Gulf War Era Cohort and Biorepository

The Gulf War Era Cohort and Biorepository pilot project collected epidemiological, survey, clinical, and environmental exposure data from Veterans who served during the 1990-1991 Gulf War Era. Approved researchers will be able to use these data and the blood samples to do future research about the health of Gulf War Era Veterans. During the pilot, the recruitment response rate and processes were assessed. The results revealed several opportunities for improvement. For this reason, CSP 585 research activities transitioned to a qualitative phase to focus more on the Veteran voice. In this stage, research staff spoke with Gulf War Era Veterans through focus groups, interviews, and other activities such as events and meetings to learn more about Veterans' experiences and/or ideas on this and other Gulf War research projects. This phase provided new information that can help researchers create better recruitment processes for future projects involving Gulf War Era Veterans. For more information on CSP 585, please contact Asia Johnson at asia.johnson4@va.gov and Christina Williams at christina.williams4@va.gov

Inclusion Criteria: * A potential participant must have been a member of the uniformed services during the 1990-1991 Gulf War era. * A Veteran is eligible without regard to deployment or combat status and without regard to current or past user status in the Veterans Health Administration. Exclusion Criteria: * Veterans who did not serve in the military in 1990-1991 without regard to actual deployment.