Vishal Vashistha, M.D. is the Acting Chief of Staff for the Iowa City VA Healthcare System.
In this role, he oversees many aspects of the healthcare system’s clinical operations. He is also the Chief of the Quality and Performance Improvement (Q&PI) Service and a Staff Physician within the Hematology/Oncology Section.
Dr. Vashistha, who has active certifications in hematology, medical oncology, and internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine, is a passionate clinician, educator, researcher, and operational leader. Prior to joining the Iowa City VA Healthcare System, Dr. Vashistha was a Staff Hematologist/Oncologist at the New Mexico VA Medical Center, a fellow at Durham VA Medical Center and Duke University Medical Center, and an internal medicine resident at Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He received his medical degree from Ohio State University College of Medicine and his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and minor in South Asian studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Vashistha is an active member of the VA’s Association of Hematology/Oncology and serves on the American Society of Hematology’s Governance Committee. His research has primarily focused on improving the delivery of targeted therapies for appropriate Veteran candidates who have undergone comprehensive genomic profiling through the VA’s National Precision Oncology Program. For such work, he previously received a Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Vashistha was additionally previously awarded a Fulbright-Nehru Professional Excellence Award for his work evaluating access to precision cancer care among lower-income lung cancer patients in India.
Dr. Vashistha seeks to expand the service offerings and to continue delivering high quality, compassionate care for Veterans served by the Iowa City VA Healthcare System. He is also a staunch supporter of employee satisfaction and meets frequently with frontline clinical staff to better understand administrative opportunities to streamline healthcare operations to improve Veteran care and staff experience.