Carl A. Castro
Director, Professor
Carl Castro is currently professor and director of the Military and Veterans Programs at the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at the University of Southern California.
Dr. Castro served in the U.S. Army for over 30 years, first as an infantryman, before retiring at the rank of colonel, and participated in the Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo Campaigns, Operation Northern Watch, and the Iraq War.
He has chaired numerous NATO and international research groups and has served as the chair or member of several National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine committees. Dr. Castro serves on the board of directors of the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Research and Education Foundation. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the National Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. His current research efforts are broad and include: (a) the exploration of the military culture that leads to acceptance and integration of service members and veterans; (b) understanding and ameliorating the effects of military trauma and stress, especially combat and deployment, on service members and their family; (c) the prevention of suicides and violence such as sexual assault and bullying; and (d) evaluating the process of transitioning into the military and transitioning from military service back to civilian life.
Sara Kintzle
Research Professor
Sara Kintzle joined the University of Southern California in 2013 and is currently a Research Professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
Dr. Kintzle has focused on building an expertise in the life experiences of individuals who currently or previously served in the United States Armed Forces, leading research studies aimed at providing insight into the experience and well-being of service members and veterans. She is currently the principal investigator on several grants, all exploring issues of well-being in military and veteran populations. In 2023 she published The State of the American Veteran: The Southern California Veterans Study, which was the result of the largest and most comprehensive study of veterans in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties. In 2025, Dr. Kintzle was appointed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on the Assessment of Department of Veterans Affairs Physical and Mental Health Examinations, undertaking a review of the VA’s protocols regarding claims related to military sexual trauma (MST). She meets yearly with Congressional and Department of Defense staff on how her research findings might impact policy and improve service member and veteran well-being. Dr. Kintzle has published over 80 articles and reports as well as over 80 accepted conference presentations.
Eva Alday
Project Administrator
Eva Alday is currently a Project Administrator for the Military and Veterans Programs at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
Ms. Alday possesses over 15 years of experience in research and project management in higher education settings, 10 of which involve coordination for military-related research. She has served as the Managing Editor for the Military Behavioral Health Journal, and her research experience spans the fields of public and behavioral health and social work.
