Research News

HSR&D Makes Impressive Contributions to VA Research Day on the Hill

July 3, 2019

The HSR&D research community was well-represented among the nearly 25 leading VA researchers to present their work in Washington, DC, as part of the second annual “VA Research Day on the Hill,” held June 20, 2019 at the Rayburn House Office Building—a congressional office building for the House of Representatives—on Capitol Hill.

VA Research Day on the Hill recognizes the discoveries and innovations that have led or will lead to advancements in Veterans’ care and the nation’s medical knowledge. More than 200 attendees—including congressional staff members and representatives from Veterans’ organizations—viewed exhibits that included a specially designed “soft” door for patient rooms that may help lessen the risk of inpatient suicide; 4D technology that helps match cancer drugs to tumors; and an artificial lung prototype that mimics the circulation of a natural lung.

HSR&D investigators presenting their work included:

• Hardeep Singh, MD, MPH, Chief of the Health Policy, Quality & Informatics Program at the HSR&D Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety in Houston, TX, displayed a project that uses a collaborative approach to develop and evaluate multifaceted “sociotechnical” tools and strategies to help reduce missed test results in VA. Failure to follow-up on patients’ abnormal test results is a key preventable factor in diagnosis and treatment delays in VA.
• Elizabeth Yano, PhD, MSPH, Director of the HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy in Los Angeles, CA, shared recent findings regarding the harassment of women Veterans by strangers when seeking care at VA facilities. Findings will be used to improve the environment of care for women Veterans.
• Mark Bauer, MD, PhD, Associate Director of the HSR&D Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research in Boston, MA, presented work around implementing a collaborative care model for mental health within VA outpatient mental health teams. Findings from this work point toward improved outcomes for Veterans with multiple mental health conditions and those who are at risk for mental health hospitalizations.
• Sara Landes, PhD, is a core investigator with the HSR&D Center for Mental Healthcare and Outcomes Research in Little Rock, AR; she presented her project “Implementing Caring Contacts for Suicide Prevention in Non-Mental Health Settings,” which uses regular, low-impact outreach messages to maintain contact with Veterans who may be at risk for suicide.
• Walid Gellad, MD, MPH, core investigator with the HSR&D Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, in Pittsburg, PA, shared his long-running work on reducing opioid risks for dual-users of VA and Medicare.
• Lucy Leykum, MD, MBA, MSc, is an HSR&D investigator with the Elizabeth Dole Center of Excellence for Veteran and Caregiver Research. She presented the Dole Center’s mission and goals to expand the capacity of VA to deliver integrated Veteran- and caregiver-partnered, data-driven approaches to care.

Hardeep Singh, MD, MPH, (L) discussing his work on patient safety at VA Research Day on the Hill.	Elizabeth Yano, PhD, MSPH, (R) at VA Research Day on the Hill, presented research into women Veterans’ experiences of care in VA.
Mark Bauer, MD, PhD, (L) talking about implementing collaborative care for mental health at VA Research Day on the Hill.	Sara Landes, PhD with her research presentation at VA Research Day on the Hill.
Walid Gellad, MD, MPH (R) at VA Research Day on the Hill.	Lucy Leykum,MD, MBA, MSc (L) talks with a visitor to VA Research Day on the Hill.