Development of Research Proposal and Registry to Evaluate the Potential Effectiveness of Psychiatric Service Dogs in Treating PTSD in Veterans

Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) has an interest in the benefits of psychiatric service dog for those Veterans diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Canada. In 2013 VAC commissioned a report on the use of psychiatric service dogs (PSDs) as an intervention to assist individuals with a mental health condition. The report found that while the current state of the research is very limited, there is anecdotal evidence that PSDs might assist persons who live with PTSD. However existing research on these questions is not conclusive. VAC intends to fund a 24 month pilot study to investigate the potential benefits and risks of PSDs in functionally assisting Veterans who have PTSD to inform policy development. The Department requires a detailed proposal that articulates how researchers would develop, conduct and report on this pilot study according to specified goals and objectives.

The Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR) has entered into partnership with the Government of Canada to procure Research and Development Services related to the mental, social and physical wellbeing of active military members, Veterans and their families. CIMVHR is seeking Notices of Interest from researchers to enter into a contract with CIMVHR to produce this Work.

The successful candidate will have the following minimum qualifications:

 _An MD or PhD in a relevant discipline;

 _Demonstrated experience with the research design of applied complex studies;

 _Demonstrated experience and knowledge in the domain of mental health and more specifically in the area of PTSD;

 _Demonstrated experience working in the area of Veteran health research and an understanding of the unique mental health needs of Canadian Veteran populations;

 _A faculty appointment at or formal affiliation with one of CIMVHR’s 32 partner Universities (A list of partner Universities is available at www.cimvhr.ca);

 _Be able to meet project deliverables within 3 months of contract award.

 _Please see the attached Statement of Work (SOW) for more details.

Interested researchers may submit a notice of interest that includes:

 _Their CV;

 _A 1 page document (500 words max.) listing relevant experience;

 _A draft project budget as per the requirements of the SOW

Please submit applications by September 15th, 2014 to:

Mike Schaub,

Contracts and Publications Manager

Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research

Queen's University

Phone: 613-533-6000 Xt 79363