WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi today announced the appointment of two senior health care leaders -- the chief of research and development and the chief consultant for geriatrics and extended care for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Dr. Nelda P. Wray is VA’s new chief of research and development. Dr. James F. Burris is the department’s new chief consultant for geriatrics and extended care.
Wray currently serves as chief of general medicine at the Houston VA Medical Center and as a professor and the chief of health services research at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. She will take over from Dr. John R. Feussner, who retired.
Burris is the VA’s deputy chief research and development officer and has been acting chief research and development officer since August 2002. He will assume the geriatrics position previously held by Dr. Judith A. Salerno, who is now with the National Institutes of Health.
“Dr. Wray is an internationally recognized leader in health research,” said Principi. “She will use her considerable skills as a researcher and administrator to improve health care for our veterans.”
Wray received her medical degree from the Baylor College of Medicine. She created the Houston Center for Quality of Care and Utilization Studies, a VA Health Services Research and Development Center of Excellence, in 1990. She is a member of several national and state advisory committees on research. In 1999, she became the second person to receive the VA Under Secretary Award for Outstanding Achievement in Health Service Research. Wray is board certified in internal medicine and pulmonary medicine.
Wray’s recent research showed that patients with osteoarthritis of the knee who underwent placebo arthroscopic surgery were just as likely to report pain relief as those who received the real procedure. The results challenged the usefulness of one of the most common surgical procedures performed for osteoarthritis of the knee.
As chief of research and development, Wray will oversee more than 15,000 research programs at 115 VA medical centers.
“Dr. Burris brings extensive experience in geriatric medicine, administration and research to his position,” said Principi. “He will make sure our aging and chronically ill veterans continue to receive the finest medical care available.”
Burris received his medical degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. He completed a residency at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, then served as a medical officer in the United States Public Health Service. This was followed by an internal medicine residency at Georgetown University and a hypertension fellowship at the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he later served as a staff physician in the geriatrics unit.
He is a clinical professor of medicine and pharmacology at Georgetown University. He has held numerous administrative positions at Georgetown University, including associate dean for research and operations and director of continuing professional education.
Burris has been VA’s deputy chief research and development officer since 1997. His awards include the Vicennial Medal from Georgetown University in 2000. He is a Fellow of the American Geriatrics Society and the American Heart Association.
