V A R e s e r c  a n   e v e l o p m e

Pr o rm Ov e 

D i s c ov r  I n o va t n    A d va n c e
For more than 60 years, the Veterans Affairs (VA) Research and Development 

program has been improving the lives of Veterans and all Americans through 

health care discovery and innovation. n The VA Research program is unique 

because of its focus on medical issues that affect Veterans. It is part of an integrated health 

care system with a state-of-the-art electronic health record and has come to be viewed as 

a model for superior bench-to-bedside research. n The groundbreaking achievements of 

VA investigators—70 percent of whom also provide direct patient care—have resulted 

in three Nobel prizes, six Lasker awards, and numerous other distinctions. n While 

realizing the advantages of an intramural program and embracing its close ties to academic 

affiliates, the VA Research and Development program fosters dynamic 

collaborations with other federal 

agencies, nonprofit organizations, 

and private industry—thus furthering 

the program’s impact on the health of 

Veterans and the nation.

“By spearheading research that directly

advances the medical care of Veterans,

the VA Research and Development

program has become an acclaimed model for

conducting superior bench-to-bedside research.”

— Joel Kupersmith, M.D., Chief Research and Development Officer, 

Veterans Health Administration

The VA Research and Development Program:

Improving Veterans’ Lives Through Health Care Research

V A R e s e r c    D i s c ve r ,  I nn o va t io ,  A dva n c
The VA Research program consists of four main research 

services working together to address the full spectrum of 

Veterans’ health needs. 

Biomedical Laboratory 

Research and Development 

This division conducts preclinical research to understand 

life processes from the molecular, genomic, and 

physiological level in regard to diseases affecting Veterans. 

It includes research on animal models and investigations 

of tissues, blood, or other biologic specimens from humans, 

but does not include studies with people. 

Clinical Scienc

Research and Development

This division focuses on clinical trials and other 

research involving human volunteers to study new 

treatments, compare existing therapies, and improve 

clinical practice and care. 

The Cooperative Studies Program within this division 

is responsible for planning and conducting VA’s large 

multicenter clinical trials and epidemiological studies 

on health issues vital to our nation’s Veterans. 

Health Service

Research and Development

This division supports research to improve the delivery 

of health care to Veterans. Among the areas studied 

are quality and organization of care; patient access and 

outcomes; and cost-effectiveness. 

The division’s Quality Enhancement Research Initiative

(QUERI) is designed to translate research findings into 

advancements in Veterans’ care.

Rehabilitation 

Research and Development

This division conducts research to discover knowledge and 

create innovations that restore Veterans who have become 

disabled due to injury or disease to their greatest possible 

functional capacity in their families, communities, and 

work places. 

Cross-cutting Componen

Other programs are cross-cutting. The Program for Research 

Integrity Development and Education (PRIDE), for example, 

is responsible for policy development, guidance, training, 

and education in relation to the protection of human 

research participants throughout VA. And the Technology 

Transfer Program is dedicated to translating discoveries and 

inventions by VA researchers into practice.

Productive Partnerships 

While embracing its status as an intramural program 

with close ties to its academic affiliates, the VA Research 

program also fosters and develops dynamic collaborations 

with other federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and 

private industry. Such teamwork promotes the leveraging of 

resources, speeds the translation of study results into clinical 

practice, and maximizes the overall impact of VA Research. 

Intramural Program, Collaborative Spirit

Through innovation and discovery that have led to advances in health care for Veterans and all Americans, the VA Research and Development progra

• Offers Veterans a promise for a brighter tomorrow

• Serves as a model of research excellence

• Attracts exceptional investigators 

• Fosters dynamic collaborations

VA’s Research and Development program is an essential

part of our mission to provide cutting-edge health care

to our Nation’s Veterans. As we seek to transform VA,

three fundamental attributes mark the starting point for

framing a 21st Century Organization: people-centric,

results-driven and forward-looking; these attributes

require continued and increased emphasis on discovery,

innovation and best-practices.

