COIN - Veterans EquiTy in the Cancer CAre Continuum Research (VETCARE); New York, NY

Co-Directors: Danil Makarov, MD, MHS and Melanie Jay, MD, MS

The Veterans EquiTy in the Cancer CAre Continuum Research (VETCARE) Center of Innovation focuses on the study of cancer care and chronic disease management.

Mission

VA efforts to deliver high quality, equitable care have led to improvements in cancer care and reductions in disparities in access to and processes of care; yet, disparities still persist in health outcomes, requiring novel strategies to overcome them. VETCARE investigators work to advance the science of health equity and help VA ensure equitable outcomes for all Veterans.

By directly addressing VA’s research priority of health equity and social determinants of health,  VETCARE research projects seek to comprehensively develop, test, and implement interventions that address cancer care health inequities among Veterans by increasing our ability to collaboratively address VA healthcare and research priorities, advance health systems research across the cancer continuum of care (e.g., prevention, treatment, survivorship), obtain more research funding through VA grants, train more health services researchers, and engage Veterans throughout the research process.

Goals

VETCARE’s overall goals are to:

• Test strategies to support the adoption and use of promising interventions to optimize health equity across the continuum of VA cancer care.
• Develop and test strategies and interventions to equitably improve the prevention and outcomes of other chronic conditions and foster healthy behaviors across the continuum of VA cancer care.
• Promote research to optimize delivery of remote cancer care across VA.

In addition to our focus on cancer health equity, VETCARE investigators bring deep expertise in clinical care and research around aging, hearing loss (disability equity), and mental health. Our studies will explore the full spectrum of population health—from population-level studies addressing primary care and mental health to chronic disease management focused on Veterans with the greatest healthcare needs.

Partnerships

VETCARE staff maintain strong partnerships with the VA National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and the VA Office of Connected Care; serve on VA New York Harbor Healthcare System's Institutional Review Board and Research & Development Committees; and contribute to national enterprise efforts with the VA Office of Research and Development, and the VA Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning.

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Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.