In an exchange of ideas that could promote the well-being of all veterans--regardless of nationality--David Pedlar, research director at Veterans Affairs Canada, joined CIR as a Fulbright visiting research chair in military social work. Pedlar's work will focus on gathering best practices on improving transition from military service to civilian life for veterans. Read more

A more robust military social work track debuted at this year's annual conference of the Society for Social Work and Research that highlighted research by the USC School of Social Work. Held in the District of Cloumbia last month, more than a dozen presentations involved school researchers, including nine that stemmed from data gathered by the school's Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families. Read more

Thanks to efforts from the USC School of Social Work and the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative, the Los Angeles Unified School District is identifying students with military ties. LAUSD is the largest school district in the country to ask whether a student has a parent serving on active duty, with the National Guard or Reserves, or is a veteran--information that will help schools provide added support to military-connected children. Read more

Hosted by AT&T, AUDIENCE Network and the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative, a recent screening of the documentary "Jobs for GIs," along with a panel discussion, placed a spotlight on local veteran hiring issues. The documentary follows five veterans navigating the civilian job market In Los Angeles County and using different assistance agencies to help them find the best fit. Read more

CIR recently hosted a discussion with Edward Tick, PhD, executive director and co-founder of The Soldier's Heart, which seeks to restore the emotional, moral and spiritual wounds of service members that result from military service. Author of War and the Soul, Tick is an internationally recognized educator and expert on PTSD and psychology of military-related issues. The audio recording of Tick's discussion is available online. Listen here