Fellowship News
Developing Healthcare Leaders of Tomorrow
Fellows in the News
Compassionate Contact Corps addresses Veteran loneliness
Loneliness has been described recently as a social epidemic affecting half of U.S. adults. While the reasons for this epidemic are varied and complex, the consequence of loneliness is clear: Research shows loneliness puts people at higher risk for heart disease, dementia, depression and even premature death.
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THRIVE: Helping Veterans and employees find happiness
Veterans and employees alike are finding happiness through health care thanks to the Transforming Health and Resilience through Integration of Values-based Experience (THRIVE), which has been adopted at 60 VA medical centers to date.
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Maternal Health Summit: Perinatal care for Veterans
The Perinatal Reproductive Educational Planning and Resources (PREPARe) program hosted its first VA Maternal Health Summit at Orlando VA, led by VHA Innovation Ecosystem senior innovation fellow and PREPARe innovator, Melissa Tran.
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VA Syringe Services Program Attacks Stigma; Helps Veterans Get to Other Services
A program now available at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Danville is also available around the state; at VA Illiana Health Care out patient centers in Springfield, Bloomington, Peoria, Mattoon, and Decatur - the Safe Syringe Program.
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Innovation Revolutionary: Keeping Veterans safe with sterile syringes
Beth Dinges believes in questioning rules that restrict access that make it more difficult for vulnerable populations to access VA care and resources.
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Any positive change: VA saving lives with syringe service program
VA is helping Veterans access tools to reduce their risks associated with drug use through syringe service programs (SSPs), an initiative first implemented within VA by staff at VA Illiana.
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VOICES Veterans Socials: Where the Veteran community meets
VOICES Veterans Socials
are weekly 90-minute community gatherings that bring Veterans, their families, caregivers, survivors, or other supporters together in public spaces.
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Peer specialist Veterans connect over virtual coffee
With the COVID-19 pandemic preventing many Veterans from leaving home and impacting their ability to see a VA clinician for face-to-face care, the VA New England Healthcare System has relied on its 80 Veteran peer specialists to ensure Veterans stay connected.
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Veterans turn a corner with new VA Syringe Services Program
VA is working on bringing critical harm reduction practices - which are designed to lessen the negative consequences of drug use - to our medical centers. Harm reduction includes SSPs. These programs, where legally allowed, provide clean syringes and equipment to people who inject drugs.
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VA Dietitian: How I met the Pope
As I opened my eyes, I noticed a team of paramedics standing over me. Then I heard a loud shout, "She is awake." There was an IV in my right arm and Pope Paul VI was seated next to me.
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Low blood sugar: Helping Veterans with easy, at-home tools
When thinking about likely reasons for rushing to the emergency department (ED), severe low blood sugar may not come to mind. The data tells a different story. Low-blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, episodes are among the top three most common drug-related events that send Veterans to an ED.
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Borne the Battle #175: Benefits Breakdown: Diabetes Education, Programs
Mary Julius, a program manager for the diabetes self-management education and training at Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, wants to help educate Veterans and their families about how to self-manage diabetes.
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Food pantries at VA facilities support Veteran whole health
Food pantries are cropping up at various VA medical centers across the country. VA providers screen patients during clinical assessments for signs of food insecurity. If Veterans are in need, food pantries supply them with a week's worth of groceries before they leave the medical center.
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Social Prescribing in The USA: On the Rise?
Social prescribing is born from the understanding that not all ailments or factors impacting an individual's health can be addressed through traditional medicine, or in the brief amount of time an individual is actually in a doctor's office.
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Program seeks volunteers to aid isolated Veterans
While it is not a clinical or medical diagnosis, loneliness is extremely detrimental to one's health. Loneliness has a significant effect on depression and is associated with a 40 percent increased risk of dementia, according to information from the Veterans Administration.
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Volunteers Address Veteran Loneliness in Columbus
Central Ohio Veterans and volunteers are connecting and establishing relationships despite distance, isolation and immobility. These connections are made possible through Compassionate Contact Corps (CCC), a nationally-recognized VA program that that connects Veterans with trained volunteers for weekly phone calls.
