A Message to Our Veterans

Leading Federal Researchers Collaborate to Improve Veterans’ Health Care

The Veterans Affairs (VA) Research and Development program has distinguished

itself for groundbreaking research achievements that directly advance the medical

care of Veterans. However, to expand the scope and impact of VA research, we must

collaborate, whenever possible, with others in the research community who share

our mission of improving health care. Partnering with others who have common

research interests allows VA to leverage resources and expand the impact of taxpayer

investment in research. Additionally, through collaboration we are able to support

the swift translation of medical findings into real-life strategies to make life

better for Veterans and all Americans.

Among VA’s committed partners in health

care research are federal agencies such as the

Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Health and Human

Services (HHS). Combined, the agencies’ resources and unique strengths have

produced powerful results and offer great promise for future improvements

in Veterans’ health care.

A prime example of how VA and DoD are working together is the Millennium

Cohort Study. This project, the largest of its kind to date, will track the health

of some 150,000 military personnel over more than 20 years. By providing crucial

information about the long-term health effects of military service, the study aims

to enhance the health of future generations of service members and Veterans.

Our research partnership with HHS is exemplified by the recent Shingles

Prevention Study, which VA conducted in collaboration with the National Institute

of Allergy and Infectious Diseases—part of HHS’ National Institutes of Health.

The study, one of the largest adult vaccine trials ever, involved more than 38,000

men and women at 22 sites across the United States,

including 16 VA medical centers. The study found

that an experimental vaccine could dramatically

reduce the severity of shingles—a painful nerve and

skin infection—and in many cases prevent the

disease altogether. The vaccine is now available for

VA patients and the nation.

This brochure will provide you with additional

examples of the transforming impact of VA’s federal

research collaborations. Joel Kupersmith, M.D.

Chief Research and Development Officer

Department of Veterans Affairs
A Message to Our Veterans

Leading Federal Researchers Collaborate to Improve Veterans’ Health Care

The Veterans Affairs (VA) Research and Development program has distinguished

itself for groundbreaking research achievements that directly advance the medical

care of Veterans. However, to expand the scope and impact of VA research, we must

collaborate, whenever possible, with others in the research community who share

our mission of improving health care. Partnering with others who have common

research interests allows VA to leverage resources and expand the impact of taxpayer

investment in research. Additionally, through collaboration we are able to support

the swift translation of medical findings into real-life strategies to make life

better for Veterans and all Americans.

Among VA’s committed partners in health

care research are federal agencies such as the

Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Health and Human

Services (HHS). Combined, the agencies’ resources and unique strengths have

produced powerful results and offer great promise for future improvements

in Veterans’ health care.

A prime example of how VA and DoD are working together is the Millennium

Cohort Study. This project, the largest of its kind to date, will track the health

of some 150,000 military personnel over more than 20 years. By providing crucial

information about the long-term health effects of military service, the study aims

to enhance the health of future generations of service members and Veterans.

Our research partnership with HHS is exemplified by the recent Shingles

Prevention Study, which VA conducted in collaboration with the National Institute

of Allergy and Infectious Diseases—part of HHS’ National Institutes of Health.

The study, one of the largest adult vaccine trials ever, involved more than 38,000

men and women at 22 sites across the United States,

including 16 VA medical centers. The study found

that an experimental vaccine could dramatically

reduce the severity of shingles—a painful nerve and

skin infection—and in many cases prevent the

disease altogether. The vaccine is now available for

VA patients and the nation.

This brochure will provide you with additional

examples of the transforming impact of VA’s federal

research collaborations. Joel Kupersmith, M.D.

Chief Research and Development Officer

Department of Veterans Affairs
Leading Federal Researchers

Collaborate to Improve

Veterans’ Health Care

Department of Defense

The Department of Defense (DoD)

and VA share a commitment to

honoring those who have served our

country by providing the best quality

care available. The two departments

have a number of health care-related objectives

in common and work closely to achieve a coordinated health care partnership. Collaborative

research projects cover a wide range of topics,

including traumatic brain injury (TBI),

polytrauma, prostheticsand amputation care,

posttraumaticstress disorder (PTSD) and

other mental health issues, and pain.

