Speaker Biographies
Dr. James Boehnlein - After completing psychiatry residency training at OHSU, Dr. Boehnlein was a VA/Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia VA Medical Center, where he received his masters in
medical anthropology. He has been Associate Director for Education for the VA Northwest MIRECC since its inception in 1998,
has been the Director of Medical Student Education for OHSU’s Department of Psychiatry since 1993, and was OHSU’s Assistant
Dean for Curriculum from 1997-2005. For the past 23 years he has been a staff psychiatrist at the Portland VAMC Mental Health
Clinic and at OHSU’s Intercultural Psychiatric Program, where he has treated Southeast Asian and Central American refugees.
His research has focused on cross-cultural psychiatry (particularly cultural and anthropological perspectives on posttraumatic
stress disorder and long-term adjustment of traumatized refugees), the interface of culture and medical ethics, spiritual issues in
psychiatry and psychological trauma, and on medical education. He is board certified in both general and forensic psychiatry. He
is currently President of the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture, an international association of psychiatric and social
science researchers and educators.
George Cavallo
George Cavallo is on contract with the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs to be the Vet Corps Project Coordinator.
He retired from the Coast Guard ffive years ago after serving 20 years as a Helicopter Rescue swimmer and is currently attending
the Seattle Art Institute part-time in photography. Last year he worked at Cascadia College as part of the AmeriCorps VetCorps
team. As a part of VetCorps, he was there to help veterans navigate through the complex and frustrating transition associated
with going back to school. His mission was to help them respond to issues they might have as they continued their education in
the civilian environment. He offered services like mentoring, academic advising and educational planning on how to apply military
skills in the classroom. This year George is co-managing 35 Vet Corps members spread throughout the state of Washington at
colleges and other sites and has been instrumental in growing and fostering this new concept of service for veterans and their
spouses.
Lori Daniels, Ph.D., LCSW
Dr. Daniels is currently the military sexual trauma psychotherapist for the Portland (OR) Vet Center. She earned her MSW from
the University of Chicago in 1987 and worked as a social worker/psychotherapist for the VAMC American Lake (Tacoma, WA)
inpatient and outpatient PTSD programs until 1992 when she moved to Honolulu. She then worked as the Director of the PTSD
Clinical Team of the Honolulu VAM&ROC (1992 – 2001). After receiving her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of
Hawaii – Manoa in 2002, Dr. Daniels worked as Assistant Professor of Social Work for Hawai‘i Pacific University (Honolulu, HI)
and as a Consultant with the National Center for PTSD – Pacific Islands Division until 2008. For the past 16 years, Dr. Daniels
has presented information about her work with war-related PTSD at several International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies
Annual Meetings, and has been the Co-chair of a community-based conference: Stress, Violence, and Trauma: Promoting
Community Resilience (Honolulu, HI) from 2004-2009. She currently facilitates two women’s veteran trauma groups out of the
Portland Vet Center, as well as sees female and male MST survivors through individual psychotherapy.
Eileen Devine
Eileen Devine is the network homeless coordinator for the VHA’s VISN 20 which covers Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska.
She is a licensed clinical social worker and worked at the Portland VA Medical Center for 8 years prior to her transition to the
VISN office. While at PVAMC, she managed several programs in the mental health division. The first were programs specifically
for veterans who had chronic and persistent mental illness. Most recently she was manager of the Health Care for Homeless
Veterans programs.
Larry Dewey, MD
Larry Dewey, MD is a clinical associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is the author of War and
Redemption, a text on the treatment of PTSD written for clinicians, soldiers, their families, and the interested public. He has
treated combat vets from WWII and every subsequent war and conflict for nearly 30 years and was honored as the physician
“Health Care Hero 2007” in the State of Idaho in 2007 for his work with veterans. He was raised on a farm in Idaho but graduated
from Harvard College in 1975. He obtained his medical degree from Harvard in 1979 and completed a four year fellowship in
psychiatry and medicine at Yale in 1983. He has dedicated his professional life to the treatment of our nation’s veterans.
Roger Dowdy is a licensed clinical social worker who has worked in a variety of mental health crisis settings - including the
Emergency Room at Harborview Medical Center and as a King County Designated Mental Health Professional. In his current role
with the Department of Veteran Affairs' Puget Sound Health Care System, he serves as the Associate Social Work Director for
Mental Health Services as well as Director of Suicide Prevention Programs. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University
of Washington School of Social Work as well as Faculty for the Department of Veteran Affairs' Center of Excellence in Substance
Abuse Treatment and Education.
Mark Fischer
Mark is the program manager of the Veterans Conservation Corps for the Washington State Department of Veteran Affairs. This
is a new program for the Department, started in July of 2005. Mark has almost 30 years of experience working with veterans with
combat stress and other issues related to their Service. He has a Masters in Behavioral Science and a Bachelors Degree in
Biology. The goal of the Veterans Conservation Corps is to encourage veterans to engage themselves in a new “mission”,
whether that is through a meaningful job, enrolling in college, or starting a small business that gives them a sense of purpose.
Our “mission” at the Veterans Conservation Corps is to help conserve natural resources, especially our most important natural
resource, our veterans.
