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The Department of Veterans Affairs’(VA) Rehabilitation Research and Development Service (Rehab R&D) supports research relevant to the rehabilitative needs of veterans, including prosthetics, orthotics, mobility, orthopedics, neurology, physical medicine, spinal cord injury, communication disorders, sensory and cognitive aids.
Today, rehabilitation assumes a role of importance as a scientific discipline. As the population of veterans with chronic disease expands, due in part to improved survival following catastrophic events, the need for rehabilitation research increases. Since rehabilitation’s fundamental clinical goal is to maximize functional recovery, this often means teaching compensatory techniques and providing adaptive equipment. The long-term effects on outcomes of many traditional approaches remain unproven, and as rehabilitation moves forward, VA Rehabilitation researchers must examine efficacy to allow its medical practice to be truly evidence based.
A crucial issue is whether external experience influences general health, quality of life and genuine recovery. VA Rehab R&D is committed to advancing and expanding the field of rehabilitation and to creating increased research capacity within the VA.
The following table lists the locations and functional specialty of each VA Rehab R&D Center.
| Location | Functional Specialty |
|---|---|
| West Haven, CT | Restoration of Function in SCI and Multiple Sclerosis |
| Pittsburgh, PA | Wheelchair and Related Technology |
| Gainesville, FL | Cognitive and Motor Impairment Rehabilitation |
| Atlanta, GA | Geriatric Rehabilitation |
| Portland, OR | Aural Rehabilitation |
| Seattle, WA | Prosthetics and Consequences of Amputation |
| Palo Alto, CA | Mobility |
| Houston, TX | Aging with a Disability |
| Cleveland, OH | Center for Functional Electrical Stimulation |