First Annual PACT Act Research Symposium on Veterans Health: A Colorado PACT Act Collaboration (CoPAC) Initiative

In response to the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act being signed into law, several research groups in Colorado organized the First Annual PACT Act Research Symposium for Veteran Health. The 2-day symposium was interested in research relevant to military exposures with a primary focus on respiratory and mental health. Information on the PACT Act, data sources in the Department of Veteran Affairs and DOD, and research opportunities at the Veteran Affairs were presented. The morning session centered on respiratory health, highlighting research conducted over the last two decades regarding deployment-related respiratory diseases. Despite the high prevalence of mental health disorders among Veterans, information presented during the afternoon sessions on mental health highlighted the dearth of research to date regarding psychological health and military-related exposures. Policymakers, clinicians, and researchers were encouraged to adopt a life-course approach when conceptualizing physical and psychological exposures. On the second day of meetings, a smaller group of participants discussed next steps in military exposure research, as well as priorities for future research. Per the latter, recommendations for future research were made regarding the need for more precise exposure characterization, longitudinal data collection, and efforts to increase understanding regarding disease pathogenesis, as well as the impact of exposures across multiple organs. Such efforts will require interdisciplinary collaboration.