services.
The four core areas of CSTS research are:
• Research on Service members• Research on the children and family membersof Service members• Research in neuroscience andneurobiology• Research on disasters and terrorism
Examples of specific research topics
include the causes of suicide in Service
members, psychological responses
to trauma and disasters, and clinicalinvestigations of the symptomatology
and treatment of PTSD.

Service
Members

DisastersCore
Research
Areas

Children&
Families

Neuroscience& Neurobiology

Research Highlights in 2019
• The Army STARRS and STARRS-LS research is designed to elucidate potential targets forinterventions in Soldiers at risk for suicide, and is the largest research project of suicide andmental health ever conducted in the military.
• The Center completed data collection at the Washington, D.C. Navy Yard (WNY) as part of amulti-site study to better understand the risk and protective factors associated with response
efforts following community mass violence. CSTS examined the impact of the 2013 WNY
workplace mass shooting to better understand the social and occupational difficulties still
impacting personnel following the event.
• Clinical trials in medication and psychotherapy for PTSD offer the potential for improved
treatments to contribute to a more ready force and better quality care.
• The Center’s Child and Family Program (CFP) advances scientific and clinical knowledge, andprovides educational resources addressing the needs of children and families affected bytrauma, with particular focus on our nation’s military families that are affected by combatrelated illness and injury, bereavement, child maltreatment, and family violence.
SERVING OUR NATION SINCE 1987

Education and Training
The Center provides educational resources to interagency partners (including DoD and otherfederal partners) as well as state and local agencies, professional associations, and others.
Center Scientists educate and train USU medical students committed to service in our nation’sArmy, Air Force, Navy, and Public Health Service. The Center provides education to interagency
and private sectors leaders and other personnel.
The Center advances the field of military and disaster psychiatry through publications,presentations, outreach, and training. CSTS sponsors and participates in conferences,seminars, symposia, workshops, and collaborations with educational and training objectives
across the U.S. and internationally. The Center also educates and expands knowledge throughpublic health efforts and interventions during and after disasters.
CSTS disseminates educational materials to stakeholders including healthcare providers, community leaders, families, first responders, teaching professionals, and policy makers. The Centercreates and disseminates customized, easy-to-read, just-in-time educational fact sheets to assist
stakeholders in effectively
managing the adverse
effects of traumatic
Graduate
Conferences
ForumsSymposia
stress through enhanced
Programs
preparation and response
to disaster events.

Education and Training Highlights in 2019
• Conducted the “14th Annual Amygdala, Stress, and PTSD Conference: Risk, Resilience, andRecovery” on the biological basis of stress, fear, and PTSD.
• Developed a free continuing medical education (CME) course entitled “Resilience: The Scienceof Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges” for the American Psychiatric Association (APA). This
course is a recorded session from the 2019 Amygdala Conference.
• Co-sponsored the “Reimagining Reintegration: The Challenge for Deployed Doctors” symposium,
which discussed the unique problems of healthcare workers returning from combat deployment.
• Sponsored two NATO panel meetings: “Leveraging Technology in Military Mental Health:Virtual Reality, Neuromodulation, and Telehealth” and “Personalized Medicine in Mental
Health and Performance.” These two meetings included experts from Canada, the Netherlands,
Australia, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and the United States.
• Directed a 5-day course on disaster mental health in Nigeria for the Defense Institute for
Medical Operations.
• Funded two CSTS Graduate Student Fellowship recipients, one in USU’s Clinical Psychology
program and one in USU’s Neuroscience program. This fellowship provides two years of salaryand travel support.
CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, USU

Consultation
The Center develops partnerships with, andprovides consultation to, many agencies
and organizations throughout the DoD andother Federal agencies, as well as with state,
local, and national agencies, professional
associations, and international organizations.
Since its inception, establishing andmaintaining consultative relationships
have been a cornerstone of CSTS’s work,
including a wide variety of partnerorganizations both inside and outside
government, and internationally. These
collaborations build bridges that provide
opportunities to contribute Center resourcesand expertise in the service of others and tomonitor real-time needs of partners
and stakeholders.

National &International
Activities
Multilateral
Agreements
Epidemiologic
Consults
Global Health
Initiatives

Consultation Highlights in 2019
• Contributed behavioral health subject matter expertise and technical input for the “TickBorne Disease Working Group 2018 Report to Congress.”• Consulted with the FBI’s Victims Services Division around the impact of death notification on
victims’ families following criminal events and mass casualties.
• Participated in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM)
Committee on Military Family Well-Being. Committee participation resulted in the NASEM
publication entitled “Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing
American Society” which was commissioned by the DoD.
• Participated in the International Ministerial (5-Eyes) Mental Health Research Innovation
Collaborative on “Military and Veteran Mental Health.” This collaboration also resulted in
the following publication “Treatment of Military-related Post-traumatic Stress Disorder:
Challenges, Innovations, and the Way Forward.”• Consulted with the New Zealand Surgeon General’s office to support their response, recovery,
and outreach efforts following mass shootings in Christchurch, NZ.
SERVING OUR NATION SINCE 1987

Knowledge Dissemination
CSTS disseminates knowledge through a variety of means, including:• Publishing research findings in peer-reviewed
scientific journals• Publishing books, volumes, and newsletters• Making presentations at scientific meetings andconferences, and other events• Giving briefings and interviews• Developing and disseminating fact sheets• Conducting educational campaigns• Posting information and other resources on the
CSTS website

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UNIFORMEDSERVICES
UNIVERSITY
14th Annual Amygdala,Stress, and
PTSD Conference:
Risk, Resilience, and Recovery
Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress

PROGRAM
14th Annual Amygdala, Stress, and PTSD
Conference: Risk, Resilience, and Recovery

Disaster Education
Fact Sheets

APRIL 16, 2019
Sanford Auditorium & Lobby, Building B
Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD



www.AmygdalaPTSDconference.org
The Amgydala, Stress, and PTSD Conference at the Uniformed Services University brings together scientists
and clinicians working towards solving the biological basis of stress, fear, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

SPONSORED BY:
The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (USU), Department of Psychiatry (USU),
Neuroscience Program (USU), Department of Family Medicine (USU), andDepartment of Psychiatry(WRNMMC)1

Knowledge Dissemination Highlights in 2019
• 47 publications.
• 54 presentations at scientific or professional meetings, conferences, and symposia.
• Disseminated fact sheets in real time following major disasters and traumatic events.
CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, USU

Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
Department of Psychiatry
Uniformed Services University
4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814-4799
www.CSTSonline.org