Doctor transforms research into real-world solutions for at-risk Veterans
Clinical research psychologist Dr. Ryan Holliday sums up his role at VA as simply: "How do we take research that's super nerdy and translate it into saving lives?"
His work sits at the intersection of areas that are deeply intertwined for many Veterans: mental health, trauma recovery, homelessness and suicide prevention.
A passion shaped by service
Holliday's passion for clinical research was shaped by his upbringing in a military family and experiences from growing up in a low-income, rural community. Drawn to improving access to care for underserved populations, he arrived in VA with a focus on advancing research, education and clinical care to improve the lives of Veterans.
"I've always been super interested in community-based health care medicine," he says. After attending graduate school and completing clinical rotations with VA, Holliday chose to stay. "You never hear anyone else in the government as emblazoned about their public service sector as the VA. We not only do great work, but we also have inclusive social services, which is what kept me internal to VA."
Understanding the spectrum of Veteran experiences
Early in his VA career, Holliday worked with what he calls "invisible" populations: survivors of military sexual trauma, Veterans with PTSD and those experiencing homelessness. These groups, while not always large in number, face significant barriers to care and are often overlooked in research.
"We are not giving enough clinical or research attention to them," he says. This realization led him to focus on how systemic gaps contribute to suicide risk and how targeted
research can drive change.
Why researching homelessness matters
Homelessness is more than a housing issue; it's a public health crisis. Holliday emphasizes how stigma plays a major role in how society views and responds to homelessness.
"It's so easy for people to relate to things they've experienced themselves," he says. "But it's also very easy to create an out-group - 'those people just aren't working hard enough,' 'those people are choosing this lifestyle,"' he says. "In reality, I can't imagine someone choosing not to know where they'll go to the bathroom or where they'll sleep."
This kind of stigma not only affects public perception, it impacts how providers engage with Veterans in crisis. That's why VA has invested in substantial efforts to train providers to recognize and respond to the unique needs of Veterans experiencing homelessness.
"We have people who are hospitalized, who don't want to disclose that they've had thoughts of suicide. I work with people who are suicidal all day," says Holliday. "I have a very high bar to get nervous. But not every provider is like that. I believe everyone, before they work in a licensed capacity in the VA, should have to rotate through every clinical setting."
VA's commitment to ending Veteran homelessness
VA has become a national leader in suicide prevention and homelessness response.
"We've rolled out screening evaluation efforts through things like the Columbia that other health care networks don't even talk about," says Holliday. "We have regular clinical practice guidelines. We just released ones about cognitive behavioral therapy for suicide prevention, dialectical behavior therapy, problem solving therapy."
But, he says there is still more that can be done to improve the care that at-risk Veterans receive. Holliday points to simple but powerful tools, like flagging homelessness in a Veteran's health record as examples of how services can be streamlined to help providers better evaluate and meet Veterans' needs.
The path forward: practice and partnership
Holliday believes the key to progress is practice.
"It's like 'stop, drop and roll' drills. You practice them over and over, and hopefully you're never on fire, but if you are, you know what to do," he says. "We need to do the same thing with suicide prevention and practice it over and over and over again."
Looking ahead, he hopes to see continued investment in interdisciplinary, bidirectional care where providers across specialties work together and learn from each other to meet Veterans where they are.
"What I hope is, in the years to come, we can continue to work on our interdisciplinary care. It really has to be bidirectional," says Holliday. "That's how this is going to work if we want to save Iives."
Visit the ASPIRE webpage to learn more about suicide prevention research and find out more about VA's supportive housing and other programs on their webpage.
Story by Shawn Liu, National Homeless Program manager, VHA Homeless Programs Office.
December 9, 2025
