The Institute for Integrative Health and Healing, PLLC

Research

Real People. Real Questions. A Healthier Tomorrow.

The I2H2 Research Philosophy

The I2H2 advances research that addresses complex health and healthcare challenges through interdisciplinary, evidence-informed, and patient-centered approaches. Our research interests include Veteran health, chronic pain and rehabilitation, patient-clinician communication, integrative health and healing, and healthcare decision-making.

We seek to bring together patients, Veterans, clinicians, researchers, academic institutions, and community partners to develop meaningful research questions, strengthen patient and stakeholder engagement, and generate knowledge that can improve health, healthcare experiences, and outcomes.

Evidence. Experience. Impact.

U.S. Army Veteran representing the human dimension of research

Research Principles

Patient-Centered

Research is shaped by the experiences, priorities, and perspectives of patients and the communities it is intended to serve.

Evidence-Informed

Scientific evidence, clinical expertise, and rigorous inquiry guide the development of meaningful research and healthcare initiatives.

Collaborative

Patients, Veterans, clinicians, researchers, academic institutions, and community partners work together to address important healthcare questions.

Ongoing Projects

Veterans' Expression and Perception: Adaptations in Suffering (VEPAS)

VEPAS is a qualitative research study exploring how U.S. Veterans with chronic low back pain communicate experiences of pain and suffering, perceive clinicians' responses to those communications, and experience alignment or misalignment within healthcare encounters. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the study seeks to better understand Veterans' lived experiences of chronic pain communication and the ways military identity, illness meanings, and patient-clinician interactions may shape healthcare experiences.

Principal Investigator/Doctoral Researcher

Richard P. Petri, Jr., MD

Institution

The University of Texas at El Paso

IRB Approval

Pending Approval Study ID #26-07-2026

Recruitment Status

Pending

Alcohol and Substance-Related Risk Among Military-Connected Adults: Comparing Screening and Severity Models

This study uses data from the 2020 Military Health and Well-Being Project (MHWBP) to examine alcohol and substance-related risk measured with the CAGE-AID (Adapted to Include drugs). The project compares alternative statistical approaches to understanding substance-related risk, including logistic regression for identifying the presence of risk and negative binomial regression for examining variation in risk severity. The analysis also evaluates relationships among demographic characteristics, psychosocial risk factors, and protective factors to better understand how methodological choices influence the interpretations of substance-related risk in military-connected populations.

Principal Investigator/Doctoral Researcher

Richard P. Petri, Jr., MD

Institution

The University of Texas at El Paso

IRB Approval

Not Considered Human Subject Research

Status

Ongoing analysis and manuscript development. 1 of 3 papers submitted (Military Medicine)

Proposed Research

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), Engagement Award: Building Capacity for Small Organizations to Engage in Patient-Centered CER

Veteran ALIGN: Building Veteran Capacity for Patient-Centered Research in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions

The proposed project would establish the Veteran Partnerships for Patient-Centered Research Collaborative, a multi-stakeholder partnership designed to build capacity among Veterans, researchers, clinicians, and community partners for future patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) focused on communication and healthcare decision-making for Veterans with fibromyalgia and chronic overlapping pain conditions.

Status

Letter of Intent submitted, Fall 2026

Project Lead

Richard P. Petri, Jr., MD

Lead Organization

The Institute for Integrative Health and Healing, PLLC (The I2H2)