Living Stories
Since the opening of the first exhibit in November 2012, the project’s reach has expanded steadily, moving audiences both within and beyond the VA. The exhibit has now traveled to venues in six states and will add another two states before the end of 2015. A core group of veteran partners remain involved in the project, collaborating with Dr. True to reach audiences across the health professions and the general public through scholarly articles, virtual training events, media coverage, and a wide variety of speaking engagements.
Installations
Upcoming
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX. Planned for Aug to Dec 2015.
Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Louisville, KY. Planned for Nov 1-30, 2015.
Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center, Muskogee, OK. Planned for Jan to Mar 2016.
Past
White River Junction VA Medical Center, White River Jct, VT. May 26 to June 22, 2015.
Towson University, Towson, MD. Apr 17-18, 2015 (part of Media Methods Conference).
Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI. Mar 1 to Apr 17, 2015.
Fox Gallery, Claudia Cohen Hall, University of Pennsylvania. Feb 2-6, 2015.
Bedford VA Medical Center, Bedford, MA. Nov 1, 2014 to Feb 15, 2015.
Sesnon Art Gallery at Porter College Faculty Gallery, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA. Apr 10 to May 10, 2014.
The Wilma Theater, Philadelphia, PA. Mar 19 to Apr 20, 2014.
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA. Nov 7-9, 2013.
Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre, PA. Oct 25 to Dec 20, 2013.
The Soldiers Project Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA. October 3-6, 2013.
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine-Penn Tower, Philadelphia, PA. Apr 4 to May 15, 2013.
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA. Feb 13 to Apr 4, 2013.
Philadelphia VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Nov 12, 2012 to Feb 6, 2013.
Published articles
True G, Rigg K, Butler A. Understanding barriers to mental health care for recent war veterans through photovoice. Qualitative Health Research. 2014 Dec 8. doi:10.1177/1049732314562894.
Dichter ME, True G. “This is the story of why my military career ended before it should have:” premature separation from military service among U.S. women veterans. Affilia. 2014 Oct 15. doi:10.1177/0886109914555219.
Smith RT, True G. Warring identities: identity conflict and the mental distress of American veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Society and Mental Health. 2014 Jan 9. doi: 10.1177/2156869313512212.
True G, Patrick R, Console S. Wounded warriors and the healing power of stories: how veterans’ narratives can help us understand. Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal. 2012;10:1-3.
True G. How I learned to be satisfied with only part of the story [Online]. Anthropology News. 2012;53(4):s1-s56.
VA-sponsored educational events
True G. From War to Home: a photovoice collaboration with OEF/OIF veterans [Guest lecture]. Edith Nourse VA Medical Center Mental Health Grand Rounds; 2014 Nov 11; Bedford, MA.
True G. Veteran-identified sources of support for reintegration [Research presentation]. Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research; 2014 Nov 11; Bedford, MA.
True G, Johnson TJ, Pennycuick T. "More than Just a Number": OEF/OIF veterans’ visions for patient-centered care [Live virtual CME session]. 2014 Aug 21; MyVeHU Campus. Available here (requires login).
True G, Facundo R. The why and how of patient-centered care: learning from OEF/OIF veterans [Cyberseminar]. VA Health Services Research & Development Cyberseminar Series; 2014 Jun 18. Available here.
True G, Facundo R. From War to Home: through the veteran’s lens [Cyberseminar]. Veterans Health Administration, VISN 4 Virtual PACT Collaborative; 2012 Nov 15.
In the media
True G. Research Highlight: Exploring OEF/OIF Veterans' Perceptions of Patient-Centered Care through PhotoVoice. FORUM. May 2015:5. Available here.
Center for Public Health Initiatives. Fellow Feature: Gala True, PhD: Improving the Lives of US Veterans through Community-based, Participatory Research. Public Health at Penn. 2015 Apr 23. Available here.
VA Office of Research & Development. A Chat with Our Experts: From War to Home: Through the Veteran's Lens. VA Research Quarterly Update. 2015;Winter 2015:4-8. Available here.
Lewis B. VA officials shine light on new cooperation. 2014 Dec 7. Lowell Sun. 2015 Feb 9. Available here.
Scott M. Training healthcare provider to ‘win the hearts and minds’ of veterans [radio broadcast]. Newsworks/The Pulse 2014 Aug 14. 2015 Feb 9. Available here.
Female troops returning from deployment [radio broadcast]. WHYY. 2014 May 12. Featuring interview with FWTH participant Tiffany Johnson. Available here.
Coelho C. Returning vets face 'warring identities' in distress. Brown News. 2014 Mar 18. Available here.
Richter G. Grand rounds teaches nurses how to care for veterans “From War to Home”. Penn Medicine News Blog. 2014 Feb 13. Available here.
Scott M. Penn researcher helps health care providers win hearts, minds of veterans. Newsworks/The Pulse. 2014 Feb 9. Available here.
From War to Home: photographs taken by veterans help VA to better understand their experiences. Wilkes-Barre VAMC Horizons News Magazine. Winter 2013. Wilkes-Barre, PA: Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center. Available here.
Veterans Health Administration. From War to Home: Through the Veteran's Lens [online video]. Investigator Insights. 2013 Dec 18. Available here.
Kellar T. Photo exhibit tells the stories of Iraq, Afghanistan veterans. The Times Leader. 2013 Nov 16. Available here.
Exhibit of photos and stories by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans [bulletin]. University of Pennsylvania Almanac. 2013 Feb 12. Available here.
