• Position: Director

Dr. Reinhard is the Director of WRIISC-DC. He has been with the WRIISC-DC since 2008 as a clinical neuropsychologist and has seen many Veterans with a variety of post-deployment health concerns. He obtained his B.A. from Long Island University, his M.A. and Psy.D. from Pepperdine University (APA), and interned at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (APA). He completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. He has recently published neuropsychology research the areas of: PTSD, HIV/AIDS, Brain Reserve Theory, personality theory, and toxic exposure. He has also worked as a clinical psychologist in the PTSD treatment program at the Washington DC VAMC. His current area of research interest is in the neuropsychology of PTSD. He has an academic appointment at the Assistant Professor rank from Georgetown University Medical School Department of Psychiatry.

Contact Dr. Reinhard at: 202-745-8249   or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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• Position: Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Adams is currently completing a two year neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship in clinical and research neuropsychology at the WRIISC-DC. She earned her B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in biological science from The Pennsylvania State University and her M.A. and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Marywood University in Scranton, PA. Affective responsivity, empathy, physiological measures of emotional processing, risk perceptions, and health promotion are her current research interests. Additionally, Dr. Adams’s clinical experiences include training in individual, group, and family therapy. Dr. Adams is looking forward to working with the WRIISC team as she continues her professional development.

Contact Dr. Adams at: 202-745-8000 ext. 5475 or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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• Position: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Fellow

Dr. Akhter is the WRIISC Fellow of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. She is a graduate of Cornell University Medical College and is board certified in OB-GYN and Anesthesiology. Her thirty years of practice have included experiences in the United States, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. She also has earned a Masters degree and board certification in Acupuncture and is certified in Zero Balancing. Her areas of special interest are environmental exposures and management of chronic pain. Dr. Akhter provides consultations and is a co-investigator in a VA Merit study looking at the Effect of Acupuncture on PTSD-related insomnia.

Contact Dr. Akhter at: 202-745-8000 ext. 7241 or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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• Position: Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker

Katharine Bloeser, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W., is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in the District of Columbia. Katharine studied political science with a public policy focus at the George Washington University as an undergraduate and went on to receive her MSW from the National Catholic School of Social Service at Catholic University. Katharine completed her Social Work training at the Washington, DC VA Medical Center and then worked in Trauma Services performing case management, group and individual therapy. Most recently, Katharine worked at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in quality improvement and program evaluation. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work. Katharine is honored to continue learning from her colleagues and the Veteran community at the Washington, DC WRIISC.

Contact Ms. Bloeser at: 202-745-8249   or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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• Position: Director of Neuroscience

Dr. Chapman is Director of Neuroscience at WRIISC-DC. She has worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs since 2001 and in WRIISC-DC since 2005. Dr. Chapman obtained her B.S. from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. After working as a Tax Accountant for several years, she returned to school to earn a Masters, then a Doctoral Degree in Psychology, with an emphasis in Neuropsychology. Dr. Chapman is the Principal Investigator of several funded studies that seek to identify markers of early disease or subtle injury through the integration of multidisciplinary measures such as advanced brain imaging methods (diffusion tensor imaging, positron emission tomography, functional MRI), endocrine function, neurologic function and cognition. These funded studies include examinations of brain injury, posttraumatic stress disorder and diabetes. Dr. Chapman has recently published in the areas of traumatic brain injury, concussion, Gulf War Illness, and complementary and alternative medicine.

Contact Dr. Chapman at: 202-745-8000 ext. 6207 or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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• Position: Medical Administrative Assistant

Ms. Cherry has been the WRIISC-DC Medical Administrative Assistant since 2009. She has worked at the Washington D.C. VA Medical Center for the past eight years. She provides invaluable administrative support to VA programs. At the WRIISC-DC, Ms. Cherry schedules patients for WRIISC programs and responds to all consults. She works in the WRIISC-DC front office and responds quickly to all Veteran and staff concerns. She also tracks and documents all administrative activities for the WRIISC-DC. Ms. Cherry also provides medical administrative support to all of the WRIISC-DC programs.