— Eric K. Shinseki, VA Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs
Over the decades, VA researchers have been on the leading 

edge of numerous momentous health advances. 

2000s 

• Showed the effectiveness of a new vaccine for shingles, a 

painful skin and nerve infection that affects older adults.

• Identified a protein derivative that disrupts memory in 

an animal model of Alzheimer’s disease and offers promise 

for developing early-detection tests or new drugs.

• Announced major funding initiatives for research on 

neurotrauma, chronic pain, and other health problems 

prevalent in combat-wounded Veterans returning from 

Afghanistan and Iraq.

• Launched a multisite trial to test robotic therapy 

for stroke rehabilitation. 

• Demonstrated that a behavioral therapy called 

prolonged exposure is effective for treatment of PTSD.

• Developed high-performance prosthetic devices, 

such as a bionic ankle that helps propel users forward. 

• Showed that implantable cardiac defibrillators 

decrease the risk of death in those with advanced 

chronic heart failure.

1990s 

• Found that the insulin pump is more effective than 

multiple daily injections for patients with diabetes.

• Identified genes for schizophrenia, dementia, laryngeal 

cancer, Werner’s syndrome, and Alzheimer’s disease.

• Developed an electrical stimulation system that helps 

patients move paralyzed limbs.

• Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to former VA 

researcher Ferid Murad, M.D., Ph.D.

1980s 

• Developed the nicotine patch and other therapies 

to support smoking cessation.

• Developed a computer-controlled ventilator 

system that improved patient outcomes.

• Developed the Seattle Foot, a prosthesis that 

allows amputees to run and jump.

1970s 

• Identified best treatments for colon cancer, stable angina, 

high blood pressure, and other conditions.

• Nobel Prizes in Medicine awarded to VA researchers 

Andrew Schally, Ph.D., and Rosalyn Yalow, Ph.D.

1960s 

• Performed the first successful liver transplant and 

developed anti-rejection techniques.

• Pioneered concepts leading to the development 

of the CAT (CT) scan.

1950s 

• Contributed to the development and early use of the 

implantable cardiac pacemaker.

• Linked smoking with cancer of the respiratory tract 

and lung.

1940s 

• Developed and tested effective therapies for tuberculosis.

• Developed the first rehabilitation program for blind 

persons and standards for better-fitting, lighter 

artificial limbs.

For questions or additional copies contact:

R&D Communications (1

103 South Gay Street, Ste.

Baltimore,   212

(410) 962-1800 x223

research.publications@va.gov

Profound Progress, 1940s to 2000s

VA has supported the development

of a powered ankle-foot prosthesis

that will help patients walk faster

with fewer balance problems, and

a neurally controlled arm and hand

prosthesis that will perform, look,

and feel like a natural limb, making

handling objects much easier.

2009
D i s c ov 

The VA Research and Development program

is positioned within an integrated health care

system with a state-of-the-art electronic

health record. This allows investigators to

conduct pioneering research and also provide

patient care—a distinctive dual opportunity

that attracts the best and brightest to the

program and enables VA to rapidly move

scientific discoveries from bench to bedside.

VA research accomplishments span the full

spectrum of Veterans’ health concerns.
i n n o a t i o

The VA Research and Development program

includes these additional standout features

in support of its mission:

• Full integration of basic, clinical, and

applied research to comprehensively

address Veterans’ health needs, from

disease prevention to rehabilitation.

• Career Development Program to mentor

junior investigators.

• Extensive human subjects protection

program.

• Cooperative Studies Program and VA

Central Institutional Review Board, which

enable VA investigators to conduct large,

multisite clinical trials.

• The Journal of Rehabilitation Research and

Development (JRRD), with more than 40

years of publishing excellence.

• A rigorous external peer-review process,

which ensures that all research meets the

highest standards of scientific excellence.
a dva n c e m e 

VA Research represents the promise of a

brighter tomorrow for Veterans. The research

process in VA starts with a close focus on

the everyday health needs and concerns

of Veterans. Solutions are identified and

developed through careful, rigorous research

in labs and clinics. These solutions are then

applied to patient care as rapidly as possible.

