Vivian Tsang and Pamela Kryskow
VALOR-KAT: Veteran Aftercare and Long-term Outcomes in Remission – Ketamine-Assisted Therapy
Ketamine-assisted therapy is being studied for conditions such as treatment-resistant depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Even when patients experience early improvement, their symptoms may return, and consistent guidance on long-term aftercare is lacking.
The VALOR-KAT project focuses on veterans who have received ketamine-assisted therapy. It asks which supports, challenges and follow-up strategies are associated with maintaining wellness after treatment, rather than assuming the same approach works for every person.
Approach and methodology
This qualitative study will conduct in-depth interviews with veterans whose treatment took place either recently or several years earlier. The research will explore their experiences of remission, the challenges they face after therapy and the forms of ongoing care they consider most useful.
The interviews will focus on veterans’ perspectives about sustained wellness after treatment, rather than measuring clinical efficacy in a randomized trial.
Expected contribution
The team aims to develop practical knowledge that can inform post-ketamine care for veterans. Its expected contribution is evidence to guide clinicians, patients and policy discussions about longer-term support; no study findings or clinical recommendations have yet been reported.
About the researchers
Dr. Vivian W. L. Tsang is a physician and psychiatry researcher associated with the University of British Columbia. Her training includes a medical degree from UBC, a Master of Public Health from Harvard and doctoral studies at the University of Oxford. Her research interests include concurrent disorders and emerging pharmacological treatments.
Dr. Pamela Kryskow is a physician, an Assistant Clinical Professor in the University of British Columbia’s Department of Family Medicine and a clinician-researcher involved in psychedelic-assisted therapy. She serves as Medical Lead at Roots to Thrive and studies approaches to mental health care involving ketamine and other therapies.
