By Melanie Kieve, Public Information Director
College of Health, Education, and Human Development
Eugene T. Moore School of Education
Helping military members transition to civilian life will be the focus of an upcoming conference sponsored by Clemson University, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Upstate Warrior Solution and Greenville Health System – and Clemson faculty and staff interested in research connected with this effort are invited to be a part of the day.
“Coming Home: Key Transitions for Warriors and Families” will be held Thursday, June 18, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at GHS’ Greenville Memorial Hospital (701 Grove Road, Greenville). The symposium will cover best practices identified by researchers and service providers for assisting warriors and their families with the transition from active duty to civilian life, including topics such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), recreational therapy, and heart rate variability.
Research poster presentations and vendor exhibits will be part of the day, as well as speakers including:
- Michael Riordan, CEO, Greenville Health System
- Robert Jones, provost, Clemson University
- Timothy McMurry, director, Dorn VA Medical Center
- Marissa Shuffler, James McCubbin, Cynthia Pury, Thomas Britt and Heidi Zinzow, Clemson University Department of Psychology
- Brent Hawkins and Jasmine Townsend, Clemson University Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management
- Greg Linke, Clemson Pre-collegiate Programs Office
- Gen. Mastin Robeson (retired, U.S. Marine Corps)
- Jim Capobianco (retired, U.S. Army), VA Greenville Community Outpatient Clinic
- John Jachna, licensed psychiatrist and geropsychiatrist
- Charlie Hall (U.S. Marine Corps Reserves), Upstate Warrior Solution
- Jack Ginsberg and Christian Graves, Dorn VA Medical Center and the University of South Carolina School of Medicine
- Mark O’Rourke and Alex Christ, GHS Cancer Institute
- Tim Wiles, Renovo Advantage Human Capital Services.
Presentations will be held until 4 p.m., when the conference will close with a showing and discussion of the documentary, “High Ground,” which follows 11 wounded veterans as they climb Mount Lobuche in the Himalayan mountains.
“The goals of the conference are to provide information about three things: the experience of transitioning from military to home and community, the programs that are available to military and their families to assist with the transition, and the most current research and best practices to optimize health and facilitate transition,” said Clemson public health sciences faculty member Cheryl Dye, who is helping lead the event with others from GHS and the VA.
The event is open to service members, veterans and their families as well as healthcare and social service providers and researchers. The conference is free but pre-registration is required and seating is limited. Lunch will be provided. To register, call 877-GHS-INFO (877-447-4636) or visit ghs.org/healthevents.
