Research Plays Important Role in Veterans’ Health Care

Did you know the Department of Veterans Affairs developed both the CT and MRI scans?

VA researchers also were the first to perform liver transplantation, develop an artificial kidney, and discover an effective therapy for tuberculosis.

In fact, the VA is a major player in research and development in the medical and biological sciences. Research is one of the congressionally mandated missions of the Veterans Health Administration, the health care arm of VA. The mission of VA research is "to discover knowledge and create innovations" that advances health care for veterans and the nation.

In addition to the CAT scan and the MRI, VA research is also responsible for new methods of surgery that improve recovery rates, many complex prosthetic devices that help amputees regain independence, and the telescoping walking stick that aids the visually impaired.

The Research & Development Program at the Houston VA Medical Center includes four components - medical research, rehabilitation research and development, health services research and development, and the cooperative studies program. Collectively, these services support research covering biomedicine, rehabilitation, health services, and clinical trials.

VA research focuses around nine areas that represent the high-priority health care needs of veterans: acute and traumatic injury; military and environmental exposures; chronic diseases; sensory disorders and loss; mental illness; substance abuse; special populations (high risk or underserved); aging and age-related changes; and health services and outcomes research. Currently, there are more than 2,100 high-priority research projects nationwide.

VA research is also an intramural program. All VA-funded research at the Houston VA Medical Center is conducted under the supervision of VA employees. Unlike the National Institutes of Health, the VA does not make grants to universities, states, or any other non-VA entity. In addition, VA scientists are successful in competing for federal research funds from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense; from private-sector volunteer organizations such as the American Heart Association and the Alzheimer’s Association; and from commercial firms, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

– Houston VA Medical Center

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