The Section of Health Services Research is focused on improving health and well-being through innovations in healthcare delivery that impacts policy practice and the health of patients and populations.
Current Research Projects
The following is a listing of section faculty research and funding information:
Terri Fletcher, Ph.D. / Jeffrey Cully, Ph.D.
VA HSR&D Investigator Initiated Research (IIR) Grant
Title: A pragmatic Trial of Brief CBT for Anxiety in VA Primary Care
Total Funding: $1,256,805
Funding Dates: Oct. 1, 2020 – Sept. 30, 2024
Jeffrey Cully, Ph.D.
Creating Practice-Ready Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for VA Primary Care and Specialty Medical Settings (RIVR)
Total Funding: $346,842
Funding Dates: July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2022
Jessica Davila, Ph.D.
Title: Coordinating Hub to Promote Research Optimizing Veteran-centric EHR Networks (PROVEN)
Total Funding: $333,180
Funding Dates: April 1, 2020 – Sept. 30, 2021
Lilian Dindo, Ph.D.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Preventing Persistent Post-Surgical Pain and Dysfunction in At-Risk Veterans: Effect of a Brief Behavioral Intervention
Total Funding: $3,120,353
Funding Dates: Feb. 18, 2019 – Nov. 30, 2023
Lilian Dindo, Ph.D.
VA Merit RR&D
Title: One-day Life Skills Workshop for Veterans with TBI, pain, and Psychopathology: Evaluating efficacy and mechanism of change
Total Funding: $1,100,000
Funding Dates: Feb. 1, 2020 – Jan. 31, 2024
Lilian Dindo, Ph.D.
ORH 13367
Title: Combination outreach and wellness intervention for distressed out-of-care rural Veterans
Total Funding: $205,007
Funding Dates: Oct. 1, 2019 – Sept. 30, 2021
Thomas Giordano, M.D. / Lilian Dindo, Ph.D.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) R34
Title: Targeting HIV Retention and Improved Viral load through Engagement ('THRIVE')
Total Funding: $750,000
Funding Dates: Aug. 1, 2020 – July 31, 2023
Traber Lee Giardina, Ph.D.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) K01
Title: Engaging patients in diagnostic error reporting
Total funding: $766,326
Funding Dates: Sept. 2018 – Aug. 2023
Kyler Godwin, Ph.D., M.P.H.
VA Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI)
Title: Leading healthcare improvement: Leadership training for applying improvement strategies
Total funding: $231,274
Funding Dates: June 1, 2018 – March 31, 2022
Drew Helmer, M.D.
Airborne Hazards Burn Pit Center of Excellence (AHBPCE)
Title: Partnership between the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety (IQuESt) and to Accelerate Learning and Impact from the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry (AHOBPR) (PIALIA)
Total Funding: $1,236,583
Funding Dates: Oct. 1, 2020 – Sept. 30, 2023
Drew Helmer, M.D.
Department of Defense (DoD)
Title: Lung Injury etiology, risk factors, and morbidity of single and repeated low-level overpressure exposure
Total funding: $660,543
Funding Dates: Sept. 1, 2019 – Aug.31, 2022
Drew Helmer, M.D.
United States Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (DoD)
Title: Gulf War Illness Clinical Trials and Intervention Consortium (GWICTIC)
Total Funding: $188,743
Funding Dates: Sept. 30, 2020 – Sept. 29, 2022
Sylvia Hysong, Ph.D.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) R01
Title: Impact of team configuration and team stability on primary care quality
Total funding: $1,572,813
Funding Dates: July 6, 2018 – April 30, 2022
Sylvia Hysong, Ph.D.
HSR&D SWIFT Award
PACT Coordination during Public Health Emergencies: Impact on Quality of Care
Total Funding: $50,000
Funding Dates: Oct. 1, 2020 – Sept. 30, 2021
Nipa Kamdar, Ph.D.
VA HSR&D Investigator Initiated Research (IIR) Grant
Title: Seeking Food Assistance: Food Insecure Veterans' Experiences Navigating through Systems
Total funding:
Funding dates: April 1, 2021 – Sept. 30, 2022
Jennifer Kramer, M.P.H., Ph.D.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01
Title: Identifying Novel Pharmacologic Risk Factors for Common Non-AIDS Defining Cancers in Individuals with Well-Controlled HIV Infection
Total funding: $2,331,844
Funding Dates: July 1, 2016 – May 31, 2021
Jennifer Kramer, M.P.H., Ph.D.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 (subcontract)
Title: (PQ3) Addressing Cancer Treatment For Persons with HIV
Total funding: $1,316,045
Funding Dates: June 15, 2021 – June 14, 2026
Mark Kunik, M.D., MPH
VA HSR&D Investigator Initiated Research (IIR) Grant
Using Peer Navigators to Increase Access to VA and Community Resources for Veterans with Diabetes-Related Distress
Total funding: $1,382,803
Funding Dates: May 1, 2019 – April 30, 2023
Nader Massarweh, M.D., M.P.H.
VA HSR&D Investigator Initiated Research (IIR) Grant
Title: Comparative Effectiveness of Alternative Strategies for Monitoring Hospital Surgical Performance
Total funding: $422,482
Funding Dates: May 1, 2018 – April 30,2021
Nader Massarweh, M.D., M.P.H.
