VA Deputy Secretary Dr. Paul Lawrence (left) with awardees Dr. Arlan Richardson, Dr. Robert Clark, Dr. Daniel Hall, Dr. Robert Kirsch, Dr. Vincent Marconi, and Dr. Jean Beckham.

Research Week 2025

May 19, 2025

This year the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) celebrates the 100^th Anniversary of VA Research with a special live-streamed Research Week award presentation recognizing six significant investigators, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, May 13. 

The ceremony, hosted by Deputy Secretary Dr. Paul Lawrence, showcases VA’s efforts to provide Veterans with the best possible care and latest health science. This year VA celebrates “100 Years of Research,” in recognition of a century of VA researchers who made some of the most significant medical breakthroughs in history, and all those who continue to add to that incredible legacy. 

This year’s awardees are: 

• Dr. Daniel Hall, VA Pittsburgh Health Care System, PA, to be presented the Under Secretary’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Health Services Research, for his development of the surgical pause—a process that ensures every surgery aligns with the Veteran’s goals and quality of life, leading to better results.
• Dr. Robert Clark, South Texas Veterans Health Care System in San Antonio, TX, to be presented the William S. Middleton Award for his discovery of tyrosine kinase inhibitors as a treatment for Parkinson’s Disease in Veterans.
• Dr. Arlan Richardson, Oklahoma City VA Health Care System, OK, to be presented the William S. Middleton Award for his work advancing the science of aging, which has made him a global leader in fields to understand Alzheimer’s Disease and other chronic conditions.
• Dr. Vincent Marconi, Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center, GA, to be presented the John Blair Barnwell Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Science Research and Development for his innovative treatments for HIV and COVID.
• Dr. Jean Beckham, VA Durham Health Care System, NC, to be presented the John Blair Barnwell Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Science Research and Development for her work to improve therapies and programs for PTSD, suicide prevention, and tobacco cessation.
• Dr. Robert Kirsch, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, OH, to be presented the Paul B. Magnuson Award for Outstanding Achievement in Rehabilitation Research and Development for his development of the ReHAB System—short for Reconnecting the Hand and Arm to the Brain—which uses brain computer interfaces and functional electrical stimulation to restore arm movement to paralyzed Veterans.

The award ceremony kicks off a week of VA Research events across the country, including Detroit, San Antonio, Philadelphia, and many more. VA researchers make up innovative teams that have historically developed effective treatments for tuberculosis, invented the CT scan and the pacemaker, and performed the first-ever liver transplant, clearly demonstrating how VA’s research arm is instrumental in translating science into actionable solutions that improve health outcomes for Veterans and the American people.

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