Veterans Affairs News and Research

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Study provides insight into what makes an effective health-related dashboard

Since the onset of the pandemic and the resulting vast amount of complex dynamic data available, health-related dashboards have become ubiquitous as the public, healthcare providers and administrators, and public health and government officials continually reach out for and evaluate vital, accurate information to support decision making.

9 Dec 2021

Study finds mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines are effective in cancer patients

The mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing infection in most cancer patients, according to a nationwide study of veterans diagnosed with cancer in the past decade.

6 Dec 2021

COVID-19 pandemic likely caused new cancer diagnoses to be delayed, study shows

Restrictions in access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic caused disruptions in the treatment of cancer and other conditions.

6 Dec 2021

COVID-19 vaccines shown to reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection rate in cancer patients

A study recently published in the journal JAMA Oncology has stated that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are more than 55% effective in reducing the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in cancer patients.

5 Dec 2021

California joins states trying to shorten wait times for mental health care

When Greta Christina fell into a deep depression five years ago, she called up her therapist in San Francisco. She’d had a great connection with the provider when she needed therapy in the past. She was delighted to learn that he was now “in network” with her insurance company, meaning she wouldn’t have to pay out-of-pocket anymore to see him.

29 Nov 2021

Brain scans of athletes exposed to repetitive head impacts show white matter hyperintensities

Certain markers of injury to the brain's white matter, called white matter hyperintensities, can be seen on brain scans.

25 Nov 2021

UCLA-developed new "virtual histology" technology may reduce need for skin biopsies

Instead of surgically removing a sample of skin, sending it to a lab and waiting several days for results, your dermatologist takes pictures of a suspicious-looking lesion and quickly produces a detailed, microscopic image of the skin.

18 Nov 2021

Tighter blood pressure management may lead to better spinal cord injury recovery

Patients with new spinal cord injuries whose blood pressure is maintained within a newly defined range during surgery may stand a better chance of regaining some mobility and functionality – even in patients with the most devastating injuries – according to a new study by researchers at UC San Francisco.

16 Nov 2021

Study reveals racial, ethnic disparities in mortality rates for common conditions among VA patients

A study of Veterans hospitalized for common conditions in the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system confirms that adjusted mortality rates are lower for Black compared to White Veterans – while also showing higher adjusted mortality rates among Hispanic Veterans relative to White Veterans across most risk-adjustment models, reports the December issue of Medical Care.

15 Nov 2021

Inhalation of CO2 after a traumatic experience enhances fear memory in mice

The inhalation of carbon dioxide (CO2) by mice a few hours after they formed a new fearful memory makes that memory stronger, so that the mice show more distress when they are prompted to 'retrieve' (ie, recall) it.

8 Nov 2021

Largest real-world study evaluates the effectiveness of third "booster" dose of COVID-19 vaccine

The Clalit Research Institute, in collaboration with researchers from Harvard University, analyzed one of the world's largest integrated health record databases to examine the effectiveness of the third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162B2 vaccine against the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2.

30 Oct 2021

Study finds disparities in dissemination of cancer survivorship care plans

Survivorship care plans are an important tool to help cancer survivors transition out of active treatment and back to their regular lives, but a new study found that a number of vulnerable groups are not receiving those plans.

27 Oct 2021

New education programs aim to address the gaps in public health workforce capacity

UMass Lowell has been awarded a $3 million cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to develop new undergraduate and graduate programs in public health informatics and technology, to educate diverse students for vital jobs.

26 Oct 2021

Study reveals dual role of anti-cancer inhibitor

TG2, an enzyme known to help cancers spread more quickly, also plays a role in regulating T-cells, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer.

21 Oct 2021

Kidney transplant patients are more susceptible to harmless bacterium, finds study

It's a pervasive bacterium found in soil and water that rarely causes disease, but a new national review of nocardia infection in people who have had a kidney transplant shows that when it occurs it most commonly causes pneumonia and brain abscess, and reminds their physicians to stay on the lookout for it, investigators say

11 Oct 2021

mRNA vaccination associated with decreased risk of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization in U.S. veterans

Researchers from the U.S. Veterans Affairs have examined the U.S. effort to vaccinate its Veteran population to investigate further.

8 Oct 2021

New approach to guided nerve repair by using gingiva-derived mesenchymal stem cells

A new approach to repairing peripheral nerves marries the regenerating power of gingiva-derived mesenchymal stem cells with a biological scaffold to enable the functional recovery of nerves following a facial injury, according to a study by a cross-disciplinary team from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and Perelman School of Medicine.