AAMC Joins NAVREF’s 33rd Annual Conference Celebrating 100 Years of VA Research

Elena Fuentes-Afflick, MD, MPH, AAMC chief scientific officer, joined the National Association of Veterans' Research and Education Foundations (NAVREF) 33rd Annual Conference to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) research program, and discussed challenges and opportunities for the next century of VA-supported research.

Dr. Fuentes-Afflick provided remarks on the vital partnerships between academic medicine, the VA, and the broader VA research community, and presented the jointly sponsored AAMC-NAVREF Partnerships for Progress in Veterans' Health Award. Award recipients included VA research leaders at the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System, the Veterans Medical Research Foundation, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The award celebrates research achievements which exemplify the partnership between the VA and NAVREF's member organizations, recognizing initiatives that have demonstrated collaboration across a local VA Medical Center, an academic medical affiliate, and a VA-affiliated nonprofit or nonprofit research and education corporation and advanced veterans' health care and research.

Additionally, Fuentes-Afflick joined other leaders in the VA research ecosystem in a panel discussion titled "Policy and Progress at the Dawn of a New Century for Veterans Research." Panelists discussed current challenges facing VA research and the wider research community and how continued partnerships are essential to advancing research and veteran health.