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Doctors Harness the Power of Human Connections
Social medicine programs, which often encourage patients to engage with other people, can help address dementia, isolation and more.
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APMA Testifies Before House VA Subcommittee on Health
APMA Director of Young Physicians' Programs Nichol Salvo, DPM, testified on behalf of APMA before the US House Veterans Affairs Committee, focusing on how disparity within the VA hinders recruitment and retention of podiatrists.
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VA's Use of Telemedicine Services During the Pandemic
The pandemic hit the healthcare industry, particularly patient access to care, in a way that most podiatrists never anticipated.
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2023 Service to the Citizen Award Winners announced
Taylor Hooker has been named a 2023 Service to the Citizen Award winner for her work in recreation and creative arts therapy.
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2023 Service to the Citizen Award Winners announced
Indra Sandal has been named a 2023 Service to the Citizen Award winner for her work on the VHA-Uber Health Connect Initiative.
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The 2023 Innovation Award Winners Announced
The 9th Annual FORUM Innovation Awards have been announced, with winners across Veterans Affairs receiving recognition.
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VA announces 2022-2023 Innovation Fellows
Seven VA employees are joining the next cohort of VHA Innovation Fellows. These new fellows will utilize VHA Innovation Ecosystem's (VHA IE) community and resources to expand their innovations' capabilities.
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VHA-Uber Health Connect Initiative Brochure and FAQ
Learn more about the VHA-Uber Health Connect Initiative, including eligibility, requirements, and benefits to both Veterans and VA medical centers.
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VHA-Uber Health Connect expands Veterans' access to transportation
Following a successful pilot at 10 VA medical centers in 2022, the VHA-Uber Health Connect (VUHC) Initiative is now expanding to 60 new VAMCs to continue addressing this challenge.
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2023 Top 25 Emerging Leaders Melissa Tran
Modern Healthcare has named Melissa Tran as a 2023 Top 25 Emerging Leader. Tran created PREPARe to connect pregnant and parenting veterans with comprehensive care, including lactation counselors, mental health medication providers, nutritionists and physical therapists.
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Akshar Abbott named a 2023 Obama Foundation Fellow
Akshar Abbott, MD, is a staff ophthalmologist and national innovation fellow with the Veterans Health Administration, leveraging health care delivery innovation to promote ophthalmic health equity for veterans living in rural communities.
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2023 Service to the Citizen Award Winners announced
Akshar Abbott and the Veterans Integrated Services Network 23 Clinical Resource Hub Virtual Medical Retina Clinic were recipients of the 2023 Service to the Citizen Award for their work in improving access to eye care for Veterans.
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Innovation Hero: Dr. Jackie Paykel growing a Whole Health approach
On Dr. Jacquelyn Paykel's first day at VA in 2014, she found a Slim Jim with a simple message: "If you have a suggestion, we'd love to hear about it!" Paykel was skeptical but told herself she would give it a try.
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Priya Joshi, University of California, San Francisco
Priya Joshi is the Chief Health Informatics Officer of the San Francisco VA Medical Center and a VHA Innovation Ecosystem Entrepreneur in Residence Fellow.
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Help hospitalized patients vote by requesting emergency ballots
Hear from Dr. Joshi about the benefits of engaging Veteran patients in the voting process early.
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July welcomes a new wave of doctors, but how does that impact patient care?
Priya Joshi isn't sure when exactly the shift happened, when the thrill of graduating from medical school was replaced with the anticipation and anxiety of starting her residency.
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Doctors need to discuss firearm safety and gun violence with their patients
We all have a part to play in reducing deaths and injury from firearms. How physicians talk with their patients — those who own guns and those who do not - about firearms matters for the social norms that drive public health.
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Pathfinder: Opportunities to improve health care delivery for Veterans
Launched in June 2022, Pathfinder is an evolving collaboration between a team of experts led by VA Entrepreneur in Residence Fellow Stacey Lewis.
