On April 25, Dr. Elena Lesley, Assistant Professor in the USF Department of Anthropology and collaborator on the IA-HBOT study, presented preliminary research at the 9th Interdisciplinary Symposium on Qualitative Methodologies- based on analyses completed by Yiwen Zha, MEd. Hosted by the USF Student Organization for Qualitative Methodologies, the event, titled "Reimagining Qualitative Inquiry: Voices, Vision and Values," brings together students, faculty, and researchers to explore diverse qualitative approaches and their applications.
Dr. Lesley's presentation, "Identity, Service, and Meaning: A Discourse Analysis of Veteran Participation in a Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Clinical Trial," examined how Veteran identity and socially situated meaning-making shape engagement in clinical research.
Bridging Anthropology and Clinical Research
A medical and psychological anthropologist, Dr. Lesley's work focuses on humanitarianism, religion, and global mental health. Her background includes extensive research with survivors of mass violence in Cambodia, where she has examined how therapeutic storytelling, particularly Testimonial Therapy, can support psychological healing and restore agency. As an IA-HBOT collaborator, she contributes expertise in interpreting distress, healing, and treatment engagement across cultural contexts and advises on how religious and moral frameworks inform patient experiences.
As the IA-HBOT team's early findings suggest, understanding how participants make meaning of their injury and treatment is crucial for designing more effective, patient-centered trials. Clinical research, it appears, is not just a biomedical process, but a socially and culturally embedded experience for Veterans.
“I have always been interested in exploring the more symbolic aspects of the healing process, and the IA-HBOT study is a great example of this kind of work,” Dr. Lesley said. “It also connects to a great deal of research I have done in Cambodia over the years, where there is a large population of people who have done military service and experienced TBIs.”
Understanding the IA-HBOT Study
The Information and Attitudes about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (IA-HBOT) study is a mixed-methods medical anthropology project embedded within a larger randomized clinical trial examining HBOT for Veterans with mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury. The 5-year trial, led by the USF Department of Neurosurgery, involves 40 treatment sessions over 2-3 months. While the clinical trial examines treatment outcomes, the IA-HBOT component investigates how social, cultural, relational, and environmental factors shape participants' access to care, persistence in the trial, and perceived benefits.
Key Findings: Identity as a Driver of Engagement