FOVA 30th Anniversary Celebration on the Hill - September 26, 2018
Thank you to those who were able to support and join us for the 30th Anniversary reception for the Friends of VA Medical Care and Health Research on Capitol Hill! The event was well received by VA and Congressional staff, and brought 70 attendees during a busy time for FY 2019 appropriations. We were thrilled to have the chance to hear remarks from Congressional leaders Rep. Phil Roe, MD (R-Tenn.) and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), as well as VA health care and research leaders Dr. Carolyn Clancy and Dr. Rachel Ramoni. The event was covered in a piece published on AAMC News.
FOVA FY 2022 Recommendations
VA Medical and Prosthetic Research: $902 million
VA Research Facilities:
At least $100 million for major and minor construction.
FOVA Congressional Briefing on VA Research into Opioids and Chronic Pain May 2018
FOVA May 24 hosted a congressional briefing titled “Understanding Opioids and Chronic Pain: From Bench to Bedside.” Chief Research and Development Officer, Rachel Ramoni, DMD, ScD, provided opening remarks about the VA research program and state of the art work on chronic pain.
Erin Krebs, MD, MPH of the Minneapolis VA and University of Minnesota presented her research on the effectiveness of opioids for chronic pain. Matt Bair, MD, MS of the Roudebush VA and University of Indiana highlighted eight ongoing VA-funded studies into chronic pain in combination with other health issues such as anxiety and depression. Sulayman Dib-Hajj, PhD, of the West Haven VA and Yale University, presented on basic research into pain signaling in neurons.
FOVA Congressional Briefing on the Science of Veteran Suicide September 2017
FOVA September 27 hosted a congressional briefing titled "The Science of Veteran Suicide: VA Research in Prevention and Intervention." Deputy Secretary of Veteran Affairs Tom Bowman provided opening remarks at the briefing, which included several VA researchers.
Lisa Brenner, PhD, director, Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, Rocky Mountain VA Medical Center, discussed the link between veterans, Traumatic Brain Injury, and suicide. Wilfred Pigeon, PhD, executive director, Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention, Canandaigua VA Medical Center, presented his research on the role of sleep in veteran suicide and prevention. Steven Dobscha, MD, director, Center to improve Veterans’ Involvement in Care (CIVIC), Portland VA Medical Center, examined the use of primary care screenings and smartphone apps in veteran suicide prevention.
FOVA Congressional Briefing on VA Learning Health Center May 2016
FOVA hosted a congressional briefing with in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Research and Development, hosted a May 16 congressional briefing titled “VA Research from Bench to Bedside,” in conjunction with National VA Research Week.
The panel discussed ways in which VA-conducted or funded research can impact patient care to create a “learning health care system”—one that takes research, innovations in care coordination, integrated care and information technology and uses them to apply strategies at the provider and healthcare organization level to improve the quality of care and overall experience for veterans.
FOVA Congressional Briefing on Women's Health Research February 2016
FOVA hosted a congressional briefing titled “Veterans Health Research: A Focus on Women,” featuring presentations from investigators funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical and Prosthetic Research program. VA Under Secretary for Health, David Shulkin, M.D., delivered opening remarks, thanking FOVA and outlining the important strides VA research has made to improve care for women veterans.
Elizabeth Yano, Ph.D., director of VA Health Services Research and Development’s Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy; discussed the acceleration and important progress advancing women veterans’ research over past decade nationally. Dr. Yano highlighted the Collaborative Research to Enhance and Advance Transformation and Excellence (CREATE) initiative to target critical areas of interest for Veterans healthcare, including implementation of comprehensive care for women veterans.
Sally Haskell, M.D., deputy chief consultant, women’s health services, Veterans Health Administration; and associate professor, Yale School of Medicine, presented on the Women Veterans Cohort Study. Dr. Haskell noted that the study has resulted in over 25 published papers since 2009, on topics such as mental health, musculoskeletal conditions, reproductive health, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and substance use.
FOVA Executive Committee member Heather O'Beirne Kelly, Ph.D., lead, military & veterans policy, American Psychological Association, moderated the briefing and closed with a brief overview of FOVA’s fiscal year 2017 funding recommendations, as well as the proposed cuts and reprioritization of VA research in the president’s budget
FOVA Congressional Briefing on the VA Million Veteran Program (MVP) July 2014
FOVA hosted a congressional briefing with VA Chief Research and Development
Officer (CRADO) Timothy O'Leary, M.D., Ph.D., on the VA's Million Veteran
Program (MVP), which aims to partner with 1 million veterans receiving
care in the VA system to study how genes affect health. FOVA Executive
Committee member and veteran, John Bradley, III, spoke about his
participation in MVP.
John Concato,
M.D., Director, VA Clinical Epidemiology Research Center,
VA Connecticut Health Care System, Professor of Medicine, Yale University
School of Medicine, and MVP Co-Principal Investigator, presented an overview
of MVP and its progress to date.
VA Reception Honoring Joel Kupersmith, M.D. May 2013
The FOVA Executive Committee presented VA Chief Research and Development
Officer (CRADO) Joel Kupersmith, M.D., with a tribute as he stepped down after
eight years of service, the longest tenure of any CRADO.
The FOVA Executive Committee hosted a briefing for the FOVA membership
organizations on the President's Budget, FY 2013 funding, and FY 2014
prospects. Speakers included Kathryn Van Haste, Professional Staff, Senate VA Committee; Ryan Pettit, Professional Staff, Senate Budget Committee; and Joel Kupersmith, M.D., VA CRADO.
FOVA Congressional Briefing:"Veterans’ Health Research: Improving the Lives of America’s Heroes " April 25, 2012
At a FOVA briefing for congressional staff on the importance of VA Research, House VA Committee Chair Ann Marie Buerkle spoke in support of
the program. Additionally, VA researchers presented on their work, including:
Randy
Kardon, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Iowa City VA Center for the Prevention
and Treatment of Visual Loss, Pomerantz Family Chair in Ophthalmology,
Professor of Ophthalmology, and Director of Neuro-Ophthalmology Service,
University of Iowa
Paula
P. Schnurr, Ph.D., Deputy Executive Director, the VA National Center
for PTSD; Research Professor, the Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth
Medical School
FOVA September 27 hosted a congressional briefing titled "The Science of Veteran Suicide: VA Research in Prevention and Intervention." Deputy Secretary of Veteran Affairs Tom Bowman provided opening remarks at the briefing, which included several VA researchers.
FOVA hosted a congressional briefing with in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Research and Development, hosted a May 16 congressional briefing titled “VA Research from Bench to Bedside,” in conjunction with 
FOVA hosted a congressional briefing titled “Veterans Health Research: A Focus on Women,” featuring presentations from investigators funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical and Prosthetic Research program. VA Under Secretary for Health, David Shulkin, M.D., delivered opening remarks, thanking FOVA and outlining the important strides VA research has made to improve care for women veterans. 