Recently, the Veterans Conservation Corps has taken on the beta testing for the Vet Corps (AmeriCorps) program through the
Washington State Commission for National Service. The Vet Corps rolled out officially in the Fall of 2010 under the new Edward
M. Kennedy Serve Act. For this year, 2010-11 there are 35 Vet Corps members in total, spread out through the state of
Washington in community colleges, four year colleges, and the Warrior Transition Battalion at Ft. Lewis, WA.
Beth Hammonds
Beth Hammonds, MS, LMHC, Director of Adult Services, has worked in the community mental health system in Washington state
for more than 25 years and is a regional leader in the development of consumer-driven projects, peer support programs and
wellness-focused mental health services. She facilitates several consumer groups, such as Developing WRAP (Wellness and
Recovery Action Plan), an evidence-based practice for developing self-management skills in consumers. In partnership with the
Washington Institute for Mental Illness Research and Training, Beth is currently leading the development of a research-based
project aimed at improving the wellness education and health of persons enrolled in community mental health centers using
structured curricula developed by peers. In addition to promoting a recovery and wellness philosophy of care, she engages in
continuing efforts to enhance cultural competency and develop flexible models of service delivery that can be easily adapted to
meet the emerging and evolving needs of diverse populations that represent the communities we serve. She has particular
expertise in implementing recovery services, consumer-driven projects and peer support programs for persons with mental illness.
Charles W. Hoge, MD, Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired) directed the U.S. military's premiere research program on the mental health
and neurological effects of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2002 to 2009 at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. He
deployed to Iraq in 2004 to improve combat stress care. A national expert on war-related mental health issues and traumatic brain
injury, Dr. Hoge has testified to Congress and is interviewed frequently by national news organizations. His articles on PTSD, mild
traumatic brain injury (mTBI), and stigma are the most frequently cited medical publications from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He continues to work as a staff psychiatrist treating service members, veterans, and family members. He lives in the Washington,
D.C. area.
Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, a former US Army Staff Sergeant, served 5 years in the Airborne Infantry and as a Convoy Commander
during a yearlong combat tour in Iraq (2008 Bronze Star Recipient).
Early in his military career, Kyle developed a knack for “telling the soldier’s story” through film and, with camera always in hand
from the swamps of Fort Polk to the deserts of Iraq, has created an anthology of short films that canvas an eclectic variety of
military experiences.
Kyle completed film studies/received honors at ASU, UCLA, Universidad de Madrid, and in 2010, completed his degree at the
USC School of Cinematic Arts.
Kyle's soldier-centered films have won various awards at national film festivals and his autobiographical PTSD short ("Now, After")
was received so well by the VA that it is currently used in hospitals, universities, police stations, and courtrooms across the
country.
Kyle is the owner/operator of Blue Three Productions, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Film/Video Production Company, which
has created educational and advertising projects for clients such as VA’s Vet Center, FDA, and most recently a national PSA for
the 1-877-WAR-VETS hotline.
Kyle has showcased his works at a variety of veteran mental health conferences across the country and continues to work with
any organization dedicated to addressing the issues facing today’s returning veterans.
Belinda Maddy
Veterans Justice Outreach Coordinator for the Portland VA Medical Center. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and worked on
the Complex Addictions Team at the VA starting in 2006. I co-founded a Women’s Program in Substance Abuse Treatment. Prior
to joining the VA, I worked in the criminal justice system for 24 years. I was a founding member of the Domestic Violence
Prosecution Center in Clark County and served as the lead Paralegal. I started my career as a police specialist at the Clark
County Sheriff’s Office. I have worked as a liaison, administrator and paralegal and been involved in development and
implementation of several different types of courts, developing and implementation of the first statewide integrated computer
system for criminal justice and a training officer for my unit at the Sheriff’s Office. I am active in the community and provide pro
bono services to the YWCA Sexual Assault Program.
Michael J. Maxwell, MS
Michael J. Maxwell is a veteran who has been working with combat veterans for the past thirty years in various capacities. He
began his career working at a community based program for Vietnam Veterans in Portland OR in the late 70’s. He went on to
help open the Portland Vet Center in 1980 and served as a counselor and then as Team Leader. He began working in the VA
Medical Center in 1987 and over the next twenty years he worked as a PTSD coordinator, Assistant Chief of the Drug and Alcohol
Program, Coordinator for the PTSD Clinical Team, and Fee Mental Health Coordinator. He has published articles and chapters
on treatment for PTSD and has presented at numerous workshops and conferences on the treatment of PTSD. He is currently a
contractor for the VA Medical Center in Portland and is doing teaching and consulting on working with veterans.
Dr. Miles McFall is Director of PTSD Programs and Director of Psychology Service at VA Puget Sound Health Care System. He
is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington, School of Medicine. He
is a funded investigator and published over 60 papers, including studies of pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments for
PTSD and research on reducing health risk behaviors in veterans with PTSD.