Among the successful projects undertaken

by VA researchers in cooperation with their DoD

counterparts:

• Focusing on Operation Enduring

Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom

(OEF/OIF) Priorities

In recent years, high-level planning and

coordination has occurred between VA and

DoD on health matters relevant to OEF/OIF

Veterans, including TBI. Forexample, the

Defenseand Veterans Brain Injury Center

(DVBIC) isa DoD-VA collaboration that

ensures state-of-the-art medicalcareforactive

duty military, their dependents,and Veterans

with TBI. DVBIC also conducts innovative

clinical research, such as studies looking

atanxiety disordersand at problems with

memory and attention in patients with TBI.

“The DEKA arm is at the leading

edge of prosthetics research and

development. VA has always been

committed to bringing the best

technology to our Veterans.”

Dr. Michael Selzer

Director, VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Service

In addition to its military and civilian sites,

DVBIC hasclinicalcareand research

programsat VA’s four main Polytrauma

Rehabilitation Centers, located in Minneapolis, Palo Alto, Tampa,and Richmond, Va.

Thecenters providespecialized treatment to

meet thecomplex rehabilitation needs of

severely injured service members.

The Minneapolis polytraumasiteisalso home

to VA’s Polytrauma Quality Enhancement

Research Initiative(QUERI), which

promotes best practices in polytraumacare

across the VA system. The program’sexecutive

committeeincludes senior DoD cliniciansand

VA’s QUERI researchers who arecollaborating

on numerous studies.

• Advancing Care in Prosthetics

and Amputation

VA and DoD havecollaborated on a number

of research projects in recent years relating

to amputation and prosthetics. Among their

mutual goals: to continually improve prosthetic designsand conduct studies to evaluate

the usefulness of various prosthetic models.

In what isconsidered atransforming leap in

thefield of prosthetics, VA plans to conductan

optimization study ofan advanced prosthetic

arm system being developed by DEKA

Research and Development. DEKA isalso

supported by the Defense Advanced Research

Projects Agency (DARPA).

Research

participant

using prototype

DEKA arm.
Leading Federal Researchers

Collaborate to Improve

Veterans’ Health Care

Department of Defense

The Department of Defense (DoD)

and VA share a commitment to

honoring those who have served our

country by providing the best quality

care available. The two departments

have a number of health care-related objectives

in common and work closely to achieve a coordinated health care partnership. Collaborative

research projects cover a wide range of topics,

including traumatic brain injury (TBI),

polytrauma, prostheticsand amputation care,

posttraumaticstress disorder (PTSD) and

other mental health issues, and pain.

Among the successful projects undertaken

by VA researchers in cooperation with their DoD

counterparts:

• Focusing on Operation Enduring

Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom

(OEF/OIF) Priorities

In recent years, high-level planning and

coordination has occurred between VA and

DoD on health matters relevant to OEF/OIF

Veterans, including TBI. Forexample, the

Defenseand Veterans Brain Injury Center

(DVBIC) isa DoD-VA collaboration that

ensures state-of-the-art medicalcareforactive

duty military, their dependents,and Veterans

with TBI. DVBIC also conducts innovative

clinical research, such as studies looking

atanxiety disordersand at problems with

memory and attention in patients with TBI.

“The DEKA arm is at the leading

edge of prosthetics research and

development. VA has always been

committed to bringing the best

technology to our Veterans.”

Dr. Michael Selzer

Director, VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Service

In addition to its military and civilian sites,

DVBIC hasclinicalcareand research

programsat VA’s four main Polytrauma

Rehabilitation Centers, located in Minneapolis, Palo Alto, Tampa,and Richmond, Va.

Thecenters providespecialized treatment to

meet thecomplex rehabilitation needs of

severely injured service members.

The Minneapolis polytraumasiteisalso home

to VA’s Polytrauma Quality Enhancement

Research Initiative(QUERI), which

promotes best practices in polytraumacare

across the VA system. The program’sexecutive

committeeincludes senior DoD cliniciansand

VA’s QUERI researchers who arecollaborating

on numerous studies.

• Advancing Care in Prosthetics

and Amputation

VA and DoD havecollaborated on a number

of research projects in recent years relating

to amputation and prosthetics. Among their

mutual goals: to continually improve prosthetic designsand conduct studies to evaluate

the usefulness of various prosthetic models.

In what isconsidered atransforming leap in

thefield of prosthetics, VA plans to conductan

optimization study ofan advanced prosthetic

arm system being developed by DEKA

Research and Development. DEKA isalso

supported by the Defense Advanced Research

Projects Agency (DARPA).

