A million strong: MVP celebrates major milestone in Milwaukee
Though most of them put the uniform away long ago, more than 1 million Veterans are continuing to make a difference in the world, thanks to a vial of blood and their willingness to serve the greater good.
The Million Veterans Program, launched in 2011, recently reached its goal of enrolling 1 million Veterans. The research program requires Veterans to submit a blood sample and take part in surveys about their health, lifestyle and military service.
Dr. Sumitra Muralidhar, MVP program director, celebrated the milestone this week at the Milwaukee VA, which played a major role in the effort by enrolling more than 20,000 Veterans.
“You are the face of the program,” Muralidhar said. “Without you and all the phenomenal work you have done, we never would have gotten to this milestone.”
Reaching the goal of 1 million means that MVP has created one the world’s largest databases that has already led to significant genetic discoveries and valuable research, Muralidhar said.
MVP data has been included in more than 350 scientific publications, and this past year, MVP published more than 100 research studies about several health conditions, including tinnitus, Alzheimer’s disease, prostate cancer, endometriosis and more.
MVP has been key in post-traumatic stress disorder research, identifying genes related to re-experiencing traumatic memories. It also found genetic variants linked to suicide attempts and that Veterans who attempted suicide had a harder time absorbing a natural hormone that helps with feelings of bonding and trust.
Research isn’t the only area where MVP is having an impact. MVP findings are now part of everyday health care:
- New, targeted treatments for chronic kidney disease are being developed based on MVP research.
- Knowing how genes cause people to respond to different medications has influenced medications for blood clots and diabetes.
- MVP is also studying how genes affect the success of knee and hip replacement surgeries.
“The amount of data that’s coming from that one tube of blood that Veterans donated is tremendous,” Muralidhar said. “This is all leading to biological pathways so we can find new treatments.”
And she said it wouldn’t have been possible without the willingness of Veterans to step up and take part.
“When we asked Veterans, ‘What would you like in return? (for participating in the program),’ and Veterans said, ‘Nothing. We just want to do this to help other Veterans,’” she said. “That altruism — that this is another way of serving — was very evident.”
MVP is continuing to enroll Veterans, with the goal of increasing the number of women and minorities who take part, as well as younger Veterans.
“We’re not stopping. We’re going to continue and expand. We want to make MVP available to any Veteran who wants to enroll in it,” she said, noting that Veterans can now enroll online and be sent a kit so they can submit their blood sample without going to a VA facility.
Muralidhar emphasized that the goal going forward is to see the results of research translate into improved care for Veterans and civilians alike.
She said MVP is looking to a future of health care that is based not just on “symptoms that the doctors see or a biochemical test, but really looking at genetics” as well as patients’ lifestyle and military experiences.
“One million is not just a number,” she said. “We’ve made history, but now we’re at the beginning of a new era. Over the next five to 10 years, we want to see more of this clinical translation, broadening access and getting precision medicine in the VA.”
Veterans can join MVP at www.mvp.va.gov or by calling 866-441-6075 to schedule an appointment at a participating VA facility.