1946

• Developed and tested effective therapies for tuberculosis following World War II. Multi-center clinical trials led to development of the Cooperative Studies Program, which has since produced effective treatments for diseases and conditions including schizophrenia, diabetes, depression, heart disease and stroke.
• Established the standard for developing better-fitting, lighter artificial limbs through studies of human locomotion, enhanced surgical techniques and modernized design and manufacturing methods.

1947

Introduced the first mobility and orientation rehabilitation-training program for blind persons.

1958

Invented the implantable cardiac pacemaker, helping many patients prevent potentially life-threatening complications from irregular heartbeats.

1960

Pioneered the concepts that led to development of computerized axial tomography (CAT scan).

1961

Conducted groundbreaking work with radioisotopes that led to the development of modern radioimmunoassay diagnostic techniques.

1968

Performed the first successful liver transplants and developed techniques for suppressing the body's natural attempt to reject transplanted tissue.

1970

Expanded understanding of how brain hormones interact with the endocrine system.

1984

Developed the nicotine patch and other therapies to help smokers give up the habit.

1989

Invented a computer system that provides patients on ventilators with more accurate respirator settings, fewer medical complications, and better outcomes.

1990

Contributed to the development of the first standards for wheelchair prescriptions.

1991

• Developed Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) systems that allow patients to move paralyzed limbs.
• Demonstrated that early treatment with corticosteroids reduces damage from spinal cord injury.

1993

Developed and tested a new device that has led to improved wheelchair designs by enhancing assessments of upper extremity pain in manual wheelchair users.

1994

Demonstrated that one aspirin tablet a day reduced by half the rate of death and nonfatal heart attacks in patients with unstable angina.

1995

Conducted the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, which is instrumental in identifying ways to improve surgical care.

1996

• Identified the gene that causes Werner's syndrome, a disease marked by premature aging.
• Developed clinical practice guidelines on cholesterol screening for the American College of Physicians.
• Found that an implantable insulin pump offers better blood sugar control, weight control and quality of life for adult-onset diabetes than multiple daily injections.

1997

Identified a gene associated with a major risk for schizophrenia.

1998

• Identified a gene that causes a rare form of dementia, providing a potential target for treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
• Found that less expensive, conservative treatment of a common type of heart attack is superior to the standard heart catheterization and balloon angioplasty.
• Demonstrated that administering erythropoetin under the skin is as effective and less expensive than intravenous administration for treatment of severe anemia in hemodialysis patients.
• Started the Quality Enhancement Research Initiative to help translate research results into clinical practice for conditions prevalent among veterans.

1999

• Found that a chemical messenger and a neurotoxin can shut down neurons associated with chronic pain while leaving intact those needed for a normal pain response.
• Launched the first treatment trials for Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, focusing on antibiotics and exercise.

2000

• Showed that colonoscopy is superior to the more widely used sigmoidoscopy as a primary screening mechanism for colon cancer.
• Conducted the first large clinical trials of hearing aids, documenting that the devices can help the hearing-impaired in both quiet and noisy environments.

2001

• Began the first clinical trial under the Tri-National Research Initiative, with researchers from VA collaborating with colleagues from Canada and the United Kingdom to determine the optimal antiretroviral therapy for HIV.
• Initiated a landmark clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of deep brain stimulators for Parkinson's disease.

2002

• Developed, in partnership with U.S. Army and university researchers, an oral drug that promises to halt the deadly action of smallpox.
• Produced key clinical findings on ghrelin, a recently discovered "hunger hormone."
• Found that patients with osteoarthritis of the knee who underwent mock arthroscopic surgery were as likely to report pain relief as those who received the real operation, challenging the usefulness of a common medical procedure on which Americans spend more than $3 billion each year.

2003

• Created a national registry of veterans with Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) to track the health status of veterans with the disease and help recruit research participants.
• Showed that a costly new schizophrenia drug may be no more effective than older, less expensive treatments.
• Launched the largest-ever clinical trial of psychotherapy to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

2004

• Showed that the antioxidant lutein could not only help prevent macular degeneration, but also reverse symptoms.
• Established a major center of excellence, in partnership with Brown University and MIT, to develop state-of-the-art prosthetics for veteran amputees.
• Took on leadership of a five-year, $60-million study nationwide study—funded by the National Institute on Aging and other partners—to identify brain changes linked to Alzheimer's disease.

2005

• Showed the effectiveness of a new vaccine for shingles, a painful skin and nerve infection that affects older adults.
• Announced major funding initiatives for research on neurotrauma, chronic pain and other health problems prevalent in combat-wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

2006

• Established the Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases at the San Francisco VA, in collaboration with the Department of Defense
• Published the results of a major study on dietary supplements for arthritis, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health
• Launched a Genomic Medicine initiative to advance knowledge of how genes affect health and to promote personalized medicine for veterans
• Reported major advances in the development of a brain-computer interface that will enable patients with spinal cord injury and other immobilizing conditions to function more independently
• Launched a multisite trial to test robotic therapy for stroke rehabilitation

2007

• Established the Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, based at the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System, to augment research on brain injuries, PTSD and other combat-related conditions.
• Unveiled the first powered ankle-foot prosthesis, developed in collaboration with researchers at MIT and Brown University.
• Found that prazosin, an inexpensive generic drug already used by millions of Americans for high blood pressure and prostate problems, could improve sleep and lessen trauma nightmares in veterans with PTSD.
• Established a Pharmacogenomics Analysis Laboratory at the Little Rock VA to conduct diagnostic or treatment-related genetic tests for individual VA patients and to serve as a genetic research lab for VA’s Cooperative Studies Program.
• Published the results of a major clinical trial, conducted with Canadian researchers, that found that balloon angioplasty and stenting did little to improve outcomes for patients with stable coronary artery disease who also received optimal drug therapy and underwent lifestyle changes.
• Demonstrated the benefits of prolonged-exposure therapy as a treatment for PTSD in a clinical trial that included 284 women.