Three VA researchers named to Institute of Medicine

The Institute of Medicine named three VA researchers as new members at its annual meeting on Oct. 15. Each year, the IOM selects up to 70 new members from among the nation's top health experts.

Michael L. Boninger, MD, is an investigator at the VA Center for Excellence for Wheelchairs and Associated Rehabilitation Engineering, based at the Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System. He also directs the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Rehabilitation Institute and chairs the school's department of physical medicine and rehabilitation. Boninger recent work has included studies on brain function following spinal cord injury, and the prevention of arm pain and shoulder injuries among wheelchair users. Among numerous other national honors, he was named to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association Hall of Fame in 2006.

John P. Donoghue, PhD, is with the Providence VA Medical Center and Brown University's Institute for Brain Science. He is best-known for developing an innovative technology known as BrainGate. The system taps into the brainwaves of people with paralysis to enable them to control computer cursors or robotic devices with only their thoughts. The technology could potentially also help those with limb loss to control prosthetic limbs. In an article earlier this year in the journal Nature, Donoghue's team showed how BrainGate could work with the DEKA arm. The arm is an advanced upper-limb prosthesis that VA has been testing in collaboration with the Defense Advanced Project Agency.

Kevin G.M. Volpp, MD, PhD, is an investigator with VA's Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion. He is also a physician at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center and a professor in the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and School of Medicine. A leading health economist, Volpp has helped improve how health care is delivered to Veterans and all Americans. Among other notable research, he has led studies on the impact of medical residents' work schedules and duty-hour restrictions on the quality of patient care, particularly in VA hospitals. He has also tested financial incentives aimed at patients or providers. In one 2012 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Volpp's team showed that peer mentoring—more so than financial incentives—could boost glucose control among African American Veterans with diabetes.

The IOM is an independent, nonprofit organization. It provides reliable, unbiased, authoritative scientific evidence to help government and private-sector leaders make informed decisions on health care and health policy. Established in 1970, the IOM is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, chartered under President Lincoln in 1863. Many IOM studies are in response to mandates from Congress. Others are requested by federal agencies, such as VA, or by independent organizations. More than 1,800 members currently volunteer their expertise for the IOM.