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Minneapolis VA Health Care System Research Service

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Research Week

What is Research Week?

Research Week is an annual event sponsored by the VA Office of Research & Development, with individual VA facilities hosting their own local events in conjunction with the national office. The Minneapolis VA Research Week event usually consists of a keynote address followed by short talks or poster sessions, featuring work conducted by Minneapolis investigators and their study teams. This page will be updated for current year Research Week activities as they are planned. Links below will provide access to presentations from this year's (or last year's) Research Week keynote and other sessions.

Research Week 2026 - June 1-4

Research Week promotional image featuring several local investigators in a conference session

National VA Research Week theme: “Launching into the Future of Veteran’s Care”

2026 Research Week Program and Abstract Booklet

Schedule of Events

Monday June 1:

CVRE Meet-and-Greet: 9:30-10:30 AM, 3B-108
Your chance to meet the staff for CVRE, our VA-affiliated non-profit corporation
Career Panel: 10:45-11:45 AM, 3B-108
A panel of VA research coordinators and support staff will discuss their career trajectories and what training or experiences helped them become part of a high-functioning research team.

Tuesday June 2:

Veteran Research Recruitment Fair: 9:00-12:00 PM, main auditorium (1S)
Opportunity for researchers to advertise their study or program directly to Veterans, demonstrating the important work we do.
VA Research Resource & Education Fair: 1:30-3:30 PM, main auditorium (1S)
The Research Resource & Education Fair will have information stations with educational materials, the latest tools, and valuable resources aimed at helping research staff broaden their expertise and enhance their research efforts. All staff are welcome, whether project and administrative staff, PIs, lab personnel, and the public.

Wednesday June 3:

Oral Abstract Presentation Session: 1:00-3:00 PM, main auditorium (1S)
Time Presentation
1:00 “Three-year bisphosphonate exposure and incident clinical fractures in older men”
Howard Fink, Nitya Shah, Jared Huling, John Schousboe, Joan Lo, Robert Adler, Joshua Barzilay, Michael Miller, Zhiping Huo, Laura Carbone
1:20 “Focal Resting State Activity Differences in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Results from the ENIGMA PTSD Working Group”
Seth Disner, Nicholas Davenport, ENIGMA PTSD Working Group
1:40 “Nicotine Replacement Therapy Sampling for Cigarette Cessation in Dental Care: A National Dental PBRN Study”
Sandra Japuntich, D. Brad Rindal, Dorota Kopycka-Kedzierawski, Sarah Helseth, Jennifer Dahne, Ning Smith, Douglas Levy, Matthew Carpenter, The National Dental PBRN Collaborative Group
2:00 “Setting up for technology success: Veteran engagement in telehealth for augmented reality rehabilitation”
Tonya Rich, Katharyn Cristan, Timothy Truty, Andrew Hansen, Princess Ackland
2:20 “Contrasting Visual and Auditory Perception in Schizophrenia”
Kayla Donaldson, Julia Hanson, Victor Pokorny, Chen Shen, Samuel Klein, Holly Hamilton, Scott Sponheim
2:40 “Point of care, high resolution ultrasonography of the peripheral nerves as an extension of the neurological examination”
Manish Sharma
Introduction to the VA Technology Transfer Program: 3:00-3:45 PM, main auditorium (1S)
Presentation from John Kaplan, PhD, JD, PE, Director, VA Technology Transfer Program

Thursday June 4:

Keynote Session: 11:30 AM-1:00 PM, main auditorium (1S).
Introductions and Welcome
Steven Fu, MD, MSCE, Associate Chief of Staff, Research Service
Lederle Award (Clinical Research Paper of the Year): Presented by Diana Burgess, PhD
Recipient: Erin Krebs, MD, MPH
“Buprenorphine, Pain, and Opioid Use in Patients Taking High-Dose Long-Term Opioids: A Randomized Clinical Trial”
JAMA Intern Med. 2025;185(4):372–381 DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.8361
Ahmed Award (Preclinical Research Paper of the Year): Presented by Janeen Trembley, PhD
Recipient: Dongming Cai, MD, PhD
“Multiscale proteomic modeling reveals protein networks driving Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis”
Cell 2025 Oct 30;188(22):6186-6204.e13 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.08.038
Early Stage Investigator Award: Presented by Allison Gustavson, PT, DPT, PhD
Recipient: Arianne Baldomero, MD, MS
“Optimizing Delivery of Evidence-Based COPD Care for Rural Veterans”
Study Coordinator Leadership Award: Presented by Aimee Hamel, RN, PhD
Recipient: Alexandria Lloyd, MS
Keynote Address: Haipeng (Mark) Zhang, DO, MMSc, FMXR, VHA Acting Executive Director, Discovery, Education, and Affiliate Networks (DEAN)
“Looking Towards the Future of Research at VA”
Poster Presentations: 1:30-3:30 PM, 2P Education Conference Rooms

Past Research Week activities

(No Research Week was held in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions)

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