SCIENTIFIC PEER REVIEW OF POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER RESEARCH PROPOSALS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder advocates Aneita Strasburg and Megan Strasburg recently participated in the evaluation of research proposals submitted to the Post Traumatic stress Disorder/Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program (PTSD/TBI) sponsored by the Department of Defense. Aneita and Megan were nominated for participation in the program by The Hidden Front, Arnold, NE. As a consumer reviewer, they were full voting members, along with prominent scientists, at meetings to determine how the Fiscal Year 2007 Congressional appropriation of $150 million will be spent on future PTSD research.
Consumer reviewers are asked to represent the collective view of PTSD survivors and patients, family members, and persons at risk for the disorder, when they prepare comments on the impact of the research on issues such as prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life after treatment.
Aneita and Megan were two of four consumer advocates who participated in the November, 2007 peer review meetings and provided comments and scores for nearly 60 research proposals. Commenting on their role as consumer reviewers, Aneita and Megan said, "We are excited to see how this research has an impact on those that suffer from PTSD as well as their families and community. It was a very rewarding experience and was an honor to be a part of advancing research with the goal of enhancing the lives of our soldiers, veterans and their families."
Consumer advocates and scientists have been brought together in this unique partnership to evaluate the scientific merit of research proposals for many specific disease programs administered by the Department of Defense since 1995. Colonel Janet R Harris, Director of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, expressed her appreciation for the consumer advocates’ perspective in the scientific review sessions. "They have provided valuable insight into funding decisions and helped the scientists understand the consumers’ perspective of innovative research. Likewise, the consumer advocates have been enriched by learning more about PTSD through discussing proposed research with scientists and seeing the future hopes of successful research."
The PTSD/TBI Research Program was established by Congress in Fiscal Year 2007 to promote research that will advance the prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of military-relevant PTSD and TBI.
More information about the Department of Defense PTSD/TBI Research Program is available at the Website: http://cdmrp.army.mil.