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Remote Temperature Monitoring Innovator Earns VA Fellowship
Dr. Lindsay Riegler, Liaison between Connected Care and the Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning, has been named an Entrepreneur in Residence Fellow.
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Listen: VA Eyes Long-Term Treatments With the Help of Wearables
Dr. Lindsay Riegler provides a look at how VA is incorporating wearable medical devices within its broader health care program to improve treatment of chronic conditions.
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Video calls key to Cincinnati VA maintaining connection to vets during pandemic
Innovation Specialist Lindsay Riegler shares about the impact of the VA Video Connect (VVC) platform in reaching Veterans during the pandemic.
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ASHA Voices: Breaking Down Telepractice Barriers—It's a VA Reality
Innovation Specialist and research speech language pathologist Lindsay Riegler shares the perspective on tele-practice from inside the VA.
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MIT Catalyst Program welcomes new VHA Innovation Ecosystem Fellows
The MIT Catalyst program, VHA IE, and MIT are collaborating to improve Veteran care through biomedical research and innovation initiatives.
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2023 Disruptive Tech Award Winners
Federal IT and consulting leaders who are changing the game, taking calculated risks, and impacting their business and our culture with groundbreaking ideas.
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PREPARe's Maternal Health Summit
Exploring ways to provide the best maternal and reproductive health care and keeping Veterans Health Administrations (VHA) a trusted source of support for perinatal Veterans.
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2023 American College of Surgeons Presentation: Engineers' Feedback on Segmentation Bootcamp
Dr. Amendola presented "They Want Clinical Context and Protocols: Analysis of Engineers' Feedback from a National Segmentation Boot Camp Experience" at the 2023 American College of Surgeons annual meeting.
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2023 American College of Surgeons Presentation: 3D Printing Fellowship
Dr. Amendola presented "Teaching the Surgeons: A Novel VHA-Based 3D Printing Fellowship for General Surgery Residents" at the 2023 American College of Surgeons annual meeting.
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Perinatal Presproductive Education Planning & Resources (PREPARe) Poster
Enhancing Perinatal and Reproductive Education: Leveraging Innovative Resources for Improved Patient Outcomes.
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MLDS Honored with 2020 FedHealthIT Innovation Award
Machine Learning Decision Support tool honored for its results that are driving impact across VHA
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Innovation Revolutionary: Machine learning provides focused Veteran care
VA employees can learn more about MLDS on VA's Diffusion Marketplace.
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Diffusion of Excellence kicks off with 11 groundbreaking practices
Prescription benefit auditing practice earns Gold Star status with VHA Diffusion of Excellence Program.
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Dr. Priya Joshi Discusses Clinical Standards Behind Adoption of New Tech at VA
Dr. Priya Joshi discusses how VA is developing rigorous clinical standards to ensure technology is adopted in a safe, effective way.
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ALO Cultural Foundation: COVID-19 Hero Awards
The inaugural 2020 COVID-19 Hero Awards are a small gesture to honor the hard work of everyone fighting this pandemic.
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2021 VHA Shark Tank Competition Finalists Announced
THRIVE is a 14-week curriculum-based Shared Medical Appointment for Veterans.
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VA announces 2022-2023 Innovation Fellows
Seven VA employees are joining the next cohort of VA Innovation Fellows.
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A new Cohort of Innovation Fellows are leading VA care into the future
Three new VA employee innovators are joining their fellow Trailblazers as Veterans Health Administration Innovation Ecosystem (VHA IE) Innovation Fellows (Fellows)
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Innovation Revolutionary: Inclusion and equity in kidney disease treatment
New biomarker more equitably treats kidney issues.
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30 Under 30 for 2021
Parks & Recreation magazine and NRPA's Young Professional Network launch a new program recognizing the 30 best and brightest young park and recreation professionals in the field.
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Differences in Disability rates and Recreational Therapy use
This report explores the relationship between disability rates and recreation therapy programs in the VA healthcare system.
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Positive Psychology Pilot to Improve Clinician Burnout & Work Satisfaction
Power THRIVE is a Whole Health restorative education series designed to decrease burnout and increase fulfillment in VHA's work force.
