Address
Laboratory Representative
Description
VA’s Research and Development program (VA Research), with its distinguished history of discovery and innovation dating back to 1925, today remains an essential part of VA’s efforts to ensure the health and wellbeing of our nation’s Veterans. The fundamental mission of VA Research is to advance the health and care of Veterans. It is part of the Veterans Health Administration, America’s largest integrated health care systems with over 1,700 sites of care, serving 8.3 million Veterans each year. With a state of-the-art electronic health record, VA Research is uniquely positioned to conduct pioneering research.
With the unique combination of accessible data, a national research setting with linked infrastructure, and a large research population, VA Research is renowned for conducting large-scale clinical trials and comparative effectiveness research. With more than 70 percent of VA researchers also providing care to patients, the program is poised to quickly move innovations and discoveries from the research setting to the care setting. Findings from clinical research, considered with findings from genomics and health services research, VA Research provides evidence-based information that can be used to enhance VA’s ability to provide personalized health care, care tailored to a specific patient’s circumstances. By giving VA providers such evidence-based information about an intervention’s effectiveness, the research helps guide providers as they consider various health care options and inform patients to participate in care decisions.
Mission
The Office of Research and Development (ORD) aspires to discover
knowledge, develop VA researchers and health care leaders, and
create innovations that advance health care for our Veterans and
the Nation. ORD is headquartered in Washington, DC and has an
estimated 3,000 investigators and 10,000 research staff located at
119 VA Medical Centers (VAMCs around the country. VA Research is an
intramural research program that also embraces its close ties with
academic affiliates, other federal agencies, nonprofit
organizations, and private industry. By partnering with others who
have common research interests, VA Research is able to leverage
resources and expand the impact of federal research
investments.
ORD consists of four research services that together form a
cohesive whole to explore all phases of veterans' healthcare needs.
Each Service oversees a number of world renowned research centers
nationwide.
The Biomedical Laboratory Research & Development Service conducts research that explores basic biological or physiological principles in humans or animals but does not involve intact human beings. For example, it includes research on animal models and investigations of tissues, blood or other biologic specimens from humans
The Clinical Science Research and Development Service conducts research that focuses on intact human beings as the unit of examination. Examples include interventional and effectiveness studies, clinical, epidemiological and technological studies.
The Health Services Research and Development Service pursues research at the interface of health care systems, patients and health care outcomes. HSR&D underscores all aspects of VA health care; specifically quality, access, patient outcomes and health care costs.
The Rehabilitation Research & Development Service is dedicated to the well-being of America's veterans through a full spectrum of research: from approved rehabilitation research projects, through evaluation and technology transfer to final clinical application.
Each of these four services is headed by a director who is supervised by the Chief Research and Development Officer (CRADO), who in turn reports to the Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Policy and Services.