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National Institute for Human Resilience
Empowering Human Resilience Through Scientific Discovery and Strength-Based Innovation
Empowering Human Resilience Through Scientific Discovery and Strength-Based Innovation
Our Mission is to advance knowledge of human resilience by pursuing basic science on adaptation and discovery of strength-based solutions through innovative and interdisciplinary research, education, and community engagement. We will transform care and change the scientific dialogue from one of illness and disability to one of strength and empowerment.
The Trauma, Health and Hazards center has been subsumed by the NIHR. While navigating the site, you may see past information from the THHC. Click Here to find out the latest about what's happening in the NIHR, and past news from the THHC!
NIHR News and Events & Past THHC News
January 12th, 2021
Dr. Kristi Samuelson and colleagues have published two new papers titled "The Power of Appraisals in Predicting PTSD Symptom Improvement Following Cognitive Rehabilitation: A Randomized Clinical Trial" and "Cognitive Training for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder." Click the links to view the full articles!
January 11th, 2021
Dr. Kristi Samuelson, associate professor and director of clinical training in psychology, and faculty director of clinical research at the NIHR, became the 50th faculty member to surpass one million dollars in funding at UCCS! Click here to learn more
January 8th, 2021
Dr. Kristi Samuelson, associate professor and director of clinical training in psychology, and faculty director of clinical research at the NIHR, became the 50th faculty member to surpass one million dollars in funding at UCCS! Click here to learn more
January 5th, 2021
The New Falcon Herald has recently published an article on "COVID Fatigue" by Leslie Sheley in which Nicole Weis, Peer Support Program Manager at the NIHR, talks about ways in which the GRIT program teaches how we can combat that fatigue. Click here to read more!
January 5th, 2021
Fox21 News has recently featured a segment on GRIT, featuring Nicole Weis, Peer Support Program Manager at the NIHR, and Latrina Ollie, GRIT coach. The coverage highlights tips for kids/families in managing holiday stress, and discusses the GRIT training. Click here to watch!
December 16th, 2020
The UCCS Office of Research and Kramer Family Library have recently highlighted research achievements from UCCS faculty. Many NIHR research affiliates were mentioned, including:
- Dr. Charles Benight
- Dr. Terry Boult
- Dr. Russel Elsberry
- Dr. Kathy Prue-Owens
- Dr. David Havlick
- Dr. Mary Hayden
- Dr. Aleksandra Luszczynska
- Dr. Kristi Samuelson
- Dr. Kotaro Shoji
Click here to read more about these achievements!
December 15th, 2020
The GRIT Resilience Training is growing by the day! We now have 1689 sign ups spread across 41 states and 5 countries. To strengthen your resiliency, learn valuable coping skills, and spread some GRIT in your community, sign up for our FREE training today here!
December 7th, 2020
Fountain Valley News recently featured an article on the GRIT program, featuring NIHR's Peer Support Program Manager, Nicole Weis. Click here to read more!
December 3rd, 2020
We are seeking participants to complete a survey looking at COVID-19 and Community Resilience. Click here to learn more and sign up for the survey!
December 7th, 2020
The NIHR and El Paso County Public Health are conducting a survey looking at COVID-19 and Community Resilience. The survey takes approximately 20 minutes and you'll be entered to win one of two, $250 Amazon gift cards. Click here to take the survey!
December 3rd, 2020
We are seeking participants to complete a survey looking at COVID-19 and Community Resilience. Click here to learn more and sign up for the survey!
November 16th, 2020
The Communique at UCCS recently featured an article about GRIT! Click here to read more.
November 12th, 2020
The NIHR and El Paso County Public Health are conducting a survey on your experiences with the pandemic and community resilience. Click here to take the survey!
November 12th, 2020
Nicole Weis, Peer Support Program Manager at the NIHR, recently wrote an article about GRIT that was featured in the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) Trauma Blog. Click here to read the article!
November 12th, 2020
KRDO News recently featured GRIT in one of their segments. Dr. Charles Benight, Executive Director of the NIHR, speaks about the importance of the GRIT program during the pandemic. Click here to watch and read more!
November 12th, 2020
Nicole Weis, Peer Support Program Manager at the NIHR, was recently interviewed on KOAA News, discussing GRIT. Click here to watch and read about the interview!
November 2nd, 2020
Dr. Charles Benight, Executive Director of the NIHR, talks about the GRIT program on the "Behind the Spring" Podcast with the City of Colorado Springs. Click here to listen in!
October 29th, 2020
The Colorado Springs Business Journal recently featured GRIT in an article. The article discusses the important of GRIT and resilience during COVID-19. Click here to view the full article!
October 22nd, 2020
Kathryn Dosch, Director of the Veterans Health and Trauma Clinic, and Lori Jarvis from the National Alliance on Mental Illness were featured on KRDO News Radio, sharing information on the GRIT program. Click here to listen in!
October 12th, 2020
Tune in on October 21st from 9am-10am to KRDO News Radio 105.5 FM The Extra Interview, to listen to Kathryn Dosch, the Veterans Health and Trauma Clinic director, and Lori Jarvis from the National Alliance on Mental Illness talk about the El Paso County Method!
