VA ORD Research Services

BLR&D

The Biomedical Laboratory Research & Development Service conducts research that explores basic biological or physiological principles in humans or animals but does not involve intact human beings. For example, it includes research on animal models and investigations of tissues, blood or other biologic specimens from humans.

CSR&D
and
CSP

The Clinical Science Research and Development Service conducts research that focuses on intact human beings as the unit of examination. Examples include interventional and effectiveness studies, clinical, epidemiological and technological studies.

The VA Cooperative Studies Program is the Division of VA Research and Development that is responsible for the planning and conduct of large multicenter clinical trials in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Health Services Research and Development Service pursues research at the interface of health care systems, patients and health care outcomes. HSR&D underscores all aspects of VA health care; specifically quality, access, patient outcomes and health care costs.

RR&D

The Rehabilitation Research & Development Service is dedicated to the well-being of America's veterans through a full spectrum of research: from approved rehabilitation research projects, through evaluation and technology transfer to final clinical application.

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VA ORD-Wide Programs

The mission of the Program for Research Integrity Development & Education is to protect participants in VA human research. PRIDE is responsible for all policy development and guidance, and all training and education in human research protection throughout the VA.

TTP

The Technology Transfer Program serves the American public by translating the results of worthy discoveries made by VA employees into practice. The program educates inventors concerning their rights and obligations, rigorously evaluates all inventions, obtains patents, and assists in the commercialization of new products.

Biosafety & Biosecurity

The VA Office of Research and Development (ORD) has developed its Biosafety & Biosecurity Program to ensure the safety of individuals involved with research at Veterans Health Administration research laboratories and to protect the environment. The program strives to ensure the security and safety of all individuals, resources, information, biological agents, chemical agents and radiation materials/sources found within research laboratories.

Tissue Banking

The VA Tissue Banking Program was developed for the collection and storage of biological specimens for research.

Animal Research

Animal Research: The primary mission of the CVMO's office is to provide professional and administrative guidance and support to VA field animal care and use programs. This is accomplished by phone and email consultations, periodic training sessions, and development of web-based support systems.

REQUIP

The VA Research Equipment Quick Use Initiative Program (REQUIP) is responsible for the redistribution of nonexpendable research equipment including equipment for the care and use of animals.

Women's Health

VA R&D Women's Health was established as a research priority to develop new knowledge about how to best provide for the health and care of women veterans. VA has built an increasingly productive portfolio of biomedical, clinical, rehabilitation and health services research since the early 1990's.

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Funded Field Centers

CSP Epidemiological Research and Information Centers

Boston, MA
The Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research & Information Center (MAVERIC) creates expertise in all aspects of population-based research, develops databases to link and promote epidemiologic research, and trains investigators in this arena.

Durham, NC
The Epidemiologic Research and Information Center at Durham, NC focuses on conducting, generating, and disseminating epidemiological information, emphasizes interventions and their evaluations, provides education and training opportunities to develop and enhance epidemiological technical expertise.

Seattle, WA
The Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center (ERIC) refines VA and non-VA data collection efforts on the frequency of health conditions and risk factors, conducts, hypothesis-driven research projects, teach introductory and advanced epidemiology methods to VA administrators, clinicians and investigators; and disseminates epidemiologic information

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HSR&D Centers of Excellence and Resource Centers

Ann Arbor, MI
The Center for Clinical Management Research focuses on quality monitoring and improvement, outcome evaluation of alternative treatments, practice and outcomes variations, as well as resource allocation and shared decision making.

Bedford, MA
The Center for Health Quality, Outcomes, and Economic Research concentrates on four domains: health quality assessment, outcomes measurement, health economics, and health statistics. Across these domains, researchers develop innovative methodologies and models of care to provide the most effective, efficient and appropriate care to our nation’s veterans.

Boston, MA
The Center for Information Dissemination and Education Resources (CIDER) is a VA Health Services Research and Development Service (HSR&D) national Resource Center. Established in June 2004, CIDER's mission is to improve the health and care of veterans by disseminating important HSR&D findings and information to policy makers, managers, clinicians, and researchers throughout VA and the broader health care community.

Boston, MA
The Center for Organization, Leadership and Management Research identifies organization, leadership, and management practices, evaluates the effects of leadership development programs, develops a database that captures the characteristics of individual VA medical centers, and Veterans Integrated Service Networks as a whole.

Durham, NC
The Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care focuses on ambulatory care, women's health, geriatrics, and epidemiology of chronic disease.

Hines, IL
The Center for Management of Complex Chronic Care focuses on pharmacotherapeutics, health economics and value in health care, and behavioral interventions and health communications as they relate to complex chronic care.

Hines, IL
The VA Information Resource Center (VIREC) was established in July 1998 to support researchers who use databases and informatics by providing an infrastructure of database and informatics experts, customer service, expert advice, information products, and Web technology to VA researchers and others.

Houston, TX
The Houston Center for Quality of Care and Utilization Studies focuses on quality of care assessment, determinants of health services utilization, translational (implementation) research, health disparities, chronic care models, and health decision making.

Indianapolis, IN
The Center of Excellence on Implementing Evidence-Based Practice generates new knowledge about best practices, identifies organizational, environmental and provider-based aspects of health systems, designs and test health system interventions, makes maximal use of research evidence in routine care; and facilitates the use of research in the dissemination of best practices.

Iowa City, IA
The Center for Research in the Implementation of Innovative Strategies in Practice conducts innovative research that advances understanding of strategies for incorporating knowledge into practice to improve veterans' health, expands understanding of fundamental barriers and facilitators to the adoption of evidence-based practices, develops, tests, and disseminates novel interventions, and contributes to VA research programs focused on implementation research.

