Hi, my name is Rhodri Dierst-Davies, an evaluation specialist with Deloitte Consulting LLP working out of our Government & Public Services (GPS) practice. I am also the Program Chair of the Military and Veteran Evaluation (MVE) Topical Interest Group (TIG). This TIG was founded to raise awareness and promote greater use of AEA guiding principles and evaluation theory and methods in military and veteran settings. I hope this and other posts from my colleagues will contribute to this aim. At this year’s conference our TIG is very excited to highlight a variety of important works relevant to programs specific to not only military and veteran communicates, but society as a whole. The following highlight the sessions sponsored our TIG:
Presidential Standard Session: This year we are pleased to highlight a three-presentation panel discussion focused on use of the impacts if using the Getting to Outcomes (GTO) model on various evaluation and research projects across military settings. Presentations will focus on the use of GTO to support resiliency, violence prevention, and sexual assault among military personnel, as well as support strategies to facilitate the use of an evidence-based practices.
Evaluating the Mental Health and Physical Needs of Service Members: Our TIG is sponsoring one four-topic multi-paper session that will showcase a variety of evaluation works among military personnel. All discussions are focused on health and security issues specific to military settings, sessions include:
- Conducting Military Site Reviews: Do’s and Don’ts
- Evaluating the Quality of the Inpatient Experience at Military Treatment Facilities: Longitudinal trends in Patient Preferences from the Facilities Design Survey
- Health access challenges for transitioning servicewomen: Evaluating an intervention to reduce barriers to VA healthcare
- Challenges and Future Directions in Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation for Security Cooperation
Expert Lectures: A diverse array of 30-45-minute presentations are being sponsored looking at topics relevant to both military, and veteran populations alike. Topics cover include:
- Back on Track: Findings from a Military Behavioral Health Program Evaluation and Capacity Building Study
- Food Insecurity among Low-Income U.S. Armed Forces Veterans: Exploring Prevalence, Predictors, and Assistance Gaps
- Providing Behavioral Health Support After Maria: Performance Review of Puerto Rico’s State Medical Command
- The Voice of the Wounded Warrior: Using an Annual Survey to Target Programs and Services for Improved Transition from Military to Veteran Life
Poster: this year our poster session will focus on healthcare access to among veterans and is entitled, ‘Veterans Access to Healthcare Services: Evaluation of veterans’ perspective of their healthcare.’ Please feel free to stop by during this session and meet the authors.
While these sessions shed light on the impacts of evaluations designed to improve the health and wellbeing of military personnel and veterans, implications and lessons learned are universally applicable to civilian settings. Please join us for our sessions, we look forward to your interest.
The American Evaluation Association is celebrating MVE TIG Week with our colleagues in the Military and Veteran’s Issues Topical Interest Group. The contributions all this week to aea365 come from our MVE TIG members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org. aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.