Dr. Adam Nelson received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in Fresno,
California, in 2005. He completed his clinical psychology internship at the Portland VA in 2004/2005 and then completed a two-
year post-doctoral residency in Neuropsychology at the VA Northern California Health Care System in Martinez. Currently, he is a
staff member of the Neuropsychology Service at the Portland VA Medical Center, and has been focusing the majority of his time
on evaluating the neuropsychological functioning of veterans returning from Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Dr.
Nelson also has strong clinical and research interests in geriatric neuropsychology.
Thomas Schumacher
Thomas Schumacher, M.S., LMHC, NCC, CTS is Director of the Washington State DVA Behavioral Health Programs. He is an Air
Force (SEA) veteran - 1966-70. From 1974-1990 Tom worked as a psychotherapist within a community mental health and private
practice, creating and directing (1982-90) Vet Center funded war trauma services in NW Washington. In 1983 Tom assisted to
create the nation’s first state funded PTSD outpatient program, and named director in 1990. Tom has participated in numerous
WDVA-VA interagency projects, including founding team leader, Bellingham Vet Center, and coordinator of the Puget Sound
Health Care System – Mental Health Fee Services Program. In 1996 King County Veterans Program contracted with the WDVA
PTSD/War Trauma Program to expand counseling services, and in 2006 levy funds expanded the scope of these services. This
Conference is part of an extensive King County PTSD and Veteran awareness training effort, that also highlights a longstanding
PTSD educational partnership between King County, VA VISN 20, VA Medical Centers, Vet Centers, and the WDVA-PTSD
Program. Recent PTSD Program efforts include reshaping services to better reach post-VN generation war veterans. Tom is
publisher of the Repetition and Avoidance Quarterly (RAQ), a treatment provider newsletter. He is a charter member of the
International Society of Traumatic Stress, and other trauma and counseling profession organizations.
Dr. Ray Scurfield
Dr. Ray Scurfield is a Professor of Social Work and former Director of the Katrina Research Center, University of Southern
Mississippi Gulf Coast. His 15 teaching and service awards include 2006 Mississippi NASW Social Worker of the Year and a
University “Hero of Katrina” for his post-Katrina counseling and service in the wake of the destruction of the Southern Miss Gulf
Coast campus and severe damages to 12 communities along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Early in his career, he was the social
work officer on an Army psychiatric team in Vietnam in 1968-69. Then, he had a 25 year career with the VA, mostly leading
regional and national PTSD programs, to include being the first Director of the VA National Center for PTSD in Honolulu (1992-
97). He has made over 400 presentations & media appearances and has some 70 publications. His Vietnam Trilogy of books
includes: War Trauma. Lessons Unlearned From Vietnam to Iraq (2006) and he has several publications on Hurricane Katrina and
the nexus between war and natural disasters. Currently, while on sabbatical (2010-11), he is co-editing a new book with COL
Kathy Platoni, War Trauma & Its Wake. Expanding the Circle of Healing.
Dr. Nancy Sloan, is a Nurse Practitioner, and the Women’s Veterans Health Program Manager for the VA Medical Center,
Portland. She works to champion the needs of women Veterans and also provides some clinical care for primary care patients
experiencing multiple complex health challenges. In addition, she oversees women’s health in satellite clinics in offsite VA
locations so that women veteran’s concerns are met within the entire Oregon VA health system.
Scott Swaim, USAFV, LMHC is the Director of Veteran Services at Valley Cities Counseling, and a contractor for the Washington
Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA), War Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Program. Swaim serves as
President of Milspec Advisory Group, a consulting agency focusing on military and veteran issues.
Swaim has 18 years of experience directing programs in community mental health that have made significant improvement in
systems of care and quality of life of underserved populations. He has consulted for numerous governmental and private agencies
on how to best serve the military, veterans, and their families. He is one of the foremost experts on military and veteran culture.
He has conducted trainings on Military/Veteran Culture, Veteran-Informed Care, Military Trauma and PTSD to educators, first
responders, attorneys, mental health/substance abuse providers, tribal representatives and military families.
Swaim is a US Air Force, Gulf War Veteran and a licensed mental health counselor. He is a member of the International Society
for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS), American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Disabled American Veterans.
Shilo Tippett, PhD
Shilo Tippett, PhD is a psychologist in the PTSD Outpatient Clinic (POC). She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from
Oklahoma State University in 2006 and completed internship and postdoctoral training at the Seattle VA in 2006 and 2007. She is
licensed in the state of Washington and is an Acting Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the
University of Washington School of Medicine. She provides individual and group psychotherapy predominately to Iraq and
Afghanistan war veterans with a variety of concerns including posttraumatic stress disorder, major depression, and traumatic brain
injury. In addition, she is a committee member on the Joint American Indian Veterans Advisory Committee and the Minority
Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee at the Seattle VA. Her theoretical orientation is predominately cognitive-behavioral and her
clinical interests include individual, group, and couples therapy. Dr. Tippett is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs Oregon and the Sealaska Corporation of Alaska. She has a range of experience and expertise in the area of American
Indian and minority mental health.
Kevin Wright
Kevin has worked with the WSU 4-H program for 20+ years. He worked in King County and then moved to the State 4-H Office.
He is responsible for staff development and risk management. Kevin currently works half time for the USDA on the National
Operation: Military Kids Project.