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VISN 23 Iowa City

HSR&D and QUERI Centers, projects, Career Development Awards, and highlighted publications in Iowa 

City include:

COIN (Center of Innovation): 

Center for Comprehensive Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE)

Director: Eli Perencevich, MD, MS

CADRE’s mission is to develop, implement and test innovative strategies that expand access to highquality primary and specialty care, while ensuring that the care delivered is safe and free of 

preventable infections.

CREATE (Collaborative Research to Enhance and Advance Transformation and Excellence): 

Advancing MRSA Infection Prevention

Director: Eli Perencevich, MD, MS

This CREATE will examine a number of approaches to MRSA prevention and eradication 

within VA. Projects to be funded in this CREATE include:

• Preventing MRSA Infections: A Virtual Comparative Effectiveness Model – Michael 

Rubin, MD, PhD (housed in Salt Lake City)

• Building an Optimal Hand Hygiene Bundle: A Mixed Methods Approach – Heather Reisinger, PhD

• Comparative Safety and Effectiveness of Contact Isolation in VA Community Living Centers (CLCs)

– Daniel Morgan, MD, MS (housed in Baltimore)

• Checklist to Prevent MRSA Surgical Site Infections – Eli Perencevich, MD, MS

Evidence-Based Therapies for PTSD

Director: Nina Sayer, PhD (Minneapolis)

A project funded under this CREATE that is housed in Iowa City is:

• Web and Shared Decision-Making for Reserve/National Guard Women's PTSD Care – Anne Sadler, 

PhD, RN

QUERI (Quality Enhancement Research Initiative): 

eHealth QUERI Center

Clinical Coordinator: Bonnie Wakefield, PhD, RN

As a partner to the eHealth QUERI Center at the Bedford VA, several projects led by investigators 

from VISN 23 facilities, including Iowa City, seek to transform VHA care through e-health 

technologies including telehealth, automated strategies, and remote monitoring to speed the 

uptake of evidence-based, appropriate care, especially for rural Veterans. 

Currently Funded Projects at Iowa City

• Pilot of My HealtheVet Training to Improve Co-Managed Care for Veterans – Carolyn Turvey, PhD, MS

• eHealth Measures Compendium – Bonnie Wakefield, PhD, RN

• The Impact of Remote ICU Monitoring on Patient Outcomes and Processes of Care – Heather 

Reisinger, PhD

• Accuracy and Validity of ICD9 Codes for PTSD in Veterans – Thad Abrams, MD

• Validity and Utility of Measures of Inappropriate Prescribing in Older Adult Veterans – Brian Lund, 

PharmD, MS

• Improving Access and Outcomes for Rural Veterans with HIV – Michael Ohl, MD, MSPH

• Comparative Effectiveness of Strategies to Control S. Aureus Infections – Marin Schweizer, PhD

VA Office of Research & Development • Health Services Research & Development Service

www.hsrd.research.va.gov
Current Career Development Awardees

• Thad Abrams, MD – Treatment Variation and Treatment Effectiveness in Veterans with PTSD 

• Brian Lund, PharmD, MS – The Validity and Utility of Measures of Inappropriate Prescribing 

• Michael Ohl, MD, MSPH – Improving Access and Outcomes for Rural Veterans with HIV

• Marin Schweizer, PhD – Comparative Effectiveness of Strategies to Control S. Aureus Infections

Highlighted Publications

• Study Identifies Patient and Facility Characteristics Associated with Prescribing Benzodiazepines 

for Veterans with PTSD

Lund B, Bernardy N, Vaughan Sarrazin M, Alexander B, Friedman M. Patient and Facility Characteristics Associated with 

Benzodiazepine Prescribing for Veterans with PTSD. Psychiatric Services February 2013;64(2):149-55. 

• Veterans Receiving Primary Care in CBOCs Less Likely to Receive Several Types of Colon Cancer 

Screening Tests 

Malhotra A, Vaughan-Sarrazin M, Charlton M, and Rosenthal G. Comparison of Colorectal Cancer Screening in Veterans 

Based on the Location of Primary Care Clinic. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health July 5, 2013;e-pub ahead of 

print.

• Study Suggests Improvement in VA Patient Outcomes Related to Pay-for-Performance Remains 

after Removal of Incentives

Benzer J, Young G, Burgess J, Baker E, Mohr D, Charns M, and Kaboli P. Sustainability of Quality Improvement Following 

Removal of Performance-Based Incentives. Journal of General Internal Medicine August 9, 2013;Epub ahead of print.

• Home-Based Colorectal Cancer Screening Significantly Improves Screening Rates among 

Overdue Veterans in a Rural State

Charlton M, Mengeling M, Halfdanarson T, et al. Evaluation of a Home-Based Colorectal Cancer Screening Intervention 

in a Rural State. Journal of Rural Health October 25, 2013;e-pub ahead of print.

• Study Finds Increased Prescribing Rates for Concurrent Sedative Medications among Veterans 

with PTSD

Bernardy N, Lund B, Alexander B, and Friedman M. Increased Polysedative Use in Veterans with Post-traumatic Stress 

Disorder. Pain Medicine December 16, 2013;e-pub ahead of print.

• Chronic Opioid Therapy Common among Hospitalized Veterans, Associated with Increased Risk 

of Death and Re-Admission

Mosher H, Jiang L, Vaughan Sarrazin M, et al. Prevalence and Characteristics of Hospitalized Adults on Chronic Opioid 

Therapy. Journal of Hospital Medicine February 2014;9(2):82-87.