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VA Diffusion Marketplace: PREPARe
PREPARe's mission is to create integrative services to address the needs of our perinatal Veterans in-house.
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2021 Robert L. Jesse Award recognizes VA boundary-breaking innovations
PREPARe was honored to receive the 2021 Dr. Robert L. Jesse Award for Excellence in Innovationin the category of Clinical Individual.
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AAMFT Member Melissa Tran Wins Dr. Robert L. Jesse Award
Melissa Tran, MA, LMFT won the Under Secretary for Health Dr. Robert L. Jesse Award for Excellence in InnoVAtion for PREPARe.
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Tampa VA Thrive Program
THRIVE guides Veterans toward improved health, resiliency, and redefined passions.
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THRIVE Integrative Health with Dr. Jacquelyn Paykel, MD, MBAA
Jacquelyn shares her journey and the experiences within the healthcare system that led her to spearhead the integrative health program THRIVE
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Innovation Revolutionary: Melissa Tran is innovating Veteran centric perinatal care
PREPARe, or Perinatal Reproductive Education Planning and Resources, integrates wellness, social workers and other health care providers for perinatal Veterans.
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Learn More about the Basics of THRIVE
THRIVE enhances well-being for both Veterans and staff alike by engaging people in a transformational experience.
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VA Diffusion Marketplace: THIRVE
For our VA employees, THRIVE addresses burnout, dissatisfaction and disengagement, which contributes significantly to impaired patient care, staff demoralization and attrition.
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THRIVE Shared Medical Appointments: Introductory Video
Dr. Jacquelyn Paykel, describes a groundbreaking Whole Health THRIVE program. THRIVE is a Whole Health Clinical shared medical appointment where Veterans build Resilience and define their next Purpose.
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Innovating for America's veterans
Leading a new public-private partnership that helps veterans get transportation to and from their healthcare appointments, Indra Sandal '17 is using her Kellogg education to serve those who served our nation.
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VA tries a novel way to ensure veterans get to their medical appointments
The Veterans Health Administration has been working a deal with Uber, the ride service to help rural veterans get to their appointments.
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VA Releases Digital Healthcare Playbook to Improve Patient Care
The guide will help healthcare leaders navigate digital healthcare solutions to better patient care, streamline operational efficiencies, and lower costs, VA official stated.
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Department of Veterans Affairs could get 3D-printed living bone to clinics in three years
3D printing technology has been around for a while, but at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), printing an actual model of a patient's organ will help improve surgeries and healthcare for vets.
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Novel device for obstructive sleep apnea in Down Syndrome
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is marked by repetitive obstructions of the airway as muscle tone reduces during sleep. This team has created a custom-fit oral prosthesis with a pump that stabilizes the mouth muscles and prevents obstruction of the airway at night.
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A Novel Device for Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in People with Down Syndrome | IdeaStream
Dr. Ravi Rasalingam presents A Novel Device for Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in People with Down Syndrome at MIT's IdeaStream 2021.
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VA Diffusion Marketplace: Arches
Arches, a cloud-native platform, harnesses the power of collaboration and innovation to provide a one-stop data workshop for VA employees and external collaborators.
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Synthetic Data's Critical Role in Preventing Suicides in Veterans
Some tech innovations at the Department of Veterans Affairs are using synthetic data to help reduce veteran suicides. Here's how you can get involved.
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VA embraces AI to improve radiology screening
The Department of Veterans Affairs is looking for new opportunities to enhance its health care with the launch of a new AI Tech Sprint focused on cardiothoracic medicine.
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Dr. Robert L. Jesse Award recognizes transformational VA innovators
Four VA innovators received the Bob Jesse Award at the 2022 VHA Innovation Experience.
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One-of-a-kind VCU and VA program prints 3D replicas of patient's body parts
Through nation's first 3D printing surgical fellowship, VCU researchers are using anatomy replicas to improve the surgery experience for physicians and patients.
