What is the VHA Innovation Ecosystem?

Veterans Health Administration Innovation Ecosystem (VHA IE) is the catalyst for enabling the discovery and spread of mission-driven health care innovation to advance care delivery and service that exceeds expectations, restores hope, and builds trust within the Veteran community.

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Meet Our Leadership

Dr. Ryan Vega Chief Officer, Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning

Ryan Vega, MD, MSHA

Chief Officer, Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning

Beth Ripley, MD, PhD

Beth Ripley, MD, PhD

Deputy Chief, Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning

Kristopher Teague Executive Director, VHA Innovation Ecosystem

Kristopher "Kit" Teague

Executive Director, VHA Innovation Ecosystem

Allison Amrhein, MPH, Director of Operations, VHA Innovators Network

Allison Amrhein, MPH

Director of Operations,
VHA Innovators Network

Blake Henderson, Acting Director, Diffusion of Excellence

Blake Henderson

Director, Diffusion of Excellence

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Director of Partnerships & Community Engagement

Thomas Osborne, MD

Director, National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation
VA Ventures Director, Beth Ripley, MD, PhD

Beth Ripley, MD, PhD

Deputy Chief Officer, Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning

Creating a Repeatable Process for Innovation

VHA IE created a repeatable pathway to support the entire lifecycle of innovation, from discovery through delivery

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Resources & Publications

VHA iNET Annual Report 2020
2020 delivered a year like no other for the entire world. For health care providers, including those at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), new unparalleled challenges arose nearly every day.

VHA iNET Annual Report 2019
In 2019, iNET navigated through a year of change and restructuring, during which we have evolved into a stronger, smarter, and more confident organization.

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Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators

Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators celebrates companies that are successfully fostering cultures of innovation and empowering employees at all levels to improve processes, create new products, or invent new ways of doing business. In August of 2021, VHA IE made the 2021 Best Workplaces for Innovators list for its ability to foster and operationalize innovation, build workforce capacity, and impact Veteran lives.

VHA IE was recognized for multiple innovations and projects that impacted services for Veterans at VA hospitals nationwide, its ability to creatively adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic, its programmatic elements that help to cultivate a culture of innovation within VHA, and its ground-up approach to advancing innovation through frontline employees. By cultivating critical capabilities to operationalize innovation in a health care setting, VHA IE has:

  • Engaged more than 150 VA facilities in identifying and scaling innovation
  • Trained over 25,000 employees in innovation competencies and implementation methods
  • Impacted more than 1 million Veterans with innovations developed through VHA IE
  • Avoided over $40 million in unnecessary costs through the innovations and practices advanced by VHA IE