Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

» Back to Awards List


April 21, 2022

HSR&D Announces Daniel Deykin Award for Outstanding Mentor

Alison B. Hamilton, PhD, MPH

Alison B. Hamilton, PhD, MPH

Alison B. Hamilton, PhD, MPH, is the recipient of the 2021 HSR&D Daniel Deykin Award for Outstanding Mentor, which is presented each year to an HSR&D researcher(s) who exhibits outstanding dedication in mentoring the next generation of researchers. Skills of importance include fostering an appreciation for the vital input provided by VA stakeholders, including policymakers and Veterans, and guiding mentees toward an understanding of the positive impact research can have on the health and care of Veterans.

A Research Career Scientist with HSR&D’s Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy (CSHIIP), Dr. Hamilton serves as the Chief Officer of Implementation & Policy, and directs the EMPOWER QUERI program. Her research priority is improving the health and care of women Veterans. Currently, Dr. Hamilton advises 36 mentees. She also serves as co-director of the VA Greater Los Angeles Advanced Fellowship in Health Services Research, bringing her mentoring expertise and knowledge about VA as a Learning Health System to the training and mentorship of current and future fellows. She is generous with her mentees and also with colleagues in the field, advancing VA research through training and education in well-attended seminars and workshops within and outside VA across the country.

In addition, Dr. Hamilton has been dedicated to engaging Veterans in research. Toward this goal, she launched the HSR&D Women’s Health Research Network’s Women’s Improvement Network, a national group of women Veterans who are committed to informing and improving VA women’s health research. She consults with investigators on how to develop project-specific Veteran Engagement groups, and routinely advises her mentees on engaging Veterans and other stakeholders in research, as well as fosters mentees’ appreciation and necessity for communication with VA stakeholders. Dr. Hamilton often advocates for her mentees with operational partners, such as VA’s Office of Women’s Health and the Office of Mental Health & Suicide Prevention and, more importantly, brings her mentees into practice and policy conversations, inviting them to present their work to national VA leaders and orienting them to operational priorities. Further, with a national network of colleagues, Dr. Hamilton routinely fosters her mentees’ access to professional development opportunities. She is deeply committed to mentoring a diverse group of mentees whose work primarily focuses on improving quality and experiences of care for marginalized populations.

What her mentees say

Katherine Iverson, PhD, a former HSR&D Career Development Awardee, said, “Her research mentoring includes high-level critiques and feedback to develop the innovative, impactful aspects of my work; facilitating leadership skills to help me build effective teams, spearheading multiple projects with competing demands; and helping others develop a ‘Yes, we can’ mindset.” Lisa Callegari, MD, MPH, also a former HSR&D Career Development Awardee, shared, “One of Dr. Hamilton’s great strengths as a mentor is providing inspiration to her mentees on how to conduct meaningful, high-impact research within the VA that is grounded in Veterans’ needs and that aligns with operational partners’ needs.”

HSR&D thanks Dr. Hamilton for her continuing contributions to improving the health and care of our Veterans, particularly women Veterans, through her impressive research and exceptional mentorship.




HSR&D also greatly appreciates the Daniel Deykin Outstanding Mentor of the Year Nominees for their generous support of health services researchers; they include:

  • Lori Bastian, MD, MPH is Director of HSR&D’s Pain Research, Informatics, Multi-morbidities, and Education Center (PRIME) in West Haven, CT.
  • Catherine Battaglia, PhD, RN, is with HSR&D’s Center of Innovation for Veteran-Centered and Value-Driven Care in Seattle and Denver.
  • Daniel Blonigen, PhD, is with HSR&D’s Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i) in Palo Alto, CA.
  • Frederic Blow, PhD, is part of HSR&D’s Center for Clinical Care Management Research (CCMR) in Ann Arbor, MI.
  • Dawn Bravata, MD, is a core investigator with HSR&D’s Center for Health Information and Communications (CHIC) in Indianapolis, IN.
  • David Edelman, MD, MHS, is part of HSR&D’s Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation (ADAPT) and is Director of VA’s Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) Health Services Research Postdoctoral Training Program.
  • Charlesnika Evans, PhD, MPH, is with HSR&D’s Center for Innovation for Complex Chronic HealthCare (CINCCH) in Hines, IL.
  • Michael Rubin, MD, PhD, MS, is Associate Director of HSR&D’s Informatics, Decision-Enhancement and Analytic Sciences Center (IDEAS) in Salt Lake City, and co-leads the CARRAIGE QUERI
  • Mary Whooley, MD, FACP, FAHA, FACC, FAMIA, leads the Measurement Science QUERI program and is part of the San Francisco VA Health Care System.

Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

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.