UCLA/VA Trains Formerly Homeless Veterans in Research

A two-year, $296,980 grant funds a project training seven veterans who previously experienced homelessness in research and body mapping.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Military Jobs

UCLA/VA Trains Formerly Homeless Veterans in Research

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The UCLA/VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery is training seven veterans who previously experienced homelessness in the fundamentals of scientific research and body mapping. The project is funded by a two-year, $296,980 grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

Why it matters

Research is often investigator-led, and the priorities it pursues are not always set by the people it affects. The project aims to bring veterans' own experiences into the design of future veteran healthcare research in Los Angeles and beyond.

The project is funded by a two-year, $296,980 grant for seven participants, while veteran homelessness has declined about 50% over the past 15 years according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The 2025 Homeless Count estimated about 3,050 veterans homeless in Los Angeles, and the research agenda the veterans will shape remains undefined.

The players

UCLA/VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery

A research center administering the project that trains veterans in scientific research and body mapping.

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

A nonprofit that funds research focused on patient experiences in healthcare, which provided the $296,980 grant for this project.

Department of Veterans Affairs

The federal agency that reported veteran homelessness has declined by about 50% over the past 15 years.

The details

Participants learn research fundamentals, explore the therapeutic benefits of body mapping, an art therapy in which they outline their body on paper and draw artwork representing their experiences, and work with early-career investigators to develop research questions about veteran healthcare. Researchers hope to identify common themes in participants' body maps and critical questions for a veteran-centered research agenda.

2025: Homeless Count estimated about 3,050 veterans homeless in Los Angeles.
Past 15 years: Veteran homelessness declined about 50%, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Two-year period: Grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute funds the project.

Roadmap

The project applies the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute's model of funding research shaped by the experiences of those it studies to a population of veterans who previously experienced homelessness. It extends a broader movement in healthcare research toward giving affected communities a direct role in setting the questions investigators pursue.

Veterans who have experienced homelessness may find new pathways into research roles that draw on their lived experience. The project's findings could eventually shape healthcare services that better reflect the needs of veterans in Los Angeles.

The takeaway

Involving people with lived experience in research design can surface priorities that investigator-led studies may miss. Veterans and advocates interested in similar opportunities can look to research programs that actively recruit community members.