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VA AND RWJ FOUNDATION COLLABORATE TO BOLSTER TOP

CALIBER RESEARCH PHYSICIANS -- "This collaborative

agreement will...further advance the knowledge of

investigators, ultimately leading to advancements

in healthcare for veterans and for all Americans."

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation web site is here...
http://www.rwjf.org/

Story here... http://www.happynews.c
om/news/7282008/va-rwj-foundation-collab
orate-bolster-top-caliber-physicians.htm

Story below:

-------------------------

VA and RWJ Foundation Collaborate to Bolster Top Caliber Physicians

Press Release
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Washington, D.C. -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced a collaborative agreement with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health care for all Americans, for a mentoring program designed to bolster the availability of top caliber physician researchers.

Under the agreement, five VA senior investigators from the VA's Research and Development program will serve on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Physician Faculty Scholars national advisory committee, acting as mentors to VA and non-VA Physician Faculty Scholars and participating in the general oversight and direction of the Physician Faculty Scholars program.

In addition, five outstanding junior faculty who are selected for the VA Research Career Development Program will be eligible to participate in the RWJF's Physician Faculty Scholars program. The first group of VA Scholars will be selected for the three-year Physician Faculty Scholars program in March 2009, with appointments beginning July 1, 2009.

"This collaborative agreement will combine experience and ingenuity to further advance the knowledge of investigators, ultimately leading to advancements in health care for veterans and for all Americans," said Joel Kupersmith, M.D., VA research and development chief operating officer.

There is a growing demand for physicians who have the knowledge and research experience necessary to shorten the time between research advances and their effective application in treating patients. The VA and RWJF have a long history of fostering top investigators to meet the demand. In the VA alone, there have been three Nobel Laureates and six Lasker award recipients.

"This joint mentoring program will help to ensure the availability of top quality investigators for the nation at large," said Jeane Ann Grisso, M.D., senior program officer for the RWJF Physician Faculty Scholars program. "The VA Scholars' focus on veteran health care issues will bring a new dimension to the Physician Faculty Scholars program."

VA's Research Career Development Program (CDP) was established to provide mentoring for junior VA researchers so that they can learn from renowned, experienced VA researchers. Under the program, awardees have 75 percent of the time covered for five years to do research, and may receive additional research funds. Researchers who have completed the CDP have gone on to make significant contributions to VA health care in areas such as racial disparities in health outcomes, medical decision-making, and effective screening for HIV. Graduates of the CDP have become national and international leaders in their research fields.

The RWJF Physician Faculty Scholars program is designed to strengthen the leadership and academic productivity of junior medical faculty who are dedicated to improving health and health care. Scholars receive funds to support a research project; at least 50 percent protected timed for three years to do their research; active mentorship by nationally recognized leaders; and the opportunity to work with other scholars. Candidates are nominated by the deans of their universities.

The appointees to the RWJF Physician Faculty Scholars national advisory committee are: Steven M. Asch, M.D., M.P.H., deputy associate chief of staff (ACOS) for Health Services Research and Development, VA Greater Los Angeles Health System, Los Angeles, CA; Leonard E. Egede M.D., M.S., director, Charleston VA TREP: Understanding Health Disparities, Ralph H. Johnson VAMC, Charleston, SC; Seth Eisen, M.D., VA Research and Development Office, director, Health Services Research and Development, Washington, DC; Mary K. Goldstein, M.D., M.S. in HSR, director, Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA; and Laura A. Petersen, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of Medicine, principal investigator, Houston Center for Quality of Care and Utilization Studies, a VA Health Services Research and Development Center of Excellence, Houston, Texas.

For over 60 years, the Veterans Affairs (VA) Research and Development program has been improving veterans' lives through innovation and discovery that has led to advances in health care for veterans and all Americans. The VA Research program, unique in that it is the only research program focused wholly on conducting groundbreaking research to meet the full spectrum of veterans' medical needs, is advantageously part of an integrated health care system with a state-of-the-art electronic health record. Through this dynamic combination, the VA Research program has become an acclaimed model for conducting superior bench-to-bedside research; is positioned to attract the best and brightest investigators, many of whom also work as VA clinicians; and is able to promote the quick translation of research findings into advancements in health care.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years, the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime.

-------------------------

posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org

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