VA Office of Research and Development

This week, VA’s Office of Research and Development published three News Briefs highlighting research findings on TBI and suicide risk, telehealth and rural infection control, and the benefits of massage therapy.

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.

Precision medicine is an approach which aims to tailor disease prevention and treatment by taking into account differences in an individual’s clinical, lifestyle, genetic, and biomarker information. Within mental health care, precision medicine is in its infancy.

Today, the William S. Middleton Award (Middleton Award) is the highest honor presented by the Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development Service in VA’s Office of Research and Development. Established in 1960, the annual award honors senior VA biomedical research scientists for their outstanding achievements in biomedical and bio-behavioral research relevant to the health care of Veterans.

I have had a series of mentors over the years. Air Force Brigadier General Charles “Chuck” Yeager, the first pilot to fly faster than the speed of sound, took me on my first flight in an F100F fighter in 1958. Air Force Colonel Henry Godman, a pilot in the first full squadron to fly the B-17 Flying Fortress during World War II and later the head of Strategic Air Command, taught me to fly a propeller AC.

VA researchers are studying the safety and effectiveness of 3D-printed nasal swabs, in case of another urgent nationwide need to test patients for COVID-19 or other infectious diseases.

Today, Wade is a technology transfer specialist for the Technology Transfer Program (TTP), part of VA’s Office of Research and Development. She also cofounded and directs Science for Georgia, nonprofit organization.

Leaders of the Million Veteran Program (MVP) are addressing this gap through a new initiative called MVP MIND. It will survey 50,000 new participants with serious mental health conditions about their experiences. MVP officials believe such efforts will lead to more powerful research into these issues and better treatments.

When I reported to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 1959, as good fortune would have it, the placement officer noticed that I had earned a master’s degree in biology and offered me the chance to work in a lab designed to conduct Army research.

Neurologist specializes in treating sleep disorders. Program aims to understand sleep and the impact that poor sleep can have on the brain and body. And how sleep is affected by TBI and PTSD.

At the same time, Clark encourages all African Americans and other minorities to stay informed about developments related to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

Surveys have shown that many Americans are skeptical about the COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics that are being tested in clinical trials. Here is VA’s perspective on the integrity of the trials.