The Health Services Research and Development Service (HSR&D) is an integral part of VA's research mission to deliver the highest quality of health care to our nation's Veterans. Our investigators seek to discover which treatments and practices not only lead to the best outcomes for Veterans but also represent the most cost-effective and efficient uses of VA resources. For the last twenty years, the HSR&D Research Career Development Program (RCDP) has been our most important investment in human capital to conduct high quality, cutting edge research that complements the efforts of the other services within VA's Office of Research and Development.

The goal of the RCDP is to continue to make VA a first-choice for talented post-docs interested in becoming national leaders in health services research within a supportive, Veteran-focused clinical and mentoring environment. The program is not a training program, however. To be competitive, candidates must demonstrate (through their didactic work, research collaborations, and HSR&D relevant manuscripts) that they have the appropriate level of training, commitment, and potential to position themselves to become independent HSR&D investigators. Most have already benefitted from a research fellowship and produced at least one first-authored publication in a quality journal. To gain the fundamental training to make them competitive for a CDA, many candidates have taken advantage of fellowships offered through VA's Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA). Advanced Fellowship programs in health services research and related areas are directed by seasoned VA HSR&D investigators.

Today's CDA recipients can become tomorrow's research leaders as principal investigators and mentors. The ultimate goal is to ensure that VA continues to have enough dedicated and talented people to help put the best care into practice based on the best science.

Candidates for CDAs must be nominated by their local VA research office and enlist the support of a VA mentor. Many VAMC's have HSR&D centers.

Program Manager for HSR&D Career Development

Robert Small
Email: robert.small@va.gov
(202) 443-5743