Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center

Dr. Drew Helmer, an internist at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, co-authored the 2021 paper. He and his colleagues first identified whether drinking Concord grape juice is linked to increased levels of polyphenols in the blood. They then tried to learn whether these increases correlate with improved cognitive performance in 26 Veterans with Gulf War illness.

Singh is a professor at Baylor College of Medicine and an investigator at the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuESt), a VA-funded research center at the DeBakey VA Medical Center.

A recent VA Houston study published in Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics found that hepatitis C positive organs are a safe and effective option for most transplant candidates. Newer antiviral drugs have made it possible for patients to be successfully treated for hepatitis C infections transmitted via organ transplant.

“Many consider Michael E. DeBakey to be the greatest surgeon ever,” the Journal of the American Medical Association wrote in 2005.

In July, Houston VA became the first VA facility to participate in an international trial evaluating the therapeutic benefit of a drug as a treatment for Veterans with COVID-19 severe pneumonia.

Previous studies have suggested that meditation may have beneficial effects on a number of conditions. A 2017 American Heart Association scientific statement suggests that meditation may be of benefit for cardiovascular risk reduction. Data show that it may help with blood pressure, cholesterol level, quitting smoking, and overall cardiovascular health. However, this connection is far from definitive.

Mental health is good medicine, and the Houston VA Medical Center is making it easier than ever to receive psychological services. 

Spinal cord injury (SCI) nursing at VA is a challenging [...]

Currently five mobile medical units are operating in Beaumont and staff are seeing more than 100 patients a day.

“Operation Stand Down Rebound" is providing homeless Veterans and those at risk of becoming homeless, with the opportunity to access a broad range of services in one convenient location.

VA's Office of Connected Care’ quickly implemented telehealth capabilities to assist Veterans at two mega-shelters and four community based outpatient clinics following Hurricane Harvey.

The Disaster Emergency Medical Personnel System is VA’s main deployment program for clinical and non-clinical staff to an emergency or disaster.