Office of Research & Development

Opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution
In 2014 and 2015, researchers evaluated the feasibility of VA’s distributing naloxone to Veterans at risk for an opioid overdose. Knowledge gained from this project was applied in a variety of ways, and VA now has the largest naloxone distribution program of any U.S. health care system.

Improving care for Veterans in VA community living centers
What began as a pilot project at the Bedford (Massachusetts) VA has been rolled out nationally and impacted care for Veterans residing at VA community living centers across the country.

Bladder bundle program significantly reduces catheter-associated urinary tract infections
A "bladder bundle" set of practices developed by VA researchers has been adopted nationwide, in both VA and non-VA hospitals, as a way to reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

Spreading best practices in stroke care
VA providers implemented best practices in stroke care based on research from the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis.

Precision Oncology Program
VA patients nationwide with a common form of lung cancer now routinely have their tumors genetically sequenced to help determine the best therapy, thanks to a program initiated by researchers and clinicians in VA’s New England region. The program is one of several efforts launched by VA in the area of precision oncology.

Virtual Hope Box smartphone app to prevent suicide
VA investigators teamed with Department of Defense colleagues to create a phone app, the Virtual Hope Box, that helps with suicide prevention.

STRIDE program to keep hospitalized Veterans mobile
The STRIDE program was developed by VA researchers in Durham to help keep hospitalized Veterans mobile. This has been shown to improve post-hospital outcomes. The program is now being implemented at a number of other VA facilities.

Emergency Department Patient-Aligned Care Team (ED-PACT) Transfer Tool
Researchers at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System developed a tool using VA’s electronic health record system to enable emergency care clinicians to send messages to Veterans’ primary care teams alerting them to the patients’ specific needs after their emergency visits. The tool is now being disseminated and is expected to curb repeat emergency visits and hospitalizations.

Tools to aid decision-making for lung cancer screening
Researchers at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System played a key role in developing tools to help patients and their health care providers weigh the risks and benefits of lung cancer screening.

A web platform to diagnose and manage sleep apnea
VA researchers in San Diego, Atlanta, and Philadelphia developed a web platform, called the Remote Veteran Apnea Management Platform (REVAMP), to allow rural and other Veterans to be evaluated for sleep apnea without traveling to a VA sleep center. The system also helps in the management of the condition.

Safer prescribing for older adults after emergency care
VA researchers and colleagues developed a program called Enhancing Quality of Provider Practices for Older Adults in the Emergency Department (EQUiPPED) to help providers prescribe the safest drugs to older patients discharged after emergency visits.

VA research helps lay groundwork for new CDC guidelines on opioids
As a result, in part, of the work of VA researchers, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the nation’s health protection agency, changed its opioid prescription guidelines.

Telemedicine outreach for PTSD
The Telemedicine Outreach for PTSD (TOP) program, now in use at 12 VA clinics serving rural Veterans, delivers therapy and other care through phone and interactive video contact. It was developed based on several VA studies showing that remote delivery of psychotherapy for PTSD can be safe, feasible, and effective.

New tools to reduce delays in diagnosing cancer
Dr. Hardeep Singh and colleagues at VA’s Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuESt) in Houston have developed a number of tools—such as triggers within VA’s electronic health record system—designed to prevent delays in follow-up of abnormal test results and diagnosis of cancer.

Drug approved to diagnose adult growth hormone deficiency
Based on VA research results, the FDA approved the drug Macrilen to diagnose adult growth hormone deficiency. The condition affects about 60,000 adults in the U.S. and Canada.

Validation of screening tool for intimate partner violence
VA researchers tested and validated a screening tool, or brief questionnaire, to elicit reports of intimate partner violence experienced by women Veterans. VA now uses the tool nationwide.

Individual Placement and Support to help Veterans find jobs
The Individual Placement and Support model was initially developed to help people with serious mental illness find employment. VA researchers have adapted and studied the approach to help Veterans with spinal cord injury and PTSD, and their work has led to wide implementation of IPS in the VA system.

Vision screening protocol after a traumatic brain injury
In 2011, VA Palo Alto Health Care System researchers reported that many Veterans with traumatic brain injuries also have "hidden eye injuries" that may go undetected without comprehensive eye examinations. Their work led to new guidelines for eye-care providers in VA and the Department of Defense, and the development of a clinical tool to be used for screenings or exams.

Physical environment checklist leads to sharp decline in inpatient suicides at VA facilities
In 2007, VA researchers and clinicians launched the Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist to reduce Veteran suicides in inpatient settings. A study published 10 years later found that the program led to a sharp decline in suicides at VA inpatient mental health units from 2000 to 2015.

Prolonged exposure therapy to treat PTSD
Thousands of VA mental health counselors have been trained in prolonged exposure therapy to treat PTSD, partly thanks to positive results from a large VA study of the treatment in female Veterans.

Progressive Tinnitus Management
Progressive Tinnitus Management, an audiology program adopted nationwide in both VA and Department of Defense clinics, was developed by VA’s National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research.

Stepped-care and collaborative-care models for chronic musculoskeletal pain
Stepped-care and collaborative-care models, validated in VA research trials, have become central to VA’s standard approach to treating chronic pain among Veterans.

The LUKE/DEKA advanced prosthetic arm
VA researchers were integral in testing and optimizing the LUKE/DEKA advanced prosthetic arm, and Veterans are now receiving the device.

BiOM powered ankle-foot prosthesis
In 2007, researchers with VA, MIT, and Brown University introduced a "powered ankle-foot prosthesis," which uses tendon-like springs and an electric motor to move users forward. The device is now helping Veterans and active-duty service members.

SmartWheel enhances the well-being of wheelchair users
The SMARTWheel, developed by the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, was designed to help wheelchair users avoid repetitive stress injuries. It is in use at more than 175 clinics and labs nationwide.

Development of the nicotine patch for smoking cessation
VA researchers developed the nicotine patch in 1984. For decades, the device has been widely used to help smokers quit.

An aspirin a day to prevent heart attack and stroke
A 1983 VA clinical trial found that a single aspirin tablet a day reduced the risk of death from heart attack by half among men with unstable angina. The study has been cited countless times in support of using aspirin in these patients, and the therapy has become standard medical practice.

Foundation of modern endocrinology
Nobel-winning longtime VA scientist Dr. Andrew Schally established the foundation for many research areas, including neuroendocrinology and reproductive endocrinology. His work has led to new treatments for certain cancers and laid the groundwork for advances in reproductive medicine.

Gleason score for prostate cancer
In the 1960s, VA researcher Donald Gleason and colleagues developed a grading system to classify the stage and prognosis of prostate cancer. Today, the Gleason score is considered the most reliable measure of how likely a prostate tumor is to grow and spread.

Drug therapy for moderate high blood pressure
In the 1960s, VA undertook the first well-designed, placebo-controlled clinical trial to show whether medication can prevent deaths in those with moderate high blood pressure. The research led to a revolution in the care of people with hypertension.

First successful liver transplant
Longtime VA transplant surgeon and research scientist Dr. Thomas Starzl was widely regarded as the “father of transplantation.” He is credited with the "first-ever series of repetitively successful human kidney transplantations” and the first successful liver transplant.

Radioimmunassay: Invaluable technique for measuring substances in the blood
Radioimmunoassay, widely used in medicine today to measure substances in the blood, was developed by VA researchers Dr. Rosalyn Yalow, who would go on to win a Nobel Prize for the work, and Dr. Solomon Berson.

The invention of the cardiac pacemaker
VA researchers developed and tested the first clinically successful cardiac pacemaker. The invention prevents potentially life-threatening complication from irregular heartbeats.