Veterans Evidence Based Research Dissemination and Implementation Center

The VERDICT is one of 9 Research Enhancement Award Programs (REAPs) funded by the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) Health Services Research & Development Service (HSR&D). The VERDICT is housed at the Audie L. Murphy Division of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS) in San Antonio, Texas. The system is part of the Heart of Texas Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN 17) located in Central Texas.

The VERDICT has an interdisciplinary team of clinician investigators and social scientists (13 MD and PhD core investigators) and over 20 administrative support and technical staff. VERDICT investigators received over $2.5 million in VA and nonVA funding in FY 08. The VERDICT's mission is to improve the health of veterans by researching methods of improving the performance of clinical microsystems. Current areas of focus include:

• organizational effectiveness and change in health care settings, relational coordination and communication among health care teams (especially those in primary care and in ICU settings)
• chronic care management, coordination of care, perioperative risk management, and genomic health services for complex patients
• quality of care improvement and outcomes for patients with diabetes, obesity, pneumonia, epilepsy, serious mental illness, PTSD, and post-deployment health

Our primary academic affiliate is The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. UT Health Science Center is a major center for bioscience education and research in South Texas with over 4,000 faculty and staff, and more than $145 million in grants, contracts, and awards annually in over 2,000 patient-related and basic research projects. A South Texas Consortium led by UT Health Science Center recently received a $26 million NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award to speed translation of biomedical breakthroughs to improve the health of people in South Texas. VERDICT investigators are playing a key role in the CTSA's "T2" translation efforts to identify effective methods of disseminating and implementing the latest research findings in clinical practice and in the community.

In addition, UT Health Science Center investigators were recently awarded a $25 million grant from the Department of Defense (DoD) to lead a research consortium "STRONG STAR" in which VERDICT is participating to study post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. San Antonio is also home to the San Antonio Military Medical Center (formed from Brooke Army Medical Center and Wilford Hall Medical Center) and the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, which respectively serve as one of the major trauma centers and the only burn center for all military personnel worldwide. Recent operational mergers within DoD have resulted in the formation of the world's largest military medical center in San Antonio. VERDICT is thus poised to become a leader in post-deployment health through these collaborations.