Menlo Park, CA
The Health Economics Resource Center is a national center that assists VA researchers in assessing the cost-effectiveness of medical care, evaluating the efficiency of VA programs and providers, and conducting high-quality health economics research.

Minneapolis, MN
The Center for Chronic Disease Outcomes Research focuses on evidence-based practice for improving outcomes in chronic disease, evaluating models for managing chronic diseases, and develops and assesses innovative models for managing chronic disease.

Palo Alto, CA
The Center for Health Care Evaluation improves the delivery of health care services, patient decision aids, screening procedures, clinical decision-making, evaluates treatment for substance abuse and psychiatric disorders, evaluates treatment for older veterans, and health services research methodology.

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, PA
The Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion develops and supports research, education, policy making, and dissemination that focuses on disparities related to race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and comorbid illness in patients with conditions prevalent in the veteran population, such as cardiovascular disease, HIV, and alcohol and substance abuse

Seattle, WA
The Northwest Center for Outcomes Research in Older Adults focuses on management of chronic disease, preservation of independence of elderly and disabled veterans, innovative models of care, and new methods of health services research.

Sepulveda, CA
The Center for the Study of Healthcare Provider Behavior carries out a program of research focused on healthcare provider behavior and its determinants, and is committed to increased understanding of the features of the environment, organization, practice, provider, patient and encounter that influence healthcare provider practices and ultimately health outcomes.

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RR&D Centers of Excellence

Atlanta, GA
The Center of Excellence for Aging Veterans with Vision Loss works to improve function, independence, and quality of life of aging veterans with visual disabilities and those acquiring visual disabilities. The center focuses on vision, cognition and mobility research, and research that highlights the interaction among these areas.

Baltimore, MD
The Maryland Center for Exercise and Robotics in Disability and Aging was established in 2005 and is located in the Baltimore VA Medical Center. The center focuses on identifying and testing ways to improve cardiovascular health, motor function and to minimize disability in individuals with neurological illnesses.

Contact: Richard Macko, MD - Center Director

Boston, MA
The Center of Excellence for Innovative Visual Rehabilitation focuses on the development of a retinal prosthesis to restore vision in patients with retinitis pigmentosa, the leading cause of inherited blindness, and with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness among veterans and the general population.

Bronx, NY
The Center of Excellence on the Medical Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury is studying the use of anabolic pharmaceuticals, including anabolic steroids, to treat secondary disabilities of SCI. SCI, which affects more than 40,000 veterans nationwide, often is associated with problems related to muscular function, breathing, bowel movements, and cardiovascular health.

Cleveland, OH
The Center for Advanced Platform Technology (APT) develops advanced technologies that serve the clinical needs of veterans with motor and sensory deficits and limb loss to provide clinician-researchers within the VA with new tools for rehabilitation, treatment and scientific inquiry that lead to independence and enhanced societal participation. Main Telephone Line: 216-707-6421

Cleveland, OH
The Center for Functional Electrical Stimulation investigates functional electrical stimulation (FES), a technology that relies on controlled electrical current to activate paralyzed muscles to return full or partial physical function to individuals with disabilities. Accomplishments include FDA approval of a hand grasp system and commencement of clinical trials of an advanced bladder/bowel management system.

Gainesville, FL
The Brain Rehabilitation Research Center develops innovative methods of effective and efficient post acute rehabilitation for veterans with cognitive, motor, or sensory impairments due to stroke, traumatic injury, or degenerative diseases of the central nervous system.

Miami, FL
The Center for Functional Recovery in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury investigates spasticity, pain management, recovery of motor and sensory function, and other areas of critical importance to veterans with spinal cord injury (SCI). The Miami center works to strengthen the network of VA SCI investigators and the community of clinician-scientists dedicated to helping patients with spinal cord injury and their families. Contact: Director Marca L. Sipski, M.D. at the Miami VAMC. Tel: (305)324-3363

Palo Alto, CA
The Center of Excellence on Bone and Joint Rehabilitation focuses on developing physical interventions for prevention of bone loss, restoration of normal bone density, halting the progression of osteoarthritis, the reversal of cartilage degeneration, and improving the rehabilitative course of orthopaedic techniques.

Pittsburgh, PA
The Center for Wheelchair Technology focus on the design, development, and evaluation of new technologies to improve the mobility of physically impaired individuals. They have made important contributions towards the design of wheelchairs, seating systems, transportation systems, and novel approaches to the delivery of assistive technology.

Portland, OR
The National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research is the only VA national Center of Excellence dedicated to addressing the needs of veterans with auditory disorders. The center is a consortium of multi-disciplinary professionals conducting research to increase knowledge about auditory dysfunction and improve auditory rehabilitation for veterans with hearing loss.

Providence, RI
The mission of the Center for Restorative and Regenerative Medicine is to improve function for individuals with traumatic limb loss by developing technologically advanced techniques in tissue engineering, orthopaedics, neurotechnology, prosthetic design, and rehabilitation. These are complementary techniques that converge with one another in the concept of the "biohybrid limb" - comprised of both biological and non-biological materials. This concept enables us to envision solutions that transcend the limitations of biological tissue or prosthetic materials alone.

For more information on specific projects at the Center, see our CRRM brochure (1 MB, PDF).

Seattle, WA
The Center for Limb Loss Prevention and Prosthetic Engineering studies amputation prevention, lower limb prosthetic improvement, and patient outcome measurements. One of the first to routinely test aging veterans for diabetes, the leading cause of non-traumatic lower limb loss, the center has long been a resource for veterans with limb-at-risk and amputation-related problems.

West Haven, CT
The Center for Restoration of Function in Spinal Cord Injury and Multiple Sclerosis focuses on the recovery of functional loss from spinal cord injury (SCI). Research done at molecular and cellular levels is translated into restorative therapies in the clinical domain.

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