Deployment Psychology Blog

Staff Perspective: AI for Research - A Conversation Between a Skeptic and Google Gemini

By Maegan Willing  on 10.12.2025 10:10 am
Maegan M. Paxton Willing, Ph.D., MPH

I saw technology grow by leaps and bounds while growing up. Aside from my dislike of social media, I've never felt that I had an aversion to technology - that is until AI came around. Maybe it's from watching one too many dystopian sci-fi movies, but AI just makes me uncomfortable. So I tried to delay using AI as long as possible, but the more USU talked about its benefits, and with some very strong encouragement from my supervisor, I begrudgingly began trying to use Google Gemini 

Staff Perspective: Honoring the Life and Legacy of Dr. Walter E. Penk, Jr.

By William Brim  on 03.12.2025 11:03 am

The field of psychology—and more importantly, generations of veterans and service members—lost a remarkable advocate, mentor, and innovator with the passing of Dr. Walter Erich Penk, Jr. His career spanned more than six decades, and his contributions to military and veteran psychology fundamentally reshaped how we understand, treat, and support those living with trauma and mental illness.

Staff Perspective: Who Can? We Can. Narcan! PART III: Medicine and Public Health

By Adria Williams  on 25.11.2025 4:37 pm

Parts I and II explored how opioids act on the brain and how American history — particularly its wars — helped fuel cycles of addiction. Now, we turn to the present. This final installment of “Who Can? We Can, Narcan!” focuses on the lifesaving tools that can interrupt that cycle, from medication-assisted treatment to emergency overdose reversal. In the military and veteran communities, where resilience is both a strength and a barrier to care, these interventions are transforming how we talk about and respond to overdose risk.

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