September 29th, 2020
Dr. Kristi Samuelson was recently featured in an article explaining how PTSD can affect memory. Click here to read more!
September 9th, 2020
September 1st, 2020
Dr. Mary Hayden and colleagues are working on a new research project that looks at heat wave risk during COVID-19! Click here to read more about the project.
August 31st, 2020
Dr. Charles Benight, Director of the National Institute for Human Resilience, and Susan Wheelan, Director of El Paso County Public Health, present the GRIT initiative to El Paso County commissioners on August 11th. The story was featured in the Gazette! Click here to view the article.
August 12th, 2020
The Greater Resilience Information Toolkit (GRIT) Program was featured on KOAA (NBC). Click here to view the video!
July 28th, 2020
Our next Trauma Training Program for Professionals Course starts on August 23rd. Click here for more information and directions on how to sign up!
July 28th, 2020
Dr. Charles Benight was interviewed by Joanna Bean, Director of Alumni Relations, where Dr. Benight talks about 5 things you need to know about the NIHR and the GRIT programs. Click here to learn more!
July 14th, 2020
GRIT-4ED training is now available! GRIT-4ED is designed specifically for educators and those working the school and education environment. The purpose of this training is to teach supportive, coping skills for colleagues, families, and students in our school communities. Click here to learn more. To sign up for the training, click here.
July 14th, 2020
GRIT-LEAD training is now available! GRIT-LEAD is designed specifically for leaders and small business owners, giving strategies around supporting employees, managing in a new environment, and how to assist employees in the back-to-work transition.Click here to learn more. To sign up for the training, click here.
July 7th, 2020
Dr. Charles Benight and Dr. Joe Ruzek were featured in an article in The Atlantic, titled, "This Is Not a Normal Mental-Health Disaster." The article outlines the psychological effects that the public is experiencing due to COVID-19. Click here to read the article!
June 25th, 2020
An article was recently published highlighting Dr. Mary Hayden & Colleague's research intersecting impacts of extreme heat and COVID-19. Click here to learn more!
June 13th, 2020
Check out our latest GRIT video, where Dr. Charles Benight interviews Yemi Mobalade, a Small Business Development Administrator for the City of Colorado Springs, on Spiritual Wellness. Click here to view!
May 14th, 2020
Click here to view the May 2020 Newsletter for the National Institute for Human Resilience to find out about what we have been up to lately!
May 13th, 2020
CU Medical School Grand Rounds has recently featured Dr. Charles Benight, Dr. Steven Berkowitz, Dr. Brook Griese, and Dr. Neill Epperson in a presentation about mental health in the time of COVID-19. Click here to watch the presentation!
May 6th, 2020
Dr. Charles Benight has been featured in "CU on the Air" Podcast. Host Ken McConnellogue talks with Dr. Benight about the GRIT initiative. Click here to listen!
The NIHR has recently developed the GRIT (Greater Resilience Intervention Teams) Training Program to help train volunteers in the community to promote wellness and resilience to fellow community members in the wake of the stress caused by COVID-19 click here to sign up!
May 5th, 2020
Interested in learning more about how to cope during the COVID-19 Pandemic? GRIT (Greater Resilience Intervention Teams) is a toolkit that was developed by the NIHR to vastly expand the capacity of our community to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as future disasters. Visit here to learn more!
February 14th, 2020
We are excited to announce that Ph.D students Julie Hurd and Amanda Devane presented at the Mountain Lion Graduate Slam 3 Minute Thesis Competition on January 31st, 2020. Great job! To view photos and video presentations from the event, see below!
To view Julies presentation, click here
To view Amanda's presentation, click here
January 27th, 2020
Click here to view the video from Dr. Carol Keane's presentation - Regulate, Relate, Recover (RRR)
January 27th, 2020
Participate in UCCS Research! The THHC is recruiting research participants for a study on a Trauma Website. If you are interested, please call 719-255-3715 or email suppnet@uccs.edu. View the research flyer here for more information
January 21st, 2020
Researcher Dr. Mary Hayden has recently started on a new project involving ticks and Lyme disease! Click here to view details
December 11th, 2019
We are excited to announce that Kristi Samuelson and colleagues recently published a paper! Below is the citation of the paper and the online PDF Click here to learn more!
December 4th, 2019
November 25th, 2019
Students and researches from the Trauma, Health & Hazards Center at UCCS presented current research at ISTSS 35th annual meeting. Click here to learn more!
November 12th, 2019
The next Trauma Training Program starts on January 20th, 2020! Click here to learn more!
November 8th, 2019
Dr. David Griffin will be presenting in Berger hall on Friday, December 6th, from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Dr. Griffin was the engineer of the first-arriving engine for the Charleston 9, where 9 firefighters perished in a warehouse fire. Dr. Griffin will relate how this experience changed education and training on a national level. Click here to learn more!
November 8th, 2019
Join us for a talk presented by Dr. Carol Keane on Wednesday, November 20th, from 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Information on the talk can be found below! Click here to learn more!
