Research & Development - US Department of Veterans Affairs

: Adding physical therapy to care teams improves results
Researchers at VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System integrated physical therapy into primary care to reduce burden and increase care participation for Veterans with chronic pain or mobility issues. The researchers interviewed Veterans and VA staff from a pilot program that added physical therapy to the clinics' patient-aligned care teams. Participants reported increased access to physical therapy, reduced wait times, and less transportation burden to attend therapy. The service also allowed Veterans to try conservative interventions for pain before resorting to surgery and enabled greater continuation of VA care without community care referrals, particularly in rural areas where physical therapy options may be limited. Veterans also reported high satisfaction with the program. The findings highlight how including physical therapists in primary care teams can decrease barriers to care and improve Veterans' well-being. (Journal of General Internal Medicine, May 12, 2026)

https://www.research.va.gov/news_briefs/news_brief.cfm?RecordID=258408

: Current artificial lung technology is highly prone to dangerous blood clotting where synthetic material comes into contact with natural tissue. Researchers at VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System developed a 3D-printable, silicone-based resin that mimics biological conditions to address this problem. When exposed to freshly drawn blood, the new material reduced clotting area over currently available resins by between 58% and 65%. This resin could potentially reduce the need for systemic anticoagulation use with artificial lungs, which carries the risk of severe bleeding events, and could increase the artificial lung device's lifetime. Published in Langmuir, May 19, 2026.


https://www.research.va.gov/news_briefs/news_brief.cfm?RecordID=258407

: Researchers with the VA Advanced Platform Technology Center piloted an exercise program that used virtual reality to make neuromuscular electrical stimulation more engaging, improving Veterans’ heart rates and exercise efforts. Electrical stimulation can contract paralyzed muscles following a spinal cord injury, improving overall health, but is often boring for the Veteran. The researchers created a game in which the user rowed a virtual boat to keep pace with a goose flying overhead, attempting to catch dropped eggs. Both paralyzed Veteran volunteers found the electrical stimulation-assisted rowing to be more engaging and producing better results than when completing the exercise alone, suggesting this approach could improve engagement with electrical stimulation-assisted exercise and improve the cardiovascular fitness of Veterans with spinal cord injury. (American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, May 1, 2026)


https://www.research.va.gov/news_briefs/news_brief.cfm?RecordID=258403

: Atlanta VA researchers learned diabetes medications may lower the risk of death from pulmonary hypertension, a serious condition involving high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. In a group of more than 41,000 Veterans with both pulmonary hypertension and diabetes, those taking metformin survived about 20% longer, while those on thiazolinedione survived 18% longer. Conversely, Veterans taking insulin had a 28% higher mortality risk. Analysis suggested the improved survival was influenced by better kidney and lung function and was not dependent on how well a patient’s diabetes was controlled. The results indicate therapies targeting metabolism may be promising treatments for pulmonary hypertension. (Pulmonary Circulation, May 4, 2026 PMID: 42088614)


https://www.research.va.gov/news_briefs/news_brief.cfm?RecordID=258405

: The VA Veteran Sponsorship Initiative (VSI) is a public-private partnership between federal and community partners that provides VA-certified, volunteer, peer sponsors and connection to community services. VA researchers assessed more than 1,000 active-duty Soldiers who transitioned out of the military in 2023, half of whom participated in VSI. Those in the VSI program were 2% less likely to have a su***de attempt and 20% more likely to use VA primary care within 10 months of leaving the Army. The findings demonstrate that VSI can be a valuable tool to support Veterans during the transition to civilian life. (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Apr. 17, 2026)


https://www.research.va.gov/news_briefs/news_brief.cfm?RecordID=258399

: Researchers from the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center (Mountain Home, TN) and East Tennessee State University developed a potential new HIV treatment that could effectively disrupt virus replication and expression. The team used genomic techniques to create two synthetic particles that disrupt HIV on a genetic level. When the researchers applied these particles to infected human T cells, they not only demonstrated antiviral effects but also stopped virus DNA from replicating. Current HIV therapy can effectively interfere with the viral life cycle, but HIV eradication is difficult because the virus integrates its own DNA into the host DNA, creating reservoirs of infected cells. While the work is in early stages, this research provides a proof-of-concept that these particles can potentially solve that viral reservoir problem. Gene analysis also showed the two particles may be effective across diverse HIV strains, suggesting their potential to target multiple HIV strains globally.


https://www.research.va.gov/news_briefs/news_brief.cfm?RecordID=258400

Dr. Jennifer Stevens-Lapsley, associate director of research for the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) at the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System was announced as the winner of the Paul B. Magnuson Award for Outstanding Achievement in Rehabilitation Research and Development. Stevens-Lapsley’s research has significantly contributed to programs that improve health, function, and independence for aging and medically complex Veterans, leading to new rehabilitation strategies such as neuromuscular electrical stimulation and progressive resistance training. She is also an advocate for high-intensity rehabilitation regimens that have proven safe and effective at multiple VA community living centers and skilled nursing facilities.

Learn more: research.va.gov

Dr. Hardeep Singh, a senior research scientist at the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQUEST), based out of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas, was announced as the winner of the Under Secretary’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Health Services Research. Singh built a multidisciplinary research team at IQUEST that, since 2005, finds diagnostic errors, such as preventable delays in diagnosis or incorrectly diagnosed conditions, which can occur across all levels of care and lead to delayed or unnecessary treatments that put Veterans at risk.

Learn more: research.va.gov