Contact Ms. Cherry at: 202-745-8249   or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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• Position: Neurologist

Dr. Do is a WRIISC-DC Neurologist involved in comprehensive evaluation and treatment of Veterans with sleep difficulties. He is a graduate from the Georgetown University Hospital Neurology Residency Program. Dr. Do was a neurology resident at the Washington, D.C. VA Medical Center during his training and has seen a number of Veterans with a variety of neurological and other deployment-related illnesses and/or injuries. His primary research interest includes sleep problems related to deployment.

Contact Dr. Do at: 202-745-8249  or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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• Position: Acupuncturist

Ms. Duncan has over twenty years of experience using acupuncture in the treatment of traumatic stress. She has been with the WRIISC-DC since 2007. During this time, she has performed acupuncture on a number of Veterans with post-deployment health concerns including phantom limb pain, chronic musculoskeletal pain, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and adjustment disorder. Many of these Veterans have noted significant improvement in their health symptoms as a result of her acupuncture. Ms. Duncan's research background includes serving as Assessing Acupuncturist in the 2006 Acupuncture and PTSD Study at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), consulting on the clinical design for a VA Merit Grant that will explore the effect of acupuncture for combat veterans with PTSD-related sleep difficulties, and serving as a Research and Clinical Consultant to the Samueli Institute on a study evaluating the use of acupuncture for the treatment of chronic headaches amongst veterans with mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries. Ms. Duncan also designed and served as Clinical Director for a Restore & Renew Wellness Clinic® at Walter Reed Army Medical Center - a weekly, walk-in stress reduction clinic that served clinical and administrative staff using acupuncture and therapeutic bodywork during 2007 and 2008. Ms. Duncan received her Acupuncture Master's Degree from TAI Sophia Institute in 1990, and completed Somatic Experiencing training in 2007.

Contact Ms. Duncan at: 202-745-8249   or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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• Position: Post-doctoral fellow

Dr. Hull is currently completing a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in clinical and research neuropsychology at the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC) at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, DC. She also completed her predoctoral internship, specializing in neuropsychology, at the Washington, DC VA Medical Center. She received academic training in clinical psychology, and her graduate research focused on cognitive functioning in Veterans at an outpatient polytrauma clinic. Nutritional psychology/neuropsychology, CAM influences on cognition and well-being, traumatic brain injury, and neuropsychology of PTSD are her current research interests. Additionally, Dr. Hull’s clinical experiences include training in individual, group, and family therapy.

Contact Dr. Hull at: 202-745-8000 ext. 7241 or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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• Position: National Referral Program Coordinator

Ms. Jasper joined the WRIISC team as a Physician Assistant in 2009 and serves as the National Referral Program Coordinator. Her professional experiences include practicing as a Physician Assistant since 1974 in clinical areas to include primary care, neurology, surgery, geriatrics, women’s health, and complementary medicine. Her research interests and involvement include minority health education, vascular surgery, Veterans’ health and complimentary medicine. She is a Co-Investigator for a VA Merit Grant that will explore the effect of acupuncture for combat Veterans with PTSD-related sleep difficulties. Ms. Jasper also serves as the VA Washington DC Physician Assistant Education Coordinator. She is an Associate Professor and Chairperson Emeritus of the Physician Assistant Departments of Howard University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Contact Ms. Jasper at: 202-745-8000 ext. 6234 or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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• Position: Research Associate

Mr. Jecmen serves as Program Coordinator at the WRIISC-DC.  His objective with the WRIISC includes research in complementary and integrative medicine as well as research and program support for clinical programs. He manages the WRIISC clinical and research databases and is a lead contributor for WRIISC technology and media solutions.  He is a licensed acupuncturist in Maryland where he operates his private practice and is a certified Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist through the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association. He obtained his Masters degree in Acupuncture from TAI Sophia and his B.A from Western State College of Colorado. He joined the WRIISC team in 2010.

