Name
#215 The Complex Exposure Threats Center of Excellence A Framework for Health Surveillance That Stratifies Exposure Risk and Guides Veteran Exposure-Informed Care.
Speakers
Content Presented On Behalf Of:
VHA/VA
Services/Agencies represented
Veterans Health Administration/Veterans Affairs (VHA/VA)
Session Type
Poster
Date
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Start Time
5:00 PM
End Time
7:00 PM
Location
Prince Georges Expo Hall E
Focus Areas/Topics
Clinical Care
Learning Outcomes
1. Describe CETCE’s approach for managing exposure cohorts and providing actionable clinical guidance to primary care providers at VA Medical Centers nationwide.
2. Discuss the development of a CETCE clinical case definition for Anomalous Health Incidents (AHI) and the process for addressing concerns of Veterans with suspected AHI exposures.
3. Understand the clinical referral and proactive case review processes at the CETCE for Veterans with complex exposures.
4. Describe the evolving plans for using the new Veteran Military Occupational Assessment Tool (VMOAT) that will augment medical surveillance and support targeted clinical monitoring and interventions for Veterans in the CETCE exposure cohorts.
2. Discuss the development of a CETCE clinical case definition for Anomalous Health Incidents (AHI) and the process for addressing concerns of Veterans with suspected AHI exposures.
3. Understand the clinical referral and proactive case review processes at the CETCE for Veterans with complex exposures.
4. Describe the evolving plans for using the new Veteran Military Occupational Assessment Tool (VMOAT) that will augment medical surveillance and support targeted clinical monitoring and interventions for Veterans in the CETCE exposure cohorts.
Session Currently Live
Description
Military occupational exposures are common, with 46% of Veterans reporting such concerns to their VA providers. Aligned with the PACT Act of 2022, the Complex Exposure Threats Center of Excellence (CETCE) was established at the Washington, D.C. War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (DC WRIISC) in September 2024 to address complex Military exposure threats affecting Veterans by employing a scalable, data-driven framework to manage large Veteran exposure cohorts through health informatics, clinical expertise, and interagency collaboration. Currently the CETCE has four established Veteran Exposure Cohorts (Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Chemical Warfare Agents (CWA), Qarmat Ali (exposures to Sodium Dichromate in 2003), and Anomalous Health Incidents (AHI)) and is in the process of standardizing health surveillance and other efforts (while also tailoring clinical and other efforts for each cohort) in order to ensure an evidence-based and science-focused foundation for our Center. In addition, the CETCE is piloting the Veteran Military Occupational and Environmental Exposure Assessment Tool (VMOAT) to capture detailed exposure histories and guide clinical decisions and also has multiple research protocols focused on advancing the science and outcomes of VA exposure-informed care. This poster will summarize the CETCE’s recent accomplishments and will highlight current initiatives and the way forward for our innovative team of clinicians and scientists.