My mother is an educator, and I have observed her impact on countless lives. Most of my career as a physician has centered on the medical education of resident physicians. My second daughter has a master’s degree in education. Until recently, she was a second-grade teacher within an economically challenged area. My mother and daughter are the heroines in this editorial, since the resident student material I molded had already been appropriately shaped by teachers of children.
Higher Risk Veterans Vs. Others Challenge Lung Cancer Risk Calculators
Comparing VA patients with higher lung cancer risk to a general population group with lower risk underscored the limitations of using risk calculators in a clinical setting.
Study Found That SBRT Works Well for Multiple Primary Lung Cancers
As survival grows for lung cancer patients, more are presenting with multiple primary lung cancers (MPLCs).
Lung Cancer Affected Minority, Enlisted Servicemembers More Than Others
Non-Hispanic Black veterans and servicemembers had almost twofold greater lung cancer mortality risk compared with those who are non-Hispanic white.
VA Researchers Find Biomarkers for Potentially Serious Parasitic Infections
Asymptomatic Leishmaniasis Infected Nearly 20% of Soldiers in Iraq BETHESDA, MD—New research has identified three chemokines as potential biomarkers for asymptomatic visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a chronic infection caused by Leishmania (L.) donovani or L. infantum....
VA Facilities Plagued by Security Lapses, Serious Incidents
By their nature, VA healthcare facilities are meant to be easily accessible, but open-campus layouts also make them difficult to secure.
VA Relying on Fewer Companies, Broader Contracts to Build IT Infrastructure
Despite an increase in spending on information technology contracts, the number of companies that VA is relying on to build its IT infrastructure is decreasing.
Racial Disparities Persist in Outcomes for Pregnant and Postpartum Veterans, as Well as Their Infants, Despite VA’s Equal Access System
Racial health disparities in the United States are well documented, but the starkest are with reproductive health and outcomes, according to a VA researcher.
Staffing Remains a Concern for Nursing Homes as VA’s Care Needs Increase
For the first time in U.S. history, adults over 65 are on pace to outnumber children under 18—a tipping of the scales that is expected to occur by the end of this year.
VA House Committee Chair Raises Concerns About VA ‘Sustained’ Leadership
Legislators and agency watchdogs are concerned about the lack of strong, sustained leadership at VA’s highest levels. Part of the worry is about the department’s ability to carry through on major projects and enact the provisions of recent legislation, as well as learn from previous mistakes.
VA Adopts New Standards for Treating Older Veterans in EDs
The VA is trying to better serve its older patient population by adopting accredited geriatric emergency departments in many agency hospitals.
Few VA Facilities Have Radio Networks for Communication During Emergencies
In the event of an emergency that causes traditional communication networks to fail, many VA facilities would be unable to talk to each other, despite the department having spent millions of dollars on an emergency communications network, according to a VA Office of the Inspector General report.
VA Study Points Out Need for Transgender Prostate Cancer Awareness
Because of the risks of prostate removal—leakage of urine and problems with sexual function—the prostate usually is left intact in transgender women.
Care Integration: Is VA Trying to Reinvent Something That Already Existed?
Despite the VA’s claims of an integrated, veteran-first model of healthcare, its patients regularly find themselves lost in a landscape of complex, siloed treatment that they are left to navigate for themselves. The challenge for patients only increases when community care is added to the equation, and they cannot rely on the consistent sharing of their records between VA and a private healthcare system.
Second Medication Improves Well-Being in Treatment-Resistant Depression
In older adults with treatment-resistant depression, adding a second medication to their existing antidepressant medication leads to greater improvements in psychological well-being and a higher remission rate from depression, compared to switching to a different medication, according to a new study.
VSOs: Veterans Waiting Too Long for Substance-Abuse Treatment
Veterans in need of residential substance abuse treatment are facing too-long delays in finding beds both at VA facilities and through community care, according to veterans’ service organizations.
PTSD More Likely in Deployed Servicemembers With Childhood Abuse History
Military servicemembers with a history of physical, emotional or sexual abuse in childhood appear to be at a greater risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) if they are deployed to conflict zones.
Real-World Study Found Paxlovid Lowered Risk of Hospitalization, Death
How effective have oral antivirals actually been in preventing short- and long-term COVID-19–related outcomes? A new study examined that issue during Omicron variant transmission and with limited COVID-19 vaccinations.
Many Servicemembers With Opioid Disorder Fall Through Gaps in Handoff to VA
Veterans with opioid-use disorder (OUD) are at an increased risk for overdose and suicide in the year following discharge. For this reason, VA and DoD place a high value on the firm handoff of patients.
VA Studies Provide Insight Into Improving Survival in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the third-most-common form of cancer and the leading cause of cancer mortality in the U.S. Because of their high rate of smoking and, potentially, military-related exposures, veterans are at greater risk of lung cancer than the general population.
New Research Suggested That Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange Have Increased Risk of Developing Progressive Blood Cancers, Such as MPNs
For the first time, new research findings have suggested that veterans exposed to Agent Orange might be at increased risk of developing progressive blood cancers, such as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).
Female Post-9/11 Veterans More Likely to Have MS Than Males
Among post-9/11 veterans, sex-based differences were common in an assessment of health status. For example, women had higher odds for multiple sclerosis and a range of other conditions compared to men.
Using Ultrasound Measures of Functionality in MS Patients
Can sonography be a useful tool in evaluating changes due to disease progression or therapeutic interventions in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients? A new VA study suggested it could be.
White Women Most Likely to Have MS in United States
Multiple sclerosis affects diverse racial and ethnic groups in the United States, according to a recent study, which suggested that “racial, ethnic, and geographic differences in multiple sclerosis (MS) are important factors to assess when determining the disease burden and allocating health care resources.”
Black Veterans Are Significantly Less Likely to Complete Lung Cancer Screening
Despite the VHA being an equal-access healthcare system, Black veterans in a recent study had considerably lower rates of lung cancer screening (LCS) than white ones.
VA Study Suggests CVD Risk Might Be Modifiable in CKD/T2D
Is chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated cardiovascular risk in Type 2 diabetes (T2D) modifiable? The answer is unclear, according to a recent study.
Transporting Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease Patients Not Always Best Course
Is it better to transport MHS pediatric patients with congenital heart disease to a high-volume center for care or treat them where they are, even if it is a rural area?
VA’s CVD Peer Health Coaching Intervention Improved Mental HRQoL
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, but CVD risk factors remain suboptimally controlled in the VHA and elsewhere.
Educational, Peer Interventions Cut Risky Drinking Among Guardmembers
Risk drinking among reserve and active-duty military personnel is a threat not only to the health of the individuals, but also to their readiness if and when they are called to action.
Unexpected Brain Connectivity Changes Found in Fighter Pilots
A new international study is raising concerns about neurologic effects on U.S. airborne warfighters and Space Force guardians alike.
