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Dan Berlowitz, MD, MPH on Effective Reviewing
Part 1: Key Focus Areas and Resources for Reviewers
Part 2: Your Written Review, the Oral Presentation, and Scoring
The HSR&D Scientific Merit Review Board is made up of several panels organized by HSR&D review areas. Please note that review panel membership and assignments may change for each review and will be updated after the most recent review is completed.
See also HSR&D Merit Review Success Rates
IMPORTANT: This list is for information purposes only. Under no circumstances should an investigator communicate directly with any review board member about an application either before or after the review. Please direct all questions about reviews to the Scientific Program Manager who oversees the relevant review committee.
Interpretation of an application's overall score: Reviewers serving on the Scientific Merit Review Board (SMRB) assign each application a single score that reflects their assessment of the overall scientific merit based on consideration of the review criteria. The individual reviewer scores are averaged and then multiplied by 100. Below are the general guidelines currently used by SMRB reviewers. [Note: While all applications are reviewed, not all applications are discussed and scored by the review panel. Only discussed applications receive an overall score; others are "unscored." Applications that are candidates for being unscored include any proposal with an average preliminary score placing it in the lower (least meritorious) 25-30% of applications for review. An unscored application may be very appropriate for resubmission, depending on the comments in the written critiques.] See Guidelines for Scoring HSR&D Proposals.
| Review Group | SRO | Phone | Description | |
| HQ5/HQ8 - QUERI | Kara Beck, PhD | (734) 845-3452 | Kara.Beck@va.gov | Partnered initiatives or centers focused on addressing VA priorities, supporting VHA's transformation to a Learning Health System, and moving the needle on quality of care for Veterans by leveraging evidence-based implementation, evaluation, and/or quality improvement methods and partnering closely with health system leaders, managers, and frontline staff to support the uptake of effective programs, policies, and practices across VHA. |
| HSR 1 – Health Care and Clinical Management | Cathie Plouzek, PhD | (202) 443-5753 | Cathie.Plouzek@va.gov | Health care and delivery to include medical care; medical/surgical management; provider preferences and behaviors; provider burnout; diagnosis; prognosis; best practices; guidelines; quality and safety of healthcare; COVID disruption in patient care; chronic pain management; opioid use and management; pharmacology; and pharmacotherapeutics. |
| HSR 2 – Behavioral, Social and Cultural Determinants of Health and Care |
Crystal Henderson, EdD Amanda Borsky, DrPH, MPP (Women's Health) |
(202) 215-7233 |
Crystal.Henderson1@va.gov
Amanda.Borsky@va.gov (Women Veterans' Health only) |
Patient preferences, perceptions, and behaviors (including engagement and self-management); personal, sociodemographic, rural health, and cultural factors affecting health and care (patient/population/provider/community); Whole Health; Complementary, alternative or integrative health; rural health, patient decision-making; focused patient-centered health care improvements and innovations; whole health, patient-provider interactions and communication; populations with disparities in health (rural, minorities, LGBTQIA+); and health disparities related to COVID disruption in patients care. |
| HSR 3 – Healthcare Informatics | Cathie Plouzek, PhD | (202) 443-5753 | Cathie.Plouzek@va.gov | Research in informatics and health information technology (HIT) tools and systems to enhance effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of VHA care, including impact of new information technology on patient experience, clinical analysis of big data to generate new evidence and scientific discovery (MVP data; genomics data, phenotypic data; emerging health data); development, testing and evaluation of novel and innovative digital HIT tools, emerging health data standards, EHR Modernization and research methods. |
| HSR 4 – Mental and Behavioral Health | Robert William O'Brien, PhD, MEd, AB | (202) 443-5741 | Robert.O'Brien2@va.gov | Research on assessment, treatment, and prevention of mental health conditions (such as anxiety, depression, serious mental illness, and PTSD) and behavioral health disorders (such as substance use disorder and addictive disorders); suicide and suicide ideation; mental health - primary care integration (MH-PCI); measurement based care; access to mental health care; and COVID disruption of mental health care. |
| HSR 5 – Health Care System Organization, Delivery and Women's Health | Amanda E Borsky, DrPH, MPP | (202) 701-7631 | Amanda.Borsky@va.gov | Research on (1) health systems and (2) women's health. This includes research on: organizational models affecting delivery of care across systems (different care settings or healthcare systems), best practices in implementation of health care interventions and improvements, methods to improve the efficiency and quality of care for Veterans, system efficiency and redesign, cost efficiencies, resource optimization, COVID system wide disruption in care, access to care; management and human factors affecting care, and improving care delivery across the lifespan for women Veterans. |
| HSR 6 – Long-Term Care, Aging and Support Services | Lynne S Padgett, PhD | (202) 443-5790 | Lynne.Padgett@va.gov | Research focused on two broad areas: (1) Rehabilitation and functional outcomes, including activity, mobility, and exercise; (2) Aging and care settings (e.g., home, long-term care, frailty) as well as supportive services, caregiving, palliative, and end-of-life care, and COVID disruption in aging patients' care. |
| HSR 9 - Special Topic: Rural Health |
Crystal Henderson, EdD Amanda Borsky, DrPH, MPP (Women's Health) |
(202) 215-7233 |
Crystal.Henderson1@va.gov
Amanda.Borsky@va.gov (Women Veterans' Health only) |
Service Directed Research in Rural Health addressing public health emergencies, integrated care between VA and community non-VA services; workforce development challenges for rural health care providers. |
| MRA0 - Career Development | Robert Small | (202) 443-5743 | Robert.Small@va.gov | Mentored health services research with an approved Letter of Intent. Research topics span the full HSR&D and QUERI research portfolios. |
| MRA1 - Mentored Physician and Clinical Psychologist Award in Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias | Lynne S Padgett, PhD | (202) 443-5790 | Lynne.Padgett@va.gov | Mentored Physician and Clinical Psychologist Award in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (MPCPS-ADRD) is a VA-ORD Career Development Award (CDA), in collaboration with the National Institute on Aging (NIA). |
