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VA Health Systems Research

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Special Interest Groups for VA Researchers

HSR&D Special Interest Groups are comprised of researchers who share an interest in a particular topic. They help to encourage collaboration and networking among researchers and to inform new and ongoing areas of research. Current interest groups are listed below. If you are interested in forming a new interest group or would like to have an existing interest group represented on this page, please contact Karen Bossi at karen.bossi@va.gov.

Special Interest Group on Caregiving Research

Caregivers play a critical role in the day-to-day support for chronically ill OEF/OIF and other Veterans. Research on caregiver support is an important part of the Long-Term Care and Caregiving priority research area within the HSR&D eRA RFA. The purpose of the SIG on Caregiving Research is to stimulate quality research and to provide a structure for VA caregiving researchers to share information and develop collaborative projects.

Principal Contact:

Ranak B. Trivedi, PhD, MA, MS
Center for Innovation to Implementation with the
VA Palo Alto Health Care System
Ranak.Trivedi@va.gov

Membership Information:

The SIG on Caregiving Research is open to new members. Those interested can contact Victoria Ngo, PhD at Victoria.Ngo@va.gov to be added to the group's listserv and to receive access to the group's website (please be sure to include your name, e-mail, and VA or academic affiliation).

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Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) Workgroup

As veterans age and develop complex chronic health conditions, they may be best served through home-based health care services. Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) is one aspect of VA home care that may improve the quality of life of veterans while also improving the quality of health care and reducing hospitalizations and costs. The purpose of the HBPC workgroup is to support the use of VA and other data in understanding the implementation and impact of HBPC programs, stimulate research into HBPC and other long-term support services within VA, and to provide a forum for VA research and operations personnel to share information and develop collaborative projects.

Principal Contact:

Samuel T. Edwards, MD, MPH
Section of General Internal Medicine, VA Portland Health Care System
Samuel.Edwards@va.gov

Membership Information:

The HBPC workgroup is open to new members. The workgroup meets the fourth Tuesday of the month at 9:00 am PT/ 12:00 pm ET.

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Machine Learning and Applied AI

A new interest group is forming for researchers interested in machine & deep learning, artificial intelligence, neural networks, natural language processing, data science, computer vision, and more. The group plans to host meetings, share research via presentations, share ideas and suggestions, find collaborators to work with, and learn from each other.

The group can be found by searching Microsoft Teams for “Rockies-Machine Learning and Applied AI.” Click the link to join, and the group leads will approve your request. Rockies is VA’s data and analytics platform built on the cloud through Microsoft Azure. The Rockies proposed purpose when recently formed – after an RFI (Request for Information proposal) was circulated – is to augment researchers’ work, specifically, to assist VA researchers by “easing the burden of data access, integration, and organization while enabling a heterogenous ecosystem for data analytics in the VA.” 

Principal Contact :

For questions about the group, please contact Nathan Walk, MD, HSR&D Advanced Research Fellow in Informatics, at Nathan.walk@va.gov.

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Organization and Management Research

The Organization and Management Research Interest Group aspires to contribute to both organization, organizing, and management theory and practice by creating a community in which an understanding of such theory and its application within the Veterans Health Administration is advanced so that the agency is an effective, successful, and inspiring place to work.

Principal Contact:

Greg Greenberg
Project Director
VA Northeast Program Evaluation Center
Office of Mental Health Operations, VACO
Greg.Greenberg@va.gov

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Pain Research Working Group (PRWG)

The Veterans Health Administration Pain Research Working Group (PRWG) was developed to support one of the key objectives of the VHA National Pain Management Strategy, namely "Identifying research opportunities and priorities in pain management and facilitating collaborative research efforts." Four specific objectives of the PRWG have been articulated:

  1. Establishment of a network of VHA pain-relevant scientists and scholars;
  2. Increase number of VHA funded investigator-initiated and multi-site pain-relevant research projects;
  3. Development of an agenda for health systems/health policy research designed to support the National Pain Management Strategy goals; and
  4. Development of a VHA research policy agenda designed to establish pain-relevant research as a priority.

Principal Contact:

Alicia Heapy, PhD
Alicia.Heapy@va.gov

Membership Information:

Membership is open to VA and DoD investigators, and collaborating non-VA/non-DoD investigators with interests in pain and pain management, and related fields. To join, please contact Alicia Heapy via email. Interested persons may also visit the national VHA Pain Management website at www.va.gov/pain_management.

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VA Emergency Management Research Interest Group

The VA Emergency Management Research Interest Group fosters communication and collaboration among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in emergency management research. The Group supports VA's Fourth Congressionally-mandated Mission: emergency preparedness and response in support of VA, the Department of Defense, and the Nation. VA serves as a backup to the Department of Defense health system in times of war or other emergencies and as support to communities following natural disasters, emergencies, and domestic terrorist incidents. The Group provides a forum to exchange knowledge, disseminate research findings, inform policy, and network with those sharing common interests in advancing research knowledge relevant to emergency management.

Principal Contact:

Aram Dobalian, PhD, JD
Aram.Dobalian@va.gov

Membership Information:

This interest group is open to new members. If you are interested in joining, please send an email to aram.dobalian@va.gov.

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VA Health Equity Research Interest Group

This interest group is for VA HSR&D investigators engaged in health equity research. The goal of this group is to enhance disparities research and foster collaboration and coordination of health equity research in order to build a more integrated equity research portfolio that will facilitate development of interventions to reduce disparities and enhance implementation of research into practice in VA.

Membership Information:

The Interest Group is open to new members who are VA researchers interested in research related to health disparities and health equity.

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VA Women's Health Research Interest Group

The VA Women's Health Research Interest Group is committed to advancing research to improve the health and healthcare of women Veterans through sharing of research findings and educational opportunities, networking, collaboration, and development of VA research priorities and strategies to expand women's health research in the future. The Women's Health Group meets at the HSR&D National Meeting and also supports HSR&D Central Office in activities related to the women's health research portfolio, including providing expertise for briefings and special conferences.

Principal Contact :

Elizabeth Yano, PhD
Elizabeth.Yano@va.gov

Membership Information:

The Interest Group is open to new members who are VA researchers interested in women's health research and the health and healthcare of women Veterans. If you are interested in joining the VA Women's Health Researcher e-mail group, go here for instructions.

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VA Statisticians' Association (VASA)

VASA formed in 2005 in order to improve communication, networking, and interaction among statisticians within VA. Our mission is to:

  • Promote and disseminate statistical methodological research relevant to VA studies;
  • Facilitate communication and collaboration among VA-affiliated statisticians;
  • Promote good statistical practice;
  • Increase participation and visibility of VA statisticians at national meetings such as the VA HSR&D and ASA Joint Statistical Meetings; and
  • Increase participation of statisticians in VA research merit review.

Principal Contacts:

Rene Rigoroso
Rene.Rigoroso@va.gov

Dr. Andrew Zhou
Andrew.Zhou@va.gov

Membership Information:

VASA is open to new members. VA-affiliated statisticians are encouraged to join the group by sending their contact information and affiliation. Similarly, VASA welcomes ideas and suggestions regarding its activities, website content, or other topics. To join or for more information, simply contact either Whitney or Andrew at the e-mail addresses above.

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