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Listen: Using Synthetic Data in Medical Realities at VA
Hear from VA Director of Data Analytics and Innovation Amanda Lienau on how the agency is making innovative use of synthetic data to support and advance health issues for veterans.
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Innovation Revolutionary: Priya Joshi
Priya Joshi has been working on addressing a new biomarker for more equity in treating kidney disease.
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Dr. Raza Hussain: OMS' Are Built for Leadership
Tune in to hear Dr. Hussain unpack what he’s learned from his experiences in public hospitals, leadership training, and what Department of Veterans Affairs has taught him about leadership
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Digital transformation at VHA with Arash Harzand, MD, MBA
Dr. Arash Harzand talks about digital transformation in health care and how it’s helping to fill critical gap.
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2021 VHA iEX Talks: Mobile Prosthetics and Orthotic Care (MoPOC) Program
Mobile Prosthetics and Orthotic Care (MoPOC) provides VA clinical prosthetic care closer to home for rural Veterans.
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iEX 2021: Breaking Boundaries: Building Coalitions to Support Medical Transportation for Veterans
A fireside chat between Uber Health and VA will explore the impacts of transportation challenges and the value of removing barriers to care for Veterans.
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2021 VHA iEX Talks: Democratizing Data
The Democratizing Data project addresses the challenges of leveraging vast amounts of VHA clinical data to better understand, present, and respond to Veteran issues.
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The future of policy for synthetic data in health care
Synthetic data can also accelerate software development, increase access to important patient data and improve research that benefits Veterans.
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Evidation, VA Collaborate to Enroll Veterans in Personalized Heart Health Program
VHA IE, in collaboration with Evidation, is encouraging Veterans to enroll in Heart Health—a free, application-based program that helps educate Veterans about their heart health and chronic conditions from anywhere.
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Listen: Prosthetics Care Advancing at VA
The Mobile Prosthetic and Orthotic Care program has quickly turned into one of the most promising and impactful services within the VHA Office of Rural Health. Read more here.
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Healthcast: A VA Partnership with Uber is Helping Veterans Get to Appointments
Director of the Veterans Transportation Program Ben Williams and VHA Executive Management Fellow Dr. Indra Sandal discuss the new VHA-Uber Health Connect pilot helping veterans access the care they need.
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Listen: A Look At Democratizing Data with VA
A conversation with Dr. Amanda Lienau on how VA is advancing data analytics through the use of synthetic data.
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Piloting AI tools for radiologists to deliver the best care to Veterans
VA St. Louis Health Care System partners with Aidoc to pilot artificial intelligence software that prioritizes urgent abnormalities in CT scans for radiologists, enabling faster diagnosis.
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VA partners with MIT to 'hack' medicine, improve veteran health care
The Veterans Health Administration Innovation Ecosystem partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Hacking Medicine organization and Samsung for a series of Grand Hacks throughout 2019.
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Face of InnoVAtion: Lindsay Riegler
As an Innovation Specialist at the Cincinnati VAMC, Dr. Lindsay Riegler fosters a culture of innovation throughout VA by empowering employees to develop their own innovative solutions to problems they experience firsthand.
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Innovation Revolutionary: Doctor leads remote patient monitoring initiative
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) solutions are growing in popularity and will help to expand preventative measures to reduce hospital admissions and improving quality of life for Veterans.
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How Innovation and Partnership are Ending Diabetic Limb Loss at VA
A partnership between VHA IE and Podimetrics, named The Initiative to End Diabetic Limb Loss at VA (TIEDLLV), supplies at-risk, diabetic Veterans with mats that use thermal imaging to measure the temperature of a Veteran’s foot.
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MIT and VA Partner for COVID-19 Hackathon
Earlier this month, VA partnered with MIT and a host of other organizations to put on the MIT COVID-19 Challenge "Beat the Pandemic" Hackathon.
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Mobile OPS pilot looks to expand VA prosthetic care
VA Mobile OPS pilot program brings prosthetic care to Veterans with travel challenges, like Army Veteran Matthew Houston.
