NCIRE - The Northern California Institute for Research and Education

To recognize the employment needs of Veterans and support them on their job journey, on July 25th, NCIRE joins many organizations around the country in celebrating National Hire a Veteran Day. This day is recognized and promoted by federal agencies including the Department of Labor and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA official site, VA Careers, is available for job seekers and there are many different types of employment available. As the VA official site reminds, you do NOT have to be a doctor or nurse to qualify for jobs at VA facilities. We encourage Veterans and transitioning military personnel to apply at VA any day. Veterans are not just our patients, but also one of our greatest resources, and we welcome them onto the team at every opportunity. Job openings include positions in senior leadership, IT, accounting and much more. There are also jobs for Veterans in the public sector at USAJobs.gov. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gzs4YJ2

NCIRE-supported Principal Investigators Drs. Salomeh Keyhani and Carolyn Gibson head new Center for Data to Discovery and Delivery Innovation! NCIRE-supported Principal Investigators Drs. Salomeh Keyhani and Carolyn Gibson will be the Director and Associate Director, respectively, of the Center for Data to Discovery and Delivery Innovation (3DI), a new Health Systems Research Center of Innovation (COIN) funded by the San Francisco VA Health Care System (SFVAHCS) through an award from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Research and Development. 3DI is focused on improving health by supporting research and training that advance patient-centered health behavior change. The Center brings together a multidisciplinary group of 25 core investigators from the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The Center will partner with numerous centers, programs, and institutes across UCSF including the UCSF institute for Health Policy Studies, the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health, and the UCSF UC Berkeley Joint Program in Computational Precision Health. The Center will support quantitative and qualitative methodologic resources, Veteran engagement in all stages of the research process, health services mentorship and training, and a national network focused on fostering collaborations and community around research on behavior change. 3DI will provide much needed infrastructure to advance Health Systems Research and health care transformation within the SFVAHCS, VISN 21, and National VA. VA funds COINs to reward and advance research that has the greatest possible impact on improving Veteran health. Salomeh Keyhani, MD is a primary care provider and UCSF Professor of Medicine based at the SFVAHCS. She is currently leading multiple studies examining the health effects of cannabis and gaps in health care delivery related to cannabis use. Carolyn Gibson, PhD, MPH is a Clinical Research Psychologist at SFVAHCS and Assistant Professor in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Her research focuses on women’s physical and mental health related to menopause and aging. 

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had its beginning on July 21, 1930, when President Herbert Hoover signed Executive Order 5398, consolidating three agencies administering Veterans benefits programs into a single entity called the Veterans Administration. The action changed how the federal government and the public perceived Veterans’ compensation and other benefits. After 58 years in operation, the Administration as elevated to the Cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) when President Ronald Reagan signed The Department of Veterans Affairs Act into law on October 25, 1988. The VA is comprised of three administrations, with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) being the largest among them. The VHA operates one of the largest health care systems in the world with 1,600 health care facilities, including 144 VA Medical Centers and 1,232 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity; and provides training for a majority of America’s medical, nursing, and allied health professionals. Roughly 60% of all medical residents obtain a portion of their training at VA hospitals; and VA medical research programs benefit society at-large. NCIRE works in tandem with the VHA as the leading private nonprofit research institute in the United States devoted to Veterans health. NCIRE supports the research of nearly 200 Principal investigators at the San Francisco VA Health Care System who work to improve health and health care for Veterans and active military personnel. NCIRE wishes the VA a Happy Birthday and thanks its tireless efforts to serve our Veterans and champion health research! Learn more about the history of the VA: https://lnkd.in/gVwkbsGX

NCIRE-supported Principal Investigator Dr. Alexander Smith co-authored article in JAGS NCIRE-supported Principal Investigator Dr. Alexander Smith joined his geriatrics research colleagues in co-authoring the clinical investigation “Psychosocial distress among spouses of persons with dementia before and after their partner's death”. The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS). Read More: https://lnkd.in/g9c32JzG

NCIRE-supported Principal Investigator Dr. Michael Weiner was recently recognized for his pioneering work in the Alzheimer’s disease field. Read more about his life-long award-winning research here: https://lnkd.in/gzwaCJ96

NCIRE honors our Veterans and active service members who have committed themselves to preserving our freedom since 1776; and wishes everyone a safe and Happy Fourth of July! 

NCIRE Staff Clinical Research Coordinator Liliana Moore co-authored paper with Drs. Karen Seal and Natalie Purcell NCIRE Staff Clinical Research Coordinator Liliana Moore co-authored the paper “Natural Product Use Among Veterans with Chronic Pain: A Qualitative Study of Attitudes and Communication with Healthcare Providers” with NCIRE-supported Principal Investigators Drs. Karen Seal and Natalie Purcell. The paper was published in the research journal Springer Nature. https://lnkd.in/g-si7d4h

Considered to be the “forgotten cancer”, Sarcoma Awareness Month in July strives to raise awareness about this little-known disease. Sarcoma is a type of cancer that occurs in various locations of the body. ‘Sarcoma’ is the general term used to refer to a broad group of cancers that begin in the soft tissues and bones. Soft tissue sarcoma forms in the tissues that connect, support, and surround other body structures, including muscle, fat, blood vessels, nerves, tendons, and the lining of your joints. There more than 70 types of sarcomas, and treatment varies depending on the type of sarcoma, location, and other factors. NCIRE proudly supports the vital cancer research performed by Principal Investigators Drs. Sunny Wang, Matthew Cooperberg, Franklin Huang, Li-Wen Huang, Carling Ursem, Alison Rustagi, and their research teams at the San Francisco VA Health Care System. Learn More: https://lnkd.in/gbM4_C-A

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, an effort to bring attention to the multitude of mental health experiences within Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, including the inequities of systemic and historical barriers that negatively impact a person’s mental health. It is important to have professional and empathetic mental health caregivers to help overcome mental health issues and faulty diagnoses. NCIRE recognizes the importance of mental health care centered on the unique challenges experienced by BIPOC communities, and thanks those within the Mental Health field for continuing to address those needs. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dvM7cPW

Drs. Natalie Purcell, Shira Maguen, and Karen Seal co-author blueprint for Moral Injury Awareness and Prevention NCIRE-supported Principal Investigators Drs. Natalie Purcell, Shira Maguen, and Karen Seal co-authored an article titled “Moral Injury Awareness and Prevention in Healthcare Organizations: A Blueprint Informed by the COVID-19 Pandemic”. You can read more about it and access the blueprint here: https://lnkd.in/gG2zf-2j The article is the result of an NCIRE study funded by the National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health at the CDC.