Research Awards and Impacts

Career Development Awards

Our active Career Development Awardees (CDA) are clinically and non-clinically trained early career scientists who are committed to VA research.

• Samuel Abplanalp, MD, Schizophrenia (Social Disconnection)
• Eric Apaydin, PhD, MPP, Provider Burnout
• Jihane Benhammou, MD, Cancer (Liver)
• Gwendolyn Carlson, PhD, Stress Disorders (PTSD)
• Lauren Catalano, PhD, Schizophrenia (Social Motivation)
• Utibe Essien, MD, Cardiology (Atrial Fibrillation)
• Noam Jacob, MD, PhD, Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Thomas Kremen, MD, Orthopedic Rehabilitation (Bone Growth)
• Dan Ly, MD, PhD, Diabetes
• Derek Novacek, PhD, Stress Disorders (Social Integration)
• Ramin Salehi-Rad, MD, Cancer (Immunology)
• Benjamin Seligman, MD, Immunology (Influenza)
• Shilpa Sharma, MD, Cardiology and Nephrology
• Luca Valle, MD, Cancer (Prostate)
• Julie Wu, MD, Cancer (Lung)
• Jonathan Yahalom, PhD, Military Trauma
• Yvonne Yang, MD, Schizophrenia

Research Career Scientist Awards

Research Career Scientist Awards provide career track and salary support for outstanding non-clinician scientists who have shown their commitment to VA research through scientific productivity, committee participation, teaching and mentoring, and other important research-related activities in areas of high relevance to the VHA healthcare system in fulfillment of its mission.

Research Career Scientists

• Yang K. Xiang, PhD, 2025, Cardiovascular Disease
• Stephanie Taylor, PhD, 2023, Complementary & Integrative Health
• Alison B. Hamilton, PhD, MPH, 2021, Women Veterans’ Health (Access to Care)
• Nicholas Brecha, PhD, 2020, Sensory Loss (Vision)

Senior Research Career Scientists

• Anna Gukovskaya, PhD, 2021, Pancreatitis
• Jerome M. Siegel, PhD, 2020, Sleep Disorders
• Elizabeth M. Yano, PhD, MSHS, 2019, Women Veterans’ Health
• Hideakazu Tsukamoto, PhD, 2018, Liver Disease (Alcohol Use)

Undersecretary’s Awards in Health Services Research

The VA Undersecretary Award in Health Services Research for Outstanding Achievement in Health Systems Research is the highest honor for VA health services researchers who contribute to a major improvement in the quality of Veterans' health care or has added significantly to the understanding of factors that affect the health of America's Veterans.

• Donna Washington, MD, MPH, FACP, 2020, Health Equity, Women Veteran’s Health
• Elizabeth Yano, PhD, MSPH, 2012, Women Veterans’ Health
• Paul Shekelle, MD, PhD, MPH, 2011, Evidence Synthesis
• Lisa Rubenstein, MD, MSPH, 2001, Primary Care/Mental Health

Clinician Scientist Investigator Awards

The Senior Clinician Scientist Investigator Award (SCSI) recognizes and retains outstanding clinician scientists engaged in VA research while they continue to provide high quality and timely clinical care to Veterans.

• Tzung K. Hsiai, MD, 2025, Cardiovascular Disease
• Jonathan D. Kaunitz, MD, 2023, Digestive Diseases
• Gregory A. Brent, MD, 2019, Diabetes and Other Endocrine Disorders

John Blair Barnwell Award

VA Research John Blair Barnwell Award is ORD’s highest honor for outstanding achievement in clinical science  to recognize senior VHA investigators who have achieved international acclaim for clinical research accomplishments in areas of prime importance to VA's research mission and who have also demonstrated a high level of clinical commitment to the patient population.

• Matthew Rettig, MD, 2025, Prostate Cancer; Precision Medicine

William S. Middleton Awards

VA Research's William S. Middleton Award is the highest honor awarded to senior VA biomedical research scientists in recognition of their outstanding scientific contributions and achievements in the areas of biomedical and bio-behavioral research relevant to the healthcare of Veterans.

• Steven M. Dubinett, MD, 2019, Immunology, Lung Cancer
• Yvette F. Tache, MD, 2014, Gastroenterology; Neurology
• Jerome M. Siegel, MD, 2010, Sleep Disorders, Parkinson’s Disease
• Neil Kaplowitz, MD, 1993, Liver Disease (Alcohol & Drug Use)
• George M.  Sachs, MD, 1992, Gastroenterology
• Sydney M. Finegold, MD, 1983, Infectious Diseases
• William H. Oldendorf, MD, 1976, Radiology, Thyroid Disease
• Lucien B. Guze, MD, 1965, Nephrology

Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)

The Presidential PECASE Award recognizes and retains outstanding clinician scientists engaged in VA research while they continue to provide high quality and timely clinical care to Veterans.

• Jivianne Lee, MD, 2025, Post Oncologic Plastic Surgery
• Steven Asch, MD, 2004, Primary Care 

• I lead research to help keep Veterans healthy by finding better ways to prevent and treat infectious diseases. My work also supports studies on how exposures to toxic substances and infectious diseases during military service can affect long-term health.

• My research helps Veterans with mental injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mood disorders. I’m working on new treatments and medications that directly target the central nervous system.

• My research explores how to help Veterans with atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm). Specifically, my work helps prevent strokes and prevents atrial fibrillation from becoming fatal.

• My research takes complex information about ways to improve Veteran care, and makes it more useful, more quickly. These methods I study apply to suicide prevention, homelessness, women Veterans, and mental health.

• My research makes sure previously homeless Veterans get the help they need. My work improves the housing, mental health, and clinical programs tailored to their needs.

• My research is developing the next generation of cancer drugs. More and more, we've been able to match drugs to a particular Veteran with a particular cancer. Some cancers are still resistant, though, and we're finding out why.

• My research makes sure Veterans get the right amount and the right kind of antibiotics. If Veterans receive antibiotics that are too powerful for what they need, or are on them for too long, there may be harmful side effects, and it might make the antibiotics less effective for everyone.

• My work keeps Veterans' mental health in mind, even while VA is caring for Veterans' physical health. I study whether we're checking in on Veterans' mental health effectively, how well primary care and mental health teams work together, and make sure Veterans receive all the mental health resources VA has to offer.

• My research improves the mental health and the quality of life of Veterans affected by schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses. Our studies have helped to develop not only better drugs, but better talk therapies and other forms of treatment.

• My research helps Veterans with lung cancer figure out what treatment is right for them. My work compares lung cancer surgery with options that don’t involve surgery.

• My research improves the lives of Veterans living with prostate cancer. We innovate new, cutting-edge therapies and put AI to work for Veterans' health and life. We design our research based on feedback directly from Veterans so we can improve their lives, not just their cancer treatment.

• My research looks at how Veterans' genetics, experiences in the military, and lifestyle affects their health. Over one million Veterans have participated in our study. This information helps us make better predictions about how we need to care for Veterans in the future.

• My research is helping Veterans survive cancer. We go beyond the typical way of looking at cancer cells and use AI to analyze how cancer builds up into tissues and interacts with other cells.

• My work points the way to getting every Veteran the care they need, no matter who they are or where they live. I use data from across VA on common conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure to pinpoint how we can better serve Veterans.

• My work makes sure all the evidence VA Research gathers is applied to improve Veteran care. My personal areas of expertise are improving primary care and how care teams serve women Veterans. As the Director of a Center of Innovation at Greater Los Angeles, I oversee many different areas of research, but they all focus on helping VA use that research to improve care.