VOICES Partners in WTC Survivor Study
Voices Center for Resilience has been selected as a study partner in the upcoming World Trade Center Survivor Grief Study. Led by scientists from the Uniformed Services University Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS), the study will be conducted over 3 years and is funded through a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant. VOICES offers a unique perspective as we assist with this groundbreaking research, due to our decades of experience in providing long-term support for 9/11 victims’ families, responders, and survivors.
Although many studies have examined the traumatic effects of 9/11, minimal research has focused on the long-lasting impact of bereavement on those affected by the tragedy. Given the trauma that 9/11 survivors faced, it is likely those who lost a loved one on 9/11 or at a later date may face additional challenges. The goal of this study is to examine the effects of bereavement and trauma on the quality of life among 9/11 World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program survivors.
The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) at Uniformed Services University is responsible for overseeing the research project. VOICES joins two of our partners - Columbia University’s Center for Prolonged Grief, and the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Registry as subrecipients.
VOICES has also had a longstanding partnership with the Uniformed Services University. In 2015 we collaborated on a research study, Investigating the Long-Term Impact of Bereavement Due to Terrorism: Factors That Contribute to Trauma, Grief, Growth and Resilience. The study, funded by Public Safety Canada’s Kanishka Project, resulted in several publications:
Cozza, S. J., Fisher, J. E., Fetchet, M. A., Chen, S., Zhou, J., Fullerton, C. S., & Ursano, R. J. (2019). Patterns of comorbidity among bereaved family members 14 years after the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. Journal of Traumatic Stress.
Fetchet, M. A., Fisher, J. E., & Cozza, S. J. (2019, June 22). A community's voice: 9/11 victim family outcomes 14 years later. International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
Cozza, S. J., Fisher, J. E., Hefner, K. R., Fetchet, M. A., Chen, S., Zuleta, R. F., Fullerton, C. S., & Ursano, R. J. (2019). Notification of human remains identification, grief, and posttraumatic stress in family members bereaved on September 11, 2001. Journal of Traumatic Stress.