Research

participant

using prototype

DEKA arm.
Leading Federal Researchers

Collaborate to Improve

Veterans’ Health Care

Department of Defense

The Department of Defense (DoD)

and VA share a commitment to

honoring those who have served our

country by providing the best quality

care available. The two departments

have a number of health care-related objectives

in common and work closely to achieve a coordinated health care partnership. Collaborative

research projects cover a wide range of topics,

including traumatic brain injury (TBI),

polytrauma, prostheticsand amputation care,

posttraumaticstress disorder (PTSD) and

other mental health issues, and pain.

Among the successful projects undertaken

by VA researchers in cooperation with their DoD

counterparts:

• Focusing on Operation Enduring

Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom

(OEF/OIF) Priorities

In recent years, high-level planning and

coordination has occurred between VA and

DoD on health matters relevant to OEF/OIF

Veterans, including TBI. Forexample, the

Defenseand Veterans Brain Injury Center

(DVBIC) isa DoD-VA collaboration that

ensures state-of-the-art medicalcareforactive

duty military, their dependents,and Veterans

with TBI. DVBIC also conducts innovative

clinical research, such as studies looking

atanxiety disordersand at problems with

memory and attention in patients with TBI.

“The DEKA arm is at the leading

edge of prosthetics research and

development. VA has always been

committed to bringing the best

technology to our Veterans.”

Dr. Michael Selzer

Director, VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Service

In addition to its military and civilian sites,

DVBIC hasclinicalcareand research

programsat VA’s four main Polytrauma

Rehabilitation Centers, located in Minneapolis, Palo Alto, Tampa,and Richmond, Va.

Thecenters providespecialized treatment to

meet thecomplex rehabilitation needs of

severely injured service members.

The Minneapolis polytraumasiteisalso home

to VA’s Polytrauma Quality Enhancement

Research Initiative(QUERI), which

promotes best practices in polytraumacare

across the VA system. The program’sexecutive

committeeincludes senior DoD cliniciansand

VA’s QUERI researchers who arecollaborating

on numerous studies.

• Advancing Care in Prosthetics

and Amputation

VA and DoD havecollaborated on a number

of research projects in recent years relating

to amputation and prosthetics. Among their

mutual goals: to continually improve prosthetic designsand conduct studies to evaluate

the usefulness of various prosthetic models.

In what isconsidered atransforming leap in

thefield of prosthetics, VA plans to conductan

optimization study ofan advanced prosthetic

arm system being developed by DEKA

Research and Development. DEKA isalso

supported by the Defense Advanced Research

Projects Agency (DARPA).

Research

participant

using prototype

DEKA arm.
A Message to Our Veterans

Leading Federal Researchers Collaborate to Improve Veterans’ Health Care

The Veterans Affairs (VA) Research and Development program has distinguished

itself for groundbreaking research achievements that directly advance the medical

care of Veterans. However, to expand the scope and impact of VA research, we must

collaborate, whenever possible, with others in the research community who share

our mission of improving health care. Partnering with others who have common

research interests allows VA to leverage resources and expand the impact of taxpayer

investment in research. Additionally, through collaboration we are able to support

the swift translation of medical findings into real-life strategies to make life

better for Veterans and all Americans.

Among VA’s committed partners in health

care research are federal agencies such as the

Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Health and Human

Services (HHS). Combined, the agencies’ resources and unique strengths have

produced powerful results and offer great promise for future improvements

in Veterans’ health care.

A prime example of how VA and DoD are working together is the Millennium

Cohort Study. This project, the largest of its kind to date, will track the health

of some 150,000 military personnel over more than 20 years. By providing crucial

information about the long-term health effects of military service, the study aims

to enhance the health of future generations of service members and Veterans.

Our research partnership with HHS is exemplified by the recent Shingles

Prevention Study, which VA conducted in collaboration with the National Institute

of Allergy and Infectious Diseases—part of HHS’ National Institutes of Health.

The study, one of the largest adult vaccine trials ever, involved more than 38,000

men and women at 22 sites across the United States,

including 16 VA medical centers. The study found

that an experimental vaccine could dramatically

reduce the severity of shingles—a painful nerve and

skin infection—and in many cases prevent the

disease altogether. The vaccine is now available for

VA patients and the nation.

This brochure will provide you with additional

examples of the transforming impact of VA’s federal

research collaborations. Joel Kupersmith, M.D.

Chief Research and Development Officer

Department of Veterans Affairs