Moving up, moving out. War News Radio. Swarthmore, PA: Swarthmore College; 2013 Feb 8. Available here.
From War to Home. Penn Nursing News. 2013 Feb 7. Available here.
Vitez M. War stories, in words, photos. Philadelphia Inquirer. 2012 Nov 12. Available here.
Speaking engagements
True, G. From War to Home: creative expression and advocacy as pathways to recovery from trauma [Panel presentation]. Presented at the National Initiative for Arts and Health in the Military, 3rd Annual Conference, National Institutes of Health, Washington, DC;2015 Apr 27.
True, G. Photovoice: Approach, Methods, and Ethics. Paper presented at the Media Methods Conference, College of Liberal Arts, Towson University;2014 Apr 18.
True, G. Using photovoice and photo-elicitation methods in VA research: addressing questions around ethics, practice, and measurement [Cyberseminar]. VA Health Services Research & Development Cyberseminar Series;2015 Apr 16. Available here.
True G, Calica L, Bateman C, Callahan M, Davidson LR, Spinnato J, Wilson C. From War to Home: art, creativity, and advocacy as pathways to recovery from trauma [Invited panel discussion]. Center for Public Health Initiatives Seminar Series: Conversations around Cultures of Health; 2015 Feb 4; Philadelphia, PA.
True G. Visual methods and the participant as your collaborator. Center for Public Health Initiatives Mixed Methods Winter Institute; 2015 Jan 8; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
True G. From War to Home: understanding barriers to mental healthcare for recent war veterans [Grand Rounds lecture]. New Orleans, LA: Tulane University School of Medicine;2014 Dec 15.
True G. “Ticking Time Bombs:” Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and the publics of alarm. American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting; 2014 Dec 6; Washington, DC.
True G, Pennycuick T. From War to Home: an introduction to military cultural competency through the stories of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. PA Governor’s Veterans Forum; 2014 Nov 18; Harrisburg, PA.
Cain J, Fears KL, Tedeschi R, True G, Williams D. Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Panel [Webcast]. Washington, DC: Library of Congress; 2014 June 27. Available here.
True G, Facundo R. The why and how of patient-centered care: learning from OEF/OIF veterans [Cyberseminar]. Department of Veterans Affairs;2014 Jun 18. Available here.
True G, Bendler D, Johnson T. From War to Home: introduction to military cultural competency through the stories of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans [Grand Rounds lecture]. Philadelphia, PA: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; 2014 Apr 21.
Bateman C, Bendler D, Davidson L, Wilson C, True G. Representing the veteran experience [Panel discussion]. Philadelphia, PA: The Wilma Theater; 2014 Apr 1.
True G. From research to advocacy (and back again): experiences from a photovoice project with Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. Society for Applied Anthropology 74th Annual Meeting; 2014 Mar 22; Albuquerque, NM.
True G. From War to Home: A photovoice project with U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan [Guest lecture]. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania, Masters of Science Program in Health Policy Research; 2014 Mar 6.
True G, Bendler D. From War to Home: introduction to military cultural competency through the stories of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans [Grand Rounds lecture]. Philadelphia, PA: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; 2014 Feb 5.
True G, Cotter T, Davidson L. Beyond stigma: understanding barriers to care for OEF/OIF veterans through a photovoice study [CME lecture]. Wilkes-Barre, PA: Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center; 2013 Nov 15.
True G, Bendler D, Bertrand J. From War to Home: photos and stories of deployment and homecoming from U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Annual Meeting; 2013 Nov 8; Philadelphia, PA.
Bean N, True G, Davidson LR, Pennycuick T. Journaling & photovoice: narrative approaches. PA Veterans Forum: Community and Connections; 2013 Nov 7; Harrisburg, PA.
True G. An experience-centered approach to combat trauma narratives: exploring the role of disassociation and loss in post-traumatic stress. American Folklore Society Annual Meeting; 2013 Oct 25; New Orleans, LA.
True G. Beyond stigma: understanding barriers to care for OEF/OIF veterans through a photovoice study [Guest lecture] Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing; 2013 Oct 23.
Facundo R, True G. From War to Home: an exhibit of OEF/OIF veterans' photos and stories. The Soldiers Project Annual Conference; 2013 Oct 1; Los Angeles, CA.
True G. Beyond stigma: understanding barriers to care for OEF/OIF veterans through a photovoice study. Presented at: Portland VAMC; 2013 Sep 19; Portland, OR.
True G. Community-engaged Research with OEF/OIF veterans: Practical Considerations, Ethics, and Policy Implications. Presented at: Portland VAMC; Sep 20; Portland, OR.
True G, Fritch ES. Understanding and addressing barriers to care for Iraq and Afghan war veterans: findings from a photovoice study [Poster]. AcademyHealth/Annual Research Meeting; 2013 Jun 24; Baltimore, MD.
True G. From War to Home: methods, ethics, and outcomes of a photovoice project with OEF/OIF veterans [Guest lecture]. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Masters of Science Program in Health Policy Research; 2013 Jun 6.
True G, Facundo R. From War to Home: through the veteran’s lens [Cyberseminar]. Veterans Health Administration, VISN 4 Virtual PACT Collaborative; 2012 Nov 15.
Smith RT, True G. Warring identities: American veterans making sense of postwar identity and health. Society for Social Studies of Science / European Association for the Study of Science and Technology Annual Meeting; 2012 Oct 19; Copenhagen, Denmark.
