New podcast series highlights VA research on key health topics

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In a new series that highlights advancements in VA health care, VA researchers and clinicians are appearing on a Veteran-themed media platform—Wreaths Across America Radio—to tout their critical work.

The web-based outlet broadcasts Veteran-centric shows and podcasts to a monthly audience of about 10,000 people, mostly Veterans. In interviews, the researchers have been discussing suicide prevention, cancer screening, military exposures and many other health care topics.

In addition to Wreaths Across America Radio, the interviews are posted on the Office of Research and Development’s website and promoted via social media, providing VA employees, Veterans and family members information about the latest VA achievements in research and clinical approaches.

Many of the interviews highlight VA’s ability to quickly turn research findings into improved clinical care and better Veterans’ outcomes. Case in point: Dr. Bruce Montgomery, an oncologist at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, explained that VA has been doing more “high-risk, high-reward” oncology research projects that call for a “bed-to-bedside” approach where something found in a lab is quickly made available to patients.

The interviews also convey that VA research doesn’t only take place in a lab. They point out that the research is closely tied to VA’s effort to constantly bring evidence to make VA’s care as effective as possible and ensure that Veterans are getting the best health care supported by some of the best medical minds in the country.

For example, when VA senior TBI specialist Dr. David Cifu discussed the impact of traumatic brain injury on Veterans, he noted that VA has an “amazing system” of professionals who specialize in polytrauma, which relates to the condition of someone subjected to multiple traumatic injuries. 

“As a part of VA’s research mission, all scientists are expected to translate their findings into clinically relevant information that can be disseminated to health care providers and taught to trainees to establish state-of-the-art, evidence-based, clinical programming,” said Cifu, principal investigator for the Long-Term Impact of Military Relevant Brain Injury Consortium – Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (LIMBIC-CENC). “An online platform like Wreaths Across America Radio brings important health discoveries impacting Veterans to those who are most affected.”

Dr. Elizabeth Yano, director of the VA Women’s Health Research Network, has also discussed her groundbreaking work on Wreaths Across America Radio. She elaborated on what Women Veterans can expect when they come to VA for their health care, as well as several VA research initiatives for Women Veterans.

“The worst thing that can happen for a researcher hoping to make a difference is to only publish in the scientific literature,” she said. “Few of our most important constituents and stakeholders ever read those papers, so having the opportunity to present our work on Wreaths Across America Radio was an incredible opportunity to speak to Veteran listeners directly. It’s vital for VA research to be held to this higher standard of communicating our science effectively to those who count on it the most.”

VA’s collaboration with Wreaths Across America Radio gives VA researchers a new forum for expounding on the positive nature of their work and how it benefits Veterans. At the end of each interview, the researcher explains where to go for more information on the topic, whether it’s a web site or a specific VA program.

The series will be ongoing, with VA researchers to be interviewed in the future on topics ranging from cardiology, Parkinson’s disease, long COVID and VA clinical trials.

Stay tuned!