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VHA IE Trailblazers: Dr. Arash Harzand is bringing the hospital to Veterans' homes
Dr. Arash Harzand is taking an old-school approach to Veteran health care with new-school technologies.
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How synthetic data will improve Veteran health and care
To better understand the factors that impact Veteran health, VHA IE is using artificial data - also known as synthetic data - to measure a broad array of health risks that will improve Veteran care.
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3D printing innovations deliver medical breakthroughs for Veterans
VA's early investment in 3D printing technology has allowed the Department to innovate and improve Veteran care and to aid in VA's COVID-19 response.
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VHA IE Trailblazers: Dr. Ravi Rasalingam
VHA IE's Trailblazers series features Dr. Ravi Rasalingam, an Entrepreneur in Residence who worked with Veterans to develop a better, more comfortable CPAP device.
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VHA IE Trailblazers: Eli Kaufman is bringing prosthetic and orthotic care home to Veterans
Eli Kaufman and his team are creating a team of MoPOC units that travel to provide VHA's world-class care at VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) and in Veterans' homes.
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VHA IE Trailblazer: Dr. George Akingba is leveraging VA's Innovation Networks to improve surgical care
Dr. Ajibola "George" Akingba, a surgeon at the Washington D.C. (VAMC), is always looking to push past the norm to develop boundary-breaking solutions.
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Fellowship Friday: Dr. Arash Harzand
Dr. Arash Harzand, a Senior Innovation Fellow in the latest VHA IE Fellowship Cohorts pioneered a Digital Cardiology Program at Atlanta VA Health Care System and will work to diffuse his innovation VA-wide.
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The Initiative to End Diabetic Limb Loss at VA
VHA Innovation Ecosystem's Initiative to End Diabetic Limb Loss (TIEDLLV), in collaboration with Podimetrics, is transforming the way Veterans with diabetes receive care.
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December Innovator of the Month: Ravi Rasalingam
Dr. Rasalingam is also part of the VHA Innovation Ecosystem's (VHA IE's) newest class of Fellows. His innovation journey, however, started years ago while observing and empathizing with his patients.
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Fellowship Friday: Dr. Ravi Rasalingam
VHA IE's Trailblazers series features Dr. Ravi Rasalingam, an Entrepreneur in Residence who worked with Veterans to develop a better, more comfortable CPAP device.
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Fellowship Friday: Eli Kaufman
Entrepreneur in Residence Fellow Eli Kaufman, Research Prosthetist at the Center for Limb Loss and Mobility at the Seattle VA Medical Center works to expand the Innovators Network's Mobile Prosthetic and Orthotic Care (MoPOC) program.
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Fellowship Friday: Dr. George Akingba
Dr. Ajibola "George" Akingba from the Washington DC VA Medical Center is an Entrepreneur in Residence Fellow who developed advancements in 3D Printing.
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Fellowship Friday: Dr. Michael Amendola
Dr. Michael Amendola, Senior Innovation Fellow at the Central Virginia VA Health Care System, discusses the development of a 3D Printing Clinical Challenge program.
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Fellowship Friday: Dr. Raza Hussain
Dr. Raza Hussain, an Entrepreneur in Residence Fellow, discusses the program he developed, Teeth in a Day.
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Fellowship Friday: Dr. Indra Sandal
Dr. Sandal is an Entrepreneur in Residence Fellow working with Uber Health on Veteran Rideshare Services.
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VHA IE Trailblazers: Dr. Raza Hussain
2021 VHA IE Entrepreneur in Residence Fellow Dr. Raza Hussain is delivering new smiles for Veterans in just one day.
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VHA IE Trailblazers: How Dr. Michael Amendola uses 3D printing for Veteran Care
Dr. Amendola has spent the last three years working on large-scale 3D-printing projects leading him to developing the 3D Printing Clinical Champion Capability program.
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VHA IE Trailblazers: Bringing Veterans to their VA healthcare
Dr. Indra Sandal knew that there had to be a way to get Veterans with transportation challenges to VA facilities to receive the Veteran-centered care that they want.
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