Research Resources

Our investigators are the foundation of our mission and our greatest strength.  Their diverse interests form a cogent research agenda, the depth and commitment of which is increasingly recognized through funding and productive interdisciplinary partnerships.  Our national Steering Committee also commends the skill of our leadership team; the coherence and number of submitted projects; the Center’s strong relationship with the Regenstrief Institute; and the support of VA and University partners.

Total current funding has grown tenfold in three years to approximately $6m per year, with most of it representing government agencies’ peer-reviewed funding, particularly NIH and VA.

Our research builds upon one of the leading health information exchanges in the country.  Add to this our partnerships with regional research and clinical centers, and exceptional opportunities for data-rich, cross-system studies are possible.

The Center provides access and expertise in utilizing the VA’s electronic health record system (VistA), both locally and nationally, to conduct observational and implementation studies to improve patient care in the VA.  The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government selected VistA as one of the Top 50 Government Innovations for 2006 for its successful impact on patient safety, efficiency, and the cost of good care.

Ongoing in-house database activities include development of a local VA Health Services Research and Development Service (HSR&D) warehouse and an organizational datasystem for evidence-based practice, incorporating multiple VA organizational, provider, patient and outcome surveys and datasets.