About the MIVetsCan team

Our study team

We are an interdisciplinary group of investigators and clinicians who study various chronic pain conditions. Our study team at the University of Michigan spans departments including Anesthesiology, Psychiatry, Rheumatology, and Biostatistics.

We partner with investigators in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran groups, and also have a Veteran Community Advisory Board to ensure our studies are useful and applicable to veterans.

Chronic pain and related symptoms, such as fatigue and sleep issues can be difficult to treat. What works well for some will not work well for others, so our work focuses on:

  1. Identifying the best ways to treat pain, fatigue, and related symptoms.
  2. Developing customized interventions and therapies for each individual.

Learn more about our study team:

Kevin F. Boehnke, PhD
Contact Principal Investigator
Photo of Rachel Bergmans
Rachel Bergmans, PhD, MPH
Co-Principal Investigator
Photo of Amy Bohnert
Amy S.B. Bohnert, PhD, MHS
Co-Principal Investigator

Aims of the study

The MIVetsCan study is made up of three parts to investigate the therapeutic potential of CBD and cannabis among veterans with chronic pain:

Registry for clinical trials

MIVetsCan pain registry logo

The Veterans Pain Registry works closely with Veteran’s groups to recruit and learn more about how to help them.

By doing research together, we can get more people involved and share what we learn with others who can make decisions that help Veterans.

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Community Advisory Board

The community advisory board (CAB) is made up of veteran partners, healthcare providers, researchers, and policy makers.

The CAB aids with recruitment, provides insight on results dissemination, and builds and maintains community partnerships.

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Veteran Recruitment Ambassador

The Veteran Recruitment Ambassador conducts recruitment, education, and outreach for this study.

This individual maintains community relationships, oversees the CAB, and helps enrolled participants navigate barriers that may arise.

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Study progress and results are shared through the CAB and Recruitment Ambassador. To iteratively improve our approach as well as inform future therapeutic cannabis research among Veterans, we will qualitatively assess the impact of our studies, reasons for participation, and barriers to participation among study participants.

CBD trial

MIVetsCan CBD-Care logo

The CBD-Care trial gives CBD capsules to see if it will help veterans with chronic pain feel better. Participants start with a small dose and can take more if they need to over a 4-week period.

We hope this study will help us find new ways to help veterans with chronic pain.

Why CBD?

  • CBD is very safe
    It doesn’t get you high and is not habit-forming.
  • CBD has therapeutic potential
    Non-humananimal studies and small human trials show that CBD can   reduce pain and anxiety.
  • CBD availability outpaces scientific knowledge
    It is not regulated under the Controlled Substances Act
Impact
  • Should CBD be used at all? If so,how much?
  • Can inform future clinical applications of CBD

Education intervention

MIVetsCan Can-Coach logo

We want to find out if teaching veterans with chronic pain how to use cannabis products properly can help them feel better.

We do this by having some veterans go through a 12-week program where they will learn about using cannabis products.

Why Education?

  • Medicinal cannabis is legal in many states, but there is no standard for  clinical guidance because of the lack of scientific evidence.
  • Many people want to know more about using cannabis for pain management, and may have questions like:
  • Is it better to take more CBD or THC?
  • What is the best way to administer medicinal marijuana?
  • How much should I take?
  • When should I take it?
The education intervention will include:
  • Establishing a relationship between the cannabis coach and the study participant.
  • Setting goals that are customized to the study participant’s symptoms and current use of medicinal marijuana.
  • Providing guidance on tailoring cannabis use.
  • The difference between THC and CBD.
  • How different routes of administration (e.g., vaping, oils, topicals) can affect pain symptoms.
  • Providing dosing and timing recommendations.