Breaking the Stigma: Understanding Veteran Mental Health with Dr. Ron Acierno

This week on Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek welcomes Dr. Ron Acierno, professor and vice chair of Veterans Affairs in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School, and executive director of the UTHealth Trauma and Resilience Center. With more than 150 published articles, 30 book chapters, and decades of groundbreaking research, Dr. Acierno is a leading voice on trauma, resilience, and veteran mental health.

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Acierno and Dr. Meek explore:

• The realities and misconceptions surrounding post-trauma stress and why language matters.

• The urgent challenges of veteran suicide, moral injury, and stigma around seeking care.
  
  

• How trauma affects not only service members but also spouses, partners, and children and what whole-family healing can look like.
  
  

• Breakthroughs in treatment approaches, including telemedicine, peer-to-peer support, and innovative interventions that save lives.
  
  

• Insights from working with veterans across generations, from Korea and Vietnam to today's post-9/11 era.
  
  

Dr. Acierno also discusses his research on elder abuse, the future of trauma treatment, and how digital platforms and artificial intelligence may shape mental health care moving forward.

Whether you are a veteran, a family member, a clinician, or someone seeking a deeper understanding of trauma and resilience, this episode offers wisdom, hope, and actionable insights.

About Dr. Ronald Acierno: Ron Acierno is a professor and vice chair of Veterans Affairs in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School. He also serves as the Executive Director of the UTHealth Trauma and Resilience Center (TRC). Acierno has two related but distinct research foci: epidemiological studies of elder mistreatment and treatment outcome studies, focusing on victims of trauma, disaster, combat or loss. He has served as Principal Investigator on grants from NIA, NIMH, NIJ, the Department of Defense, The Department of Veterans Affairs, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, the Archstone Foundation, and the Retirement Research Foundation. Thus Acierno mixes epidemiological research with treatment outcome research, and keeps close to the clinical world as a clinician-administrator for treatment programs serving both civilian and military traumatized populations. Acierno has also been recognized for his personal investment in the mentoring of others, with over 20 current faculty researchers across the country having worked alongside him in his lab over the years. Acierno has over 150 published articles and 30 book chapters, and has served on the Editorial Boards of several journals. In addition, he is a member of several grant review committees for the VA, NIH, and DoD. Finally, he has worked on special expert panels in the areas of elder abuse for the CDC, the WHO, and the NIJ.