Search the full list of citations from the Iowa City Center at

www.hsrd.research.va.gov/publications/citations/coe_generator.cfm
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VISN 23 Minneapolis

HSR&D and QUERI Centers, projects, Career Development Awards, and highlighted publications in 

Minneapolis include:

COIN (Center of Innovation): 

Center for Chronic Disease Outcomes Research (CCDOR)

Director: Steven Fu, MD, MSCE

CCDOR’s mission is to enhance (through research, education, dissemination and implementation 

activities) patient engagement in and provider use of evidence-based practices for chronic disease. 

CREATE (Collaborative Research to Enhance and Advance Transformation and Excellence): 

Evidence-Based Therapies for PTSD

Director: Nina Sayer, PhD

The overall goal of the CREATE is to improve Veterans' access to and engagement in evidence-based 

PTSD treatments. Currently funded CREATE projects include:

• Helping Families Help Veterans with PTSD and Alcohol Abuse: An RCT of VA Community 

Reinforcement and Family Training – Christopher Erbes, PhD

• Promoting Evidence-Based Pharmacotherapy for PTSD in CBOCs – Michele Spoont, PhD 

• Web and Shared Decision Making for Reserve/National Guard Women's PTSD Care – Anne Sadler 

PhD, RN (housed in Iowa City)

• Promoting Effective, Routine, and Sustained Implementation of Stress Treatment (PERSIST) – 

Nina Sayer, PhD

QUERI (Quality Enhancement Research Initiative): 

Polytrauma and Blast-Related Injuries (PT/BRI) QUERI Center

Director: Nina Sayer, PhD

Implementation Research Coordinator: Joan Griffin, PhD

The mission of the Polytrauma and Blast-Related Injuries (PT/BRI) QUERI is to promote the 

successful rehabilitation, psychological adjustment and community re-integration of individuals who 

have sustained polytrauma (PT) and blast-related injuries.

Substance Use Disorders QUERI Center

Implementation Research Coordinator: Hildi Hagedorn, PhD

The mission of the Substance Use Disorders (SUD) QUERI is to improve the detection and treatment 

of Veterans with hazardous substance use.

Evidence-Based Synthesis Center

Director: Timothy Wilt, MD, MPH

ESP Centers generate evidence syntheses on important clinical practice topics. These reports help: 

develop clinical policies informed by evidence; the implementation of effective services to improve 

patient outcomes and to support VA clinical practice guidelines and performance measures; and set 

the direction for future research to address gaps in clinical knowledge.

VA Office of Research & Development • Health Services Research & Development Service

www.hsrd.research.va.gov
Currently Funded Projects at Minneapolis

• Strengthening VA Implementation of PTSD Treatment through Family Involvement – Laura Meis, PhD

• Beyond Service Connection: What Helps PTSD-disabled Veterans Get Better? – Maureen Murdoch, 

MD, MPH

• Prospective Predictors of Veteran and Family Post-Deployment Mental Health – Melissa 

Polusny, PhD

• Causal Dynamic Predictive Models for Cross Sectional Observational Data – Siamak 

Noorbaloochi, PhD

• Changes in VA Practices after a National Medication Safety Bulletin – Thomas Rector, PharmD, PhD

• An RCT to Test Reporting and Feedback to Foster Research Integrity Climates – Brian Martinson, 

PhD

• Strategies for Prescribing Analgesics Comparative Effectiveness (SPACE) Trial – Erin 

Krebs, MD, MPH

• Motivating Providers to Reduce Racial Disparities in their Own Practice – Diana Burgess, PhD

Under Secretary’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Health Services 

Research 2014

• Timothy Wilt, MD, MPH

Current Career Development Awardees

• Shannon Kehle-Forbes, PhD – Dissemination and Implementation of Exposure Treatments for PTSD

• Laura Meis, PhD – Forming Partner-Assisted Strategies to Optimize PTSD Treatment Adherence

Highlighted Publications

• Prolonged Exposure or Cognitive Processing Therapy May Reduce Use of Mental Health Services 

in Veterans with PTSD 

Meyers L, Strom T, Thuras P, Leskela J, Kehle-Forbes S, and Curry K. Service Utilization Following Participation in 

Cognitive Processing Therapy or Prolonged Exposure Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Military Medicine

January 2013;178(1):95-99.

• Study Examines Whether African Americans are as Likely as Whites to Be Screened for Pain in VA 

Healthcare System

Burgess D, Gravely A, Nelson D, van Ryn M, Bair M, Kerns R, Higgins D, and Partin M. A National Study of Racial 

Differences in Pain Screening Rates in the VA Healthcare System. Clinical Journal of Pain February 2013;29(2):118-23.

• Study Examines Prevalence of “Polytrauma Triad” among Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans

Cifu D, Taylor B, Carne W, Bidelspach D, Sayer N, Scholten J, and Hagel-Campbell E. TBI, PTSD, and Pain Diagnoses in 

OEF/OIF/OND Veterans. Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development January 2014;50(9):1169-76.

• Proactive Tobacco Treatment More Successful than Usual Care among Veterans Attempting to 

Quit Smoking

Fu SS, van Ryn M, Sherman S, et al. Proactive Tobacco Treatment and Population-Level Cessation: A Pragmatic 

Randomized Controlled Trial. JAMA Internal Medicine March 10, 2014;e-pub ahead of print.

Search the full list of citations from the Minneapolis Center at

www.hsrd.research.va.gov/publications/citations/coe_generator.cfm