Virginia Via Research Day Book 2026

Medical Student Research Clinical

Kathryn Bower, Jahanvi Duggal, Elizabeth Santos, Laura Curry, Katherine Woods, Sarika Patel, Parker Miller, Tayler Vebares, Daniel Bullock, Meagan Brem, Samantha Meckes, Anne Black, William Becker, Katherine Hadlandsmyth, Jennifer Naylor, Rena E. Courtney Corresponding author: bowerk@vt.edu VTC School of Medicine (SOM); NC State University; Palo Alto University; Salem Virginia Health Care System; Durham Virginia Medical Center; Duke University SOM; Virginia Connecticut; Yale SOM; Iowa City Virginia; University of Iowa; Virginia Tech; VISN 6 MIRECC REACH AND FEASIBILITY OF A CHRONIC PAIN EDUCATION CLASS IN A RURAL RESIDENTIAL SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENT PROGRAM FOR VETERANS: DOM FAST TRACK 10

following the class's inception who were offered to participate in Dom Fast Track classes as part of their residential SUD treatment plan. Data was extracted from the electronic medical record,including demographics, participation in Dom Fast Track classes, Dom Fast Track class attendance rates, referrals to the Salem VAHCS's pain IDT program, and follow-through with the initial appointment in the IDT program. Reach was defined as the number of Veterans with CP entering the SUD program who opted in to pain psychoeducation classes. Feasibility was de-fined as the number of participants completing at least 2 of the 3 Dom Fast Track classes. Descriptive statistics summarized the data, and independent sample t-tests compared demographics between those opting in and those not. Results: Among 61 Veterans admitted to the residential SUD program during the study interval, 33 indi-viduals (55%) reported having chronic pain. Of those, 27 Veterans (81.8%) agreed to engage in Dom Fast Track. Seventeen (62.9%) completed at least two classes. Of those who completed at least two classes (i.e., eligible for pain IDT referral), 12 Veterans (70.6%) requested a referral to the pain IDT program and of those, 11 (91.7%) attended the first appointment with pain IDT. There were no significant differences in sex,

age, and race between those who opted in and those who did not. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that structured pain psychoeducation can be feasibly integrated as a behavioral intervention for Veterans presenting with co-occurring SUD and CP within a VA residen-tial SUD treatment setting. High engagement rates across sequential intervention stages provide prelim-inary evidence that systematized interventions can effectively facilitate care pathways connecting Vet-erans with co-occurring CP and SUD to evidence-based pain care. These pilot data suggest potential scalability of this intervention model. Future controlled investigations are warranted to systematically evaluate treatment effectiveness, identify optimal implementation frameworks, and assess generaliza-bility across diverse VA healthcare settings and Veteran subpopulations. IRB Statement: This project was reviewed and approved as non-research by the Salem VAHCS Institu-tional Review Board Chair.

Context: Military Veterans experience higher rates of substance use disorders (SUD) and chronic pain (CP) compared to their civilian counterparts. These two conditions often co-occur, exacerbating symp toms and worsening treatment outcomes. Clinical practice guidelines recommend an integrated treat ment approach for co-occurring CP and SUD, yet few integrated, evidence-based treatments exist in the field. Approximately 25% of those seeking residential treatment for SUDs report chronic pain. Thus, pain education classes among Veterans who are engaged in residential treatment for SUDs may be a unique opportunity to facilitate integrated treatment for these debilitating conditions. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the reach and feasibility of a psychoeducation class (“Dom Fast Track”) with subsequent pain interdisciplinary team (IDT) referral for Veterans enrolled in residential SUD treatment at the Salem VA Health Care System (Salem VAHCS) that primarily serves rural Central Appa lachian Veterans. Methods: This quality improvement study at the Salem VAHCS encompassed all Veterans admitted to the residential SUD program during the 14 months

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181 2026 Research Recognition Day