Contact Mr. Jecmen at: 202-745-8000 ext. 6236 or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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• Position: Neurologist

Dr. Li is a WRIISC-DC neurologist who provides clinical care to Veterans seen at the WRIISC-DC. His duties include evaluating Veterans with post-deployment health concerns and providing education on war-related illnesses to medical students, residents, and clinical fellows who rotate through the WRIISC. He has been a senior staff fellow at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and has experience in evaluating diseases caused by environmental neuro-toxins. He is currently a clinical Associate Professor of Neurology at the George Washington University. Dr. Li completed his neurology residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and has a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. His research interests include autonomic disorders, brain injuries, and neuro-toxic disorders. Dr. Li is currently the Principal Investigator for two VA Merit studies looking at the autonomic and motor neuron functions of Veterans.

Contact Dr. Li at: 202-745-8249   or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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• Position: Administrative Officer

Ms. Lomax has been the WRIISC-DC Administrative Officer since 2001. She is a longstanding employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs and has considerable experience in organizing clinical programs, overseeing administrative staff and personnel issues, troubleshooting day to day operational issues, and ensuring that budgets and fiscal programs are conducted in accordance with VA regulations. Ms. Lomax also has worked extensively with Veterans to ensure that Veteran feedback is incorporated into strengthening the WRIISC-DC program.

Contact Ms. Lomax at: 202-745-8000 ext. 6533 or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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• Position: Neuropsychologist

Dr. McCoy is a licensed neuropsychologist with WRIISC-DC. She was educated at Barnard College of Columbia University and at The Wright Institute. In addition to neuropsychology, Dr. McCoy has clinical training in individual, couples, family and group psychotherapies. Social cognition, positive psychology, and post-deployment mental health are her current research interests. Dr. McCoy is pleased to be part of the multidisciplinary WRIISC team and is committed to the WRIISC mission to serve those who have served our country.

Contact Dr. McCoy at: 202-745-8000 ext. 5475 or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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• Position: Environmental Exposure Specialist

Ms. Prisco is an adult nurse practitioner who serves as the environmental exposure specialist for WRIISC-DC. She obtained her B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and her M.S.N. from Yale University. She has worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs since 1994 and was an Army Nurse Corps Officer in the United States Army Reserve. She has published several articles in the areas of infectious disease and post-deployment health. Ms. Prisco is the Principal Investigator for a VA Merit Grant that will explore how complementary and alternative medicine may help combat Veterans with PTSD-related sleep difficulties. She also is a co-investigator for a VA funded study that developed an Environmental Exposure Assessment Tool for combat Veterans returning from Iraq and/or Afghanistan. Ms. Prisco’s research interests include public policy issues, environmental exposure concerns, web-based educational programming, and complementary and alternative medicine. She also is the WRIISC-DC webmaster.

Contact Ms. Prisco at: 202-745-8000 ext. 6235 or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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• Position: Certified Yoga Instructor

Ms. Soltes is a yoga therapist at the WRIISC-DC. She has been with the WRIISC-DC since 2007 and teaches Veterans and other VA staff a yoga therapy practice called iRest Yoga Nidra. iRest Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation practice that has been used to help people with many physical and psychological health symptoms. Ms. Soltes received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas in 1976 and her M.S.W. and M.A. in Education from Washington University in St. Louis in 1979. She also has completed post-graduate education in family therapy at the Menninger Foundation. She has worked in a variety of mental health settings over the past 30 years. In addition, Ms. Soltes is a Registered Yoga Teacher and Certified iRest Yoga Nidra Teacher. Her long time career interest is to weave her training and experience in psychotherapy with contemplative practices to provide adjunctive treatment for PTSD, and other symptoms associated with trauma, such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.

Contact Ms. Soltes at: 202-745-8249  or WRIISC.DC@va.gov

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