RFI Sole Source Information for University of Rochester Research Team.pdf

RFI/Sole-Source Information for University of Rochester Research Team

This contract has the following objectives:

Objective 1: Update the evidence-based Wingman-Connect Program (W-C) so that it aligns with existing Air Force Comprehensive Airman Fitness concepts and language and incorporates skills from the current DAF Resilience Skills Course while ensuring integrity and fidelity to the tested W-C model, consistent with RP goals and requirements.

Objective 2: Establish procedures, assets, tools and feedback systems to prepare and support over time USAF facilitators in delivering Wingman Connect with fidelity at scale.

Objective 3: Promote awareness and adoption of the program and science of Wingman-Connect.

The University of Rochester Network Health Research Program, led by Drs. Peter Wyman (Director), Dr. Tony Pisani (Co-Director), and Mr. Bryan Yates (Training and Logistics Lead), is uniquely able to fulfill the requirements of this contract. This team possesses a unique combination of capabilities and expertise that would be impossible to replicate without years of effort and enormous expense. Specifically, they:

• created the Wingman Connect program and are the only R&D team with direct experience with it

• are the world’s leading experts in network-informed suicide prevention

• have proven ability to collaborate with USAF leaders and base operators to accomplish training and prevention objectives

• are internationally recognized authorities on suicide prevention and workforce education

Details regarding each of these unique capabilities follows.

The University of Rochester team was funded by DoD (W81XWH-14-1-0322) to develop and test, and deliver the Wingman Connect training to Air Force personnel, as well as training and preparing AF personnel to deliver Wingman-Connect. The University of Rochester team is the only group that has experience creating and delivering this intervention. Objectives 1 and 2 of this contract require direct experience with the intervention and with preparing new trainers, which no other contractor has or could feasibly acquire.

The University of Rochester team includes leading experts in network-informed prevention programs. This contract involves assisting the USAF in scaling up an innovative preventive intervention based in social network theory applied to resilience training. The University of Rochester Network Health Research Program has truly unique expertise in this area:

• Dr. Peter Wyman, the program director, is the world’s leading researcher in network health interventions (Wyman et al., 2010, Wyman et al., 2015, Wyman et al., 2019, Wyman et al., 2020, Wyman et al., 2022).

• Dr. Wyman and Dr. Pisani coined the term ‘Network Informed Suicide Prevention” (Wyman et al 2019) and this team has conducted more studies in this area than any other (by far).

• Dr. Wyman has led federally funded studies of network health interventions for diverse populations including children in urban school districts, adolescents in rural secondary schools, and young adults in the military.

Proven ability to collaborate successfully with USAF. The University of Rochester team has extensive experience collaborating with USAF leaders and base operators. The Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide has collaborated with the USAF suicide prevention continuously since 2001 (Knox et al 2003, Knox et al 2010). The Network Health team was first funded by DoD in 2014 to develop Wingman-Connect. During that time, they have:

• Worked successfully with seven AF suicide prevention leaders. Recent recommendations from the Uniformed Services University in their The Total Force Department of the Air Force (DAF) Standardized Suicide Fatality Analysis report concluded that the University of Rochester team's approach was unique. They specifically recommended dissemination of Wingman-Connect across all MAJCOMs to help Airmen and Guardians to build social connections and cohesion and reduce overall suicide risk. They specifically noted, “Robust and rigorous programmatic evaluations of group-level interventions are extremely rare” and that “Wingman-Connect has been built and evaluated within the DAF culture and the program may have more important implications for the Total Force.”

• Provided training at 4 bases, in which they exceeded participation goals, in collaboration with FTAC Cadre (CAA, FTAC Lead), Installation Prevention leaders (Community Support Coordinators, Violence Prevention Integrators), Training Squadron Administrators (Training Managers, Military Training Supervisors/Instructors/Leaders), with strong support at the Squadron, Group, Wing, and MAJCOM levels.

• Gained the trust of USAF leadership and the Department of Defense (DoD), who actively support their program of research. Wingman-Connect is a named component of the DAF official suicide prevention strategy and the DAF Strategic Vision for risk reduction.

• Leverages the unique experience base of Mr. Bryan Yates (Training and Logistics Lead) who is a US Army veteran, a Non-Commissioned Officer with medical and logistical experience, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as a public health and training expert.

Nationally recognized authorities on suicide prevention and workforce education. In addition to their unique research expertise, Dr. Wyman and Dr. Pisani bring national and international leadership experience that ensures that their projects remain at the forefront of evidence-based prevention practice and that scientific information disseminated to our leaders, stakeholders, and the public (Objective 3) is trustworthy, current, and high quality.

• Dr. Wyman is the co-director of the University of Rochester Center for the Study and Prevention of suicide, one of the longest continuously operational centers worldwide focused on suicide prevention. He serves on the Community Prevention Services Task

Force (CPSTP), a federal advisory board appointed by the CDC Director. He co-chaired the New York State Governor’s Task Force on Suicide Prevention and served on the US- Air Force Suicide Prevention Solutions Working Group.

• Dr. Pisani served on the Workforce Development Task Force of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, which authored the current national strategy for suicide prevention. He currently serves on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Training and Standards Committee. He brings unique international military suicide prevention expertise–he leads a nationwide workforce development project with the Australian Department of Veteran Affairs and a force-wide program with the Australian Defense Force that will provide suicide prevention training to 110,000 members.

Unique capacity for rapid project initiation. Our contract requires rapid start up to meet committed timelines in A1Z and mandates from the CSAF. The University of Rochester team has unique capacity for rapid project initiation because they:

• have an existing, proven methodology for curriculum, trainer, and program development in the USAF through the data-driven, iterative process that they have successfully utilized across multiple installations and settings over the past 7 years

• are currently operating in related, but non-overlapping projects with the USAF in both training and operational environments -this includes regular communication and work routines with the R&D Branch, HQ-AF/A1Z

• have instant access (no ramp-up period required) to personnel and expertise to support project management, technology, multimedia, and marketing/communications from a trusted vendor (SafeSide Prevention) that has proven experience providing these services to scale up evidence-based suicide prevention and workforce education across wide geographies and large implementations in both civilian and military environments.

In summary, any of the above-named, required capabilities would be difficult or impossible to find in another contractor. Taken together, these capabilities are literally unique and would require years of effort and enormous expense to replicate.