November 6th, 2019
Graduate students from both Charles Benight and Kristi Samuelson's lab are preparing to present their posters at the ISTSS 35th Annual Meeting. Congratulations and good luck, students! Click here to learn more!
October 14th, 2019
Dr. Charles Benight, Colin Mahoney, and Shannon Lynch, recently published a paper in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence titled, "The Indirect Effect of Coping Self-Efficacy on the Relation Between Sexual Violence and PTSD Symptoms." Click here to learn more!
October 9th, 2019
We are excited to announce that Kristi Samuelson's lab has two new publications authored by students! Below are citations of the papers and online PDF's. Click here to learn more!
October 5th, 2019
On Saturday, October 5th, students from Charles Benight's research lab attended the TESSA 5k run! The run allowed survivors to run together in solidarity, with the support of friends, family, and the community. THHC provided resources and research opportunities to survivors while also participating in the run directly. Below are pictures from the event featuring Julie Hurd and Margaret Morrison. Click here to learn more!
September 25th, 2019
Join us for our resilient families groups below! These groups are for parents/caregivers and their teens who want to learn more about ways to build family resilience after experiencing trauma. Look at the flyers below for more information! Click here to learn more!
August 22nd, 2019
We are excited to welcome Sudhanshu Kumar Semwal, Ph.D., as a new affilate with the THHC! Dr. Semwal is currently a Professor of Computer Science and a Director of the Honors Program at UCCS. He is interested in virtual reality and connecting with Trauma. You can view Dr. Semwal's Faculty page by clicking here. Welcome, Dr. Semwal!
August 16th, 2019
We are pleased to announce that Krista Engle, fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology Phd program (Trauma track), has received the ISTSS Travel Award! This award is given to help assist students with travel costs to the ISTSS annual conference. Krista will be presenting a poster examining physiological markers assessed during a trauma trigger as predictors of PTSD development longitudinally. Click here to learn more about the conference!
August 15th, 2019
We are pleased to announce that Krista Engle, fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology Phd program (Trauma track), has received the ISTSS Putnam Award! Awardees are selected from student members who are judged to have the potential to make the greatest contribution to the field of traumatic stress. Click here to learn more about the award!
August 1st, 2019
UCCS Trauma,Health and Hazards Center July Newsletter – we are excited to share this with you! Click Here
June 18th, 2019
Next online TRAUMA TRAINING FOUNDATION I course starts August 26th. For registration instructions Click Here. For more info on online courses Click Here
February 20th, 2019
UCCS Trauma,Health and Hazards Center February Newsletter – we are excited to share this with you! Click Here
February 14th, 2019
The Veterans Health and Trauma Clinic was awarded a one-year grant from the Colorado Springs Health Foundation to develop programming for at-risk teens (12 and older) and their parents. “Resilient Teens” and “Resilient Parents” are two new 6-8 week groups that will be launched in Summer, 2019, for parents and teens who have experienced trauma. For more information, contact VHTC Director Kathryn Dosch at 719-255-8003.
February 7th, 2019
Check out the THHC's new Trauma Training for Professionals Program! The class begins on March 11th, 2019 (Last day to register) and ends on May 6th, 2019. To learn more about the class and how to apply, click here! Click Here
December 6th, 2018
Dr. Charles Benight, Director of the Trauma, Health and Hazards Center, has been featured in an article by Communique! To learn more about Dr. Benight and why he does what he does Click Here
November 28, 2018
Introducing the THHC's new podcast "Eye of the Storm" focusing on resilience and how individuals cope with trauma and contribute to the empowerment of others. Please enjoy our first episode "Trauma, Asylum Seeking, and the Dilley Pro Bono Project" featuring Dr. Kristin Samuelson. Click Here to listen to the podcast!
November 16, 2018
Resilience in our First Responder Community: A Wellness Event! Check it out Friday, November 16th, 2018. Click Here for more information
October 23, 2018
Dr. Lisa Brenner gave a presentation on: TBI, Negative Psychiatric Outcomes, and Novel Intervention Strategies. Information from the event can be found here!
October 18, 2018
UCCS Trauma,Health and Hazards Center October Newsletter – we are excited to share this with you! Click Here
June 21, 2018
UCCS Trauma,Health and Hazards Center June Newsletter – we are excited to share this with you! Click Here
May 18, 2018
UCCS Communique Article: Headstrong, UCCS Veterans Health and Trauma Clinic offer expanded access for veterans - Click Here
May 17, 2018
CMT competition - Amanda's presentation
May 17, 2018
CMT competition - Alisa's presentation
May 16, 2018
News5 Video Interview with Dr. Valerie Anderson
April 1, 2018
UCCS Trauma,Health and Hazards Center March Newsletter – we are excited to share this with you! Click Here
September 14, 2017
Click here to find out the latest about what’s happening in the THHC – we are excited to share this with you! MORE
May 21, 2017
Our own Pamela Weisman receives the Outstanding Clinical Psychology Masters Student Award from the Psychology Society for the Pikes Pea k Region! Way to go Pamela! (Pamela is pictured here with Dr. Charles Benight at the event)
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