“Sometimes it works miracles,” one Veteran

has said of the program, which touches the

lives not only of Veterans but of their family

members and caregivers, as well as many

others in the nation who ultimately benefit

from VA medical discoveries.
Advancements

Following are some examples of VA Research progress.

Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation 

Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF)

VA researchers are working on new ways to ease the physical 

and psychological pain of returning soldiers and to improve 

their access to health care services. Key areas of study include 

polytrauma, mental health issues, vision and hearing loss, 

traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputations and 

prosthetics, pain management, and burns.

Mental Health

Mental health—including issues such as substance use, 

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, 

and schizophrenia—is a major focus of VA Research. Researchers 

are studying new drug therapies, enhancing primary care models 

of mental health care, and improving access to mental health 

care through telehealth and other innovative technologies. 

Prosthetics and Amputation Care

VA researchers are using advanced technology such as robotics, 

tissue engineering, and nanotechnology to design and build 

lighter, more functional prosthetic devices that will perform, 

look, and feel like natural limbs. Researchers are also exploring 

new methods to improve the reconstruction of injured extremities 

and studying how to best match available prosthetic components 

to the needs of amputees, many of whom seek to maintain active 

lifestyles that demand versatile, high-performance prostheses. 

Personalized Medicine

VA’s personalized medicine initiative is aimed at tailoring care 

to the individual veteran—for example, predicting a patient’s 

risk for a certain condition or response to a specific drug. 

The program will eventually allow VA providers to customize 

treatment based on an individual’s genetic makeup, thus 

increasing safety and effectiveness. 

Chronic Diseases

Health promotion and chronic disease management are high 

priorities for VA research. 

Among the areas of study for VA researchers are:

• Developing and testing innovative diabetes care strategies, 

such as group visits, telemedicine, peer counseling, and 

Internet-based education.

• Investigating the biochemical pathways involving dopamine—

a brain chemical implicated in Parkinson’s disease—

and testing a variety of treatment approaches for 

Parkinson’s disease, including medication, surgery, 

and electrical stimulation.

• Probing the genetic and lifestyle causes of cardiovascular 

disease, and developing new rehabilitation methods, especially 

for stroke.

• Exploring potential drug therapies for the prevention 

and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and studying the 

best ways to provide long-term care.

• Researching the biological causes of cartilage degeneration 

and testing new drugs and other medical rehabilitation 

treatments for arthritis.

Vision and Hearing Loss

VA researchers are developing new assistive devices for the 

visually impaired, including an artificial retina to restore vision, 

and studying ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat hearing loss. 

Access to Care

VA researchers are exploring organization of care, delivery 

methods, patient outcomes, and treatment effectiveness to help 

identify and eliminate any gaps in health care access for Veterans, 

especially those who may face special challenges because of their 

geographic location, gender, income level, culture, or race. 

Homelessness

For more than 20 years, VA has operated programs for Veterans 

who are homeless. VA researchers have been involved from the 

outset—evaluating effectiveness, comparing alternative strategies, 

and exploring new approaches. VA’s programs in this area have 

been studied more extensively than any others, and today make 

up the nation’s—and probably the world’s—largest integrated 

network of homeless treatment and assistance services. 

Pain Management

Developing powerful new approaches to assess, manage, 

and treat chronic pain is a high priority for VA researchers. 

VA researchers are examining changes at the cellular and 

molecular levels in hopes of finding new ways to prevent or 

treat pain and inflammation. 

Women’s Health

In recognition of the growing number of women Veterans, VA 

researchers are focusing increasing attention on women’s 

unique health needs such as the cellular mechanisms involved 

in breast and cervical cancer; the role of hormones in stroke and 

aging; prosthetic designs specifically for women; PTSD-related 

challenges that are unique to women; and access to genderappropriate services within VA.