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Four HSR researchers were among those recognized on January 14, 2025, as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE):
Lewei (Allison) Lin, MD
Lewei (Allison) Lin, MD, is an addiction psychiatrist at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, an investigator at the VA Center for Clinical Management Research, and an associate professor and director of the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program at the University of Michigan. She is President of the Michigan Society of Addiction Medicine, Chair of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry Research Committee, and co-director of Michigan Innovations in Addiction Care (MI-ACRE).
Dr. Lin is recognized for her investigations of differences in access, care, and outcomes for Veterans and other vulnerable patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). Her research uses VA healthcare data to identify patients with the greatest unmet needs, and to inform and test new interventions (e.g., telehealth) with the potential to improve treatment access and outcomes for patients.
Amy Bohnert, PhD, MHS
Amy Bohnert, PhD, MHS, is an investigator with the VA Center for Clinical Management Research and a professor of anesthesiology, psychiatry, and epidemiology at the University of Michigan. She is a member of the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, and co-director of the university’s Opioid Research Institute and its Overdose Prevention Engagement Network (OPEN).
Dr. Bohnert investigates epidemiology and brief interventions for chronic pain, opioid misuse, overdose, substance use, and related disorders. She has led projects related to overdose and prescription drug safety, with many aimed at improving substance use disorder treatment and managing the risks associated with concurrent prescriptions. She is recognized for her research on the risk of overdose associated with concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine prescribing, which has prompted an FDA warning.
Christopher J. Miller, PhD
Christopher J. Miller, PhD, is an investigator at the VA Center for Health Optimization & Implementation Research , a clinical psychologist with the VA Boston Healthcare System, an associate professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, and co-director of the VA Behavioral Health Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (BH QUERI).
Dr. Miller’s research focuses on the implementation of evidence-based clinical practices, including collaborative, team-based outpatient mental health care. Additional projects have focused on the detection of intimate partner violence among women Veterans seen in primary care, as well as the clinical management of bipolar disorder. He delivers clinical services to Veterans through the Bipolar Disorders Telehealth (BDTH) Program.
Jason Vassy, MD
Jason Vassy, MD is a primary care internist with the VA Boston Healthcare System, an investigator at the VA Center for health Optimization & Implementation Research, and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He directs the Genomes2Veterans portfolio within the Genomes2People research program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Medical Center.
Dr. Vassy is recognized for applying his groundbreaking findings in genomic science to the practice of medicine. He studies the uses of genetic and genomic testing in various clinical contexts, including risk scores that can be used in disease screening, risk management, and treatment; and pharmacogenetic testing to improve the safety and efficacy of medications. He investigates the application of genomic medicine to enhance Veteran healthcare and health outcomes – an area in which he is widely considered an expert. His body of research helps practitioners better understand genomics and encourages the adoption of new evidence-based guidelines for screening, risk assessment, and care.
The PECASE, awarded by the White House Office of Science and Technology, is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers. The award recognizes “innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology.”
HSR extends its warmest congratulations to the awardees for their well-deserved honors, and gratitude for their valuable contributions to the health and well-being of Veterans.
