VA Researchers Who Served
Q&As with VA investigators who served in the military about what inspired their military and research careers, and how their work today is helping their fellow Veterans
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"As an active-duty dietitian in the Army, I was able to experience firsthand the exposures that service members and Veterans have to many nutritionally related digestive disorders." |
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"Service to country has been a tradition in my family. My father was a tank commander in the Korean War." |
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"My military involvement has taught me a lot about my strengths, my capabilities, and my ability to work efficiently and effectively with people on and outside of my team." |
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"I have always wanted to 'push the envelope' with patient care to improve the lives of our patients, especially those afflicted with the devastation of cancer." |
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"I learned how to conduct medicine in very austere conditions, without access to nursing, lab work, or blood in a very up-tempo combat environment." |
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"I can honestly say that my military experience, albeit brief, is something that I cherish to this very day." |
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"My first mentor [my high school geometry teacher] taught me the joyful reward of solving a problem." |
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"I truly loved caring for military personnel and their families. Working and conducting research in VA feels like 'home.'" |
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"Without the right data, we weren't going to succeed. So I set out to be the Army's suicide expert." |
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"I've seen that VA researchers, and in particular those in VA research centers, are really collaborative and supportive. They want to mentor junior researchers." |
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"As I set out on a path to become a VA researcher, I feverishly consumed the work of VA anthropologists like Erin Finley, Sarah Ono, and Ann Cheney. These incredible women made me realize that there is a place for the kind of work I want to do in VA." |
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"I'm especially interested in improving the quality of life and well-being of older Veterans who have multiple chronic conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, and osteoarthritis." |
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"If it's easy, you're in the wrong job." |
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"My research career was inspired [in part] by science-fiction literature and television programming that focused on science and technology, such as the Discovery Channel network." |
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"My military and Veteran experience amplifies in my mind the importance of health research to benefit Veterans." |
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"I asked one of my mentors how he chose problems to study. He said he chose problems that made him angry." |
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"When the Air Force told me I'd be stationed at Ramstein outside of Munich, Germany, I declined because the entire Polish side of my family had perished in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz." |
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"I've always felt that my military experience allows me to relate more directly to patients and staff at VA medical centers." |
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"It's very important to believe in yourself, strive to understand, respond positively to critiques, and to seek out others with whom you can collaborate to advance in your work." |
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"I had always wanted to serve, and 9-11 just propelled me to be in the military. It was something I had to do." |
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"I enjoyed and continue to enjoy working with Veterans. They are the most deserving group of patients we can serve." |
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"My experience in the military, particularly at a time when it was unpopular and when no one was saying 'thank you for your service' after we came home, helps me bond with many Veterans disaffected by wars and society." |
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"After my injury, I had to plot a new course in life. I don't think that it matters anymore. I've found my calling...." |
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"Whether it is simply having the shared experience of shining and wearing combat boots, carrying a rucksack, eating a ready-to-eat meal, or having seen the acute effects of an IED...all of these experiences provide familiarity to patients and can be key to establishing rapport." |
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"Being a Veteran has improved my compassion for other Veterans and has provided more insight into current and future needs for our Veterans." |
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"Being a Vet myself creates a connection to Veterans that is different from the connections I have to patients who are not Veterans." |
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"Being a Veteran definitely fuels my passion to find answers." |
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"It is an extraordinary task to pull Veterans from the military mindset of 'adapt and overcome.'" |
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"My research involves applying mathematical and physical methods to solve medical problems." |
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"I feel that being a Vet gives me some insight into military-connected health conditions that need more research for prevention and treatment." |
Dr. Gail Cresci
Dr. C. Scott Smith
Dr. Yani Leyva
Dr. Jeffrey Jones
Dr. John Ney
Dr. Jeff Smith
Dr. Kenneth Heilman
Dr. Matthew Bair
Dr. Michael Russell
Dr. Justin Benzer
Dr. Kiersten Downs
Dr. Gina McCaskill
Dr. Roy Bloebaum
Dr. Gabriel Gonzalez
Dr. Racine Brown
Dr. Jeff Pyne
Dr. Sol Solomon
Dr. John Davis
Dr. Daniel Bikle
Dr. Joshua Lipschutz
Dr. Michael Simberkoff
Dr. Stuart Johnson
Dr. Rory Cooper
Dr. Ronald Riechers
Dr. Dennis Stevens
Dr. Arnold Postlethwaite
Dr. Mary Jo Pugh
Dr. Paul Arthur
Dr. Frank Greco
Questions about the R&D website? Email the Web Team.
Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.
Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.
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