UT Tyler Professor Receives $1.2 Million to Help Improve Lives of Texas Veterans 

Dr. Adam McGuire

TYLER, Texas (October 8, 2025) – Dr. Adam McGuire, associate professor of psychology at The  University of Texas at Tyler, received a $1.2 million merit award from the U.S. Department of  Veterans Affairs to help improve the lives of veterans across Texas. McGuire obtained the research  funds through his dual appointment as a research investigator and clinical psychologist with the  VA’s Veterans Integrated Service Network 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War  Veterans in Waco.

As the project’s principal investigator, McGuire will conduct a clinical trial of an intervention he  designed called MOVED. This is a web-based, self-guided intervention for Post-Traumatic Stress  Disorder, or PTSD, that uses a positive emotion called moral elevation—feeling inspired by others’  virtuous actions.

“This project will recruit veterans from across Texas to see if MOVED leads to decreased PTSD  symptoms, increased social functioning and improved quality of life,” said McGuire, whose current  research aims to identify ways in which positive psychology constructs could be integrated into the  treatment of PTSD and trauma-related outcomes. “There is a significant need for accessible,  alternative approaches to trauma-focused treatment, especially in the state of Texas with a large  veteran population who are at greater risk of trauma exposure.”

Project results will help determine if MOVED is a useful alternative approach to target trauma  recovery among veterans with PTSD, McGuire said, noting the four-year project will also create  opportunities for UT Tyler clinical psychology doctoral students to gain valuable clinical and  research experience working with veterans.

McGuire joined UT Tyler in 2019. He also serves as director of clinical training for the UT Tyler  clinical psychology doctoral program. His other research interests include positive psychology  constructs, such as gratitude, as well as other trauma-related outcomes for veterans including

depression, anxiety and moral injury. He holds doctoral and master’s degrees in clinical psychology  from Seattle Pacific University.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT  Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students.  Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has  unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent  patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World  Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston