Melissa Polusny, Ph.D., L.P.

ARMOR Project Principal Investigator

Dr. Polusny has conducted federally funded (VA, NIH, DOD) research in the areas of trauma and PTSD for the past 23 years, resulting in over 100 peer reviewed publications. Since 2006, she has directed the Readiness and Resilience in National Guard Soldiers (R.I.N.G.S.) research lab at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center and successfully conducted a series of longitudinal cohort studies using mailed survey methods with over 6,000 veterans. Currently, she is the PI on the NIH-NCCIH funded ARMOR Project. As a national trainer and consultant for VA's Dissemination of Evidence-Based PTSD Treatment Initiative for ten years, she has extensive experience training and providing consultation to VA clinicians in Prolonged Exposure. Dr. Polusny is a Professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and a Clinician Investigator/Staff Clinical Psychologist at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Core Investigator in the Center for Care Delivery and Outcomes Research (CCDOR) - a VA HSR&D Center of Innovation. As a full time VA employee, 85% of her time is devoted to research, mentoring, and training, and 15% to clinical work.