About the Program

The VA Boston Healthcare System has a large, well-funded research and development program including studies that are funded in the following broad research areas:

• biomedical research (e.g., basic science and animal studies)
• health services (e.g., organizational/operational, management, and statistical studies)
• clinical and cooperative studies (e.g., investigational drug/device and interventional studies)
• rehabilitation (e.g., visual and prosthetic studies)

Research is an integral part of the VA's mission and plays a key role in enhancing the health care services provided to the local veteran population. The Brockton, West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain campuses combined have one of the largest and most active research programs in the VA System nation-wide.

Services Offered

Our current research studies enhance the medical center's ability to provide state-of-the-art medical techniques and treatments to veterans.

Learn more about clinical trials*, and find which are currently seeking volunteers.

Over 650 active research projects are currently being conducted at the VABHS in the areas listed below —

Brockton Campus

• addictions and alcoholism
• behavioral research
• neurophysiology of mental illness
• schizophrenia
• sleep disorders

Jamaica Plain Campus

• aging
• aphasia
• cardiovascular disease
• diabetes
• hemostasis
• hypertension
• infectious disease
• language and memory disorders
• neuroscience
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• retinal prosthesis
• tissue engineering

West Roxbury Campus

• cardiology and cardiovascular diseases
• cardiothoracic surgery
• endocrinology
• gastrointestinal motility disorders
• gastrointestinal surgery
• genetics
• hematology
• multiple myeloma
• neurology and neuroscience
• orthopedic surgery
• pulmonary medicine
• rehabilitation
• spinal cord injury

Accreditations

VABHS R&D Program is fully accredited through the National Commission for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its Human Research Protection Program (pending AAHRPP review) and is also fully accredited through the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care and use AAALAC) for its Animal Research Protection Program.

VABHS is a member of COBTH, the "Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals" and was recognized as one of the largest contributors of research in their portfolio.