Elisa V. Borah, MSW, PhD is a research associate professor at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, and the director of the Institute for Military and Veteran Family Wellness, a joint initiative of the Dell Medical School Department of Health Social Work and the Steve Hicks School of Social Work.
Borah conducts research to identify, implement, and evaluate programming and supports for military members, veterans, spouses and their families. Current research efforts include studying the impact of peer and social support for military and veteran spouses, self-care practices among military spouses and how best to support military spouses transition needs after military life. Borah also studies how to improve engagement of concerned significant others in veteran suicide prevention practices and research. In 2015, Borah developed the Veteran Spouse Network (VSN), funded through an Engagement Award from the Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute (PCORI), to engage veteran spouses in defining programmatic and research needs to better support veteran families in Texas, and throughout the country. Through the VSN, Borah implements program supports for spouses and couples and studies how peer support can improve veterans’ and veteran spouses’ quality of life and improved mental health. Borah chairs the annual Military Social Work conference at The University of Texas at Austin. She previously served as director of research at the Ft. Hood site of the STRONG STAR PTSD Research Consortium, a Department of Defense consortium at UT Health San Antonio.
Professional Interests
Military social work, behavioral health, evidence-based interventions for PTSD, military and veteran families, peer support.
Posts
Research
- Retrospective Study of Treatment Outcomes: Understanding the Role of Personal, Organizational, and Treatment Factors in Army Alcohol Treatment Outcomes (2026)
- The Military Spouse Resiliency Group (MSRG) Peer Support Program: Equipping Families For Resiliency with Tools (EFFRT) (2025)
- Veteran Spouse Network Expansion (2023)
- All hands on deck: Community convening to improve research on veteran suicide prevention (2021)
- Combined Arms Outcome Measurement System Development (2020)
- Spouse Resiliency Group Leader Training and Program Delivery (2019)
- Group Treatment for Veteran Couples Experiencing PTSD (2019)
- Veteran Spouse Network (2018)
- Strong Families at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Metrocare (2018)
- Home and community-based services – Adult mental health implementation support (2018)
- A study of military cultural competency training with Seton (2018)
- Veterans Network Evaluation (2015)