VHA Innovation Experience 2021 breaks boundaries with Veteran-impacting innovation

Want to know how the VHA Innovation Experience 2021 breaks boundaries with Veteran-impacting innovation?

When host Eric Bruns opened up the 2021 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Innovation Experience (iEX) in front of a curved LCD wall at the National Press Club last week in Washington, D.C., one thing was clear: this wasn’t your usual VA event. As with the past three years, iEX not only showcased the boundary-breaking innovation that occurs at the VHA Innovation Ecosystem (IE) every day but delivered an exciting and engaging event that allowed Veterans and the public to see how VA is leading the way in forging a healthier future for Veterans and the rest of the country.

The event kicked off with VA Secretary Denis McDonough discussing the impact that VHA IE has had over the past year, highlighting nine inspiring innovations that are already impacting the lives of Veterans across the country and fundamentally changing how health care is delivered.

“As we look to the future together, as we do that today and tomorrow, as we do that every day,” McDonough said. “We should, and must, do better for Vets. We must continue to be better for Vets. And that’s what VHA’s Innovation Ecosystem and this conference is all about.”

He was not the only high-profile attendee to deliver a keynote, however. On the second day, Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal spoke on how resilience is closely linked to innovation and creativity and the ways that resilient workforces, like VA’s, can drive the future of care. Dr. Ryan Vega, chief officer, Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning at VA, spoke candidly with Jennifer C. Goldsack, CEO, Digital Medicine Society (DiMe), on the role of a structured ecosystem in supporting and spreading innovation.

The real excitement started, however, when the innovators took the stage for the iEX Talks and iEX Demos. These two events give viewers the chance to discover not just the innovative work being done at VA, but the people and stories behind it. These events included an exciting look at how VA is building an Extended Reality network across VHA, a groundbreaking Smart White Cane, analytic tools for COVID-19, and an open and honest discussion on sexual health and fertility for paralyzed Veterans. The emotional and personal stories behind this work must be seen to be understood, so check them out the moment you have a chance.

There were winners at iEX as well. Both the VHA Shark Tank Competition and the VHA IE Awards Ceremony took place. The former delivered 10 new Promising Practices into the Diffusion of Excellence portfolio, including a mobile application that will help Veterans with cancer prevention and the Compassionate Contact Corps, which contacts Veterans weekly to help them feel more connected and supported. There are so many deserving innovators breaking boundaries in Veteran care, but below are this year’s big winners:

Under Secretary for Health’s Robert L. Jesse Award for Excellence in Innovation:

• Clinical: Melissa Tran of Orlando VA Healthcare System for her work developing a multi-disciplinary medical team to provide services for perinatal and postnatal Veterans.
• Non-Clinical: Angela Gant-Curtis of VA Office of Information Technology (OI&T) for her work standing up an innovation department within OI&T.
• Team: 3D Innovation Center of the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System; Nikki B. Beitenman, Bethany M. Baldwin, Jose M. Rodriguez III, David J. Gaitlin, and Dr. Kent Flanagan for their work designing 3D-printed medical devices like the Gio Stent.

VHA Innovators Network Awards

• Innovation Specialist of the Year Award: Kathryn Beckner of Richmond VAMC for catapulting the Richmond VA Medical Centers iNET site forward in her first year as a Specialist.
• Tanked Award: Debra Cole of Richmond VAMC for her determination in innovating for Veterans after applying three times for the iNET Spark-Seed-Spread program before being accepted this year.
• Investee of the Year Award: Brian Higgins of VA Palo Alto Health Care System for embracing the experiential, iterative attitude that exemplifies iNET.

We encourage you to check out the fourth annual iEX event showcasing the groundbreaking technology and practices VHA innovators and our collaborators are building, scaling and delivering to reshape American health care. You can find all the videos on this Playlist.