VA HSR&D Investigator Initiated Research (IIR) Grant
Title: Enhancing the Efficiency of Data Collection for Surgical Quality Improvement
Total funding: $714,957
Funding Dates: May 1, 2021 – April 30,2025
Ashley Meyer, Ph.D.
VA HSR&D Career Development Award (CDA-2)
Title: Understanding physicians' diagnostic accuracy in the HER era
Total funding: $784,110
Funding Dates: Oct. 2018 – Sept. 2023
Sara Nowakowski, Ph.D.
Nursing Research Initiative (NRI) R01
Title: Effectiveness of Healthy Sleep Habits for Hospitalized Older Adults to Optimize Rehabilitation
Total funding: $2,726,323
Funding Dates: Feb. 1, 2019 – Nov. 30, 2023
Laura Petersen, M.D., M.P.H.
VA HSR&D Centers of Innovation (COIN) Program Grant
Title: Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety (IQuESt)
Total funding: $4,000,000
Funding Dates: Oct. 1, 2018 – Sept. 30, 2023
Laura Petersen, M.D., M.P.H.
VA HSR&D Investigator Initiated Research (IIR) Grant
Title: Improving the Measurement of VA Facility Performance to Foster a Learning Healthcare System
Total funding: $1,099,174
Funding Dates: June 1, 2018 – May 31, 2022
Laura Petersen, M.D., M.P.H.
VA HSR&D COVID-19 RRP
Title: Rapid assessment of national surges and variations in COVID-19 inpatient nurse staffing using a big data approach
Total funding: $174,261
Funding Dates: June 1, 2020 – March 31, 2021
Laura Petersen, M.D., M.P.H.
VA HSR&D Investigator Initiated Research (IIR) Grant
Title: Medicaid Expansion and Quality, Utilization and Coordination of Health Care for Veterans with Chronic Kidney Disease
Total funding: $1,198,618
Funding Dates: April 1, 2021 - March 31,2025
Javad Razjouyan, Ph.D.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) K25
Title: Using Large Electronic Health Records and Advanced Analytics to Develop Predictive Frailty Trajectories in Patients with Heart Failure
Funding amount: $719,290
Funding Dates: July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2025
Hardeep Singh, M.D., M.P.H.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) R01
Title: Application of machine learning to enhance e-triggers to detect and learn from diagnostic safety events
Total funding: $1,494,980
Funding Dates: Oct. 1, 2019 – Sept. 31, 2022
Hardeep Singh, M.D., M.P.H.
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Title: The SAFER DX Guide for Organizational Risk Assessment to Improve Diagnostic Safety: A Proposal for Development and Refinement
Total funding: $399,867
Funding Dates: April 1, 2019 – Oct. 31, 2021
Hardeep Singh, M.D., M.P.H.
VA HSR&D Investigator Initiated Research (IIR) Grant
Title: Measuring and improving the safety of test result follow up
Total funding: $1,099,807
Funding Dates: Sept. 1, 2018 – July 30, 2022
Hardeep Singh, M.D., M.P.H.
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Title: The SAFTER DX Learning Lab: A Demonstration Project for Improving Diagnostic Safety
Total funding: $3,093,625
Funding Dates: Oct. 1, 2017 – Sept. 30, 2021
Hardeep Singh, M.D., M.P.H.
Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine
Fellowship in Diagnostic Excellence
Total Funding: $40,000
Funding Dates: July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021
Hardeep Singh, M.D., M.P.H.
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
The Safer Dx E-Measures to Reduce Preventable Delays in Cancer Diagnosis
Total Funding: $520,163
Funding Dates: Nov. 15, 2019 – Nov. 30, 2021
Hardeep Singh, M.D., M.P.H.
VA VISN16
Diagnosis Improvement Safety Center (DISCovery)
Total Funding: $579,200
Funding Dates: Oct. 1, 2009 – Sept. 30, 2021
Hardeep Singh, M.D., M.P.H.
AHRQ Contract (Goeschel/Singh)
Diagnostic Safety Capacity Building
Total Funding: $1,186,629 (Subaward Y1-Y2 Directs)
Funding Dates: Sept. 23, 2019 – Sept. 22, 2021
Barbara Trautner, M.D., Ph.D./Larissa Grigoryan, M.D.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) R01
Title: Reducing use of antibiotics without a prescription among outpatients in a safety net health care system
Total funding $2,460,456
Funding Dates: July 1, 2019 – April 30, 2024
Barbara Trautner, M.D., Ph.D./Larissa Grigoryan, M.D.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) R01
Title: Prevalence and Predictors of Using Antibiotics Without a Prescription in Pediatric Populations
Total Funding: $100,000
Funding Dates: Sept. 30, 2020 – Sept. 29, 2021
Barbara Trautner, M.D., Ph.D
HSR&D SWIFT Award
Protecting Veterans from Harms of Inappropriate Self-Treatment for COVID-19
Total Funding: $46,316
Funding Dates: Oct. 1, 2020 – Sept. 30, 2021
Barbara Trautner, M.D., Ph.D./Larissa Grigoryan, M.D.
VA HSR&D IIR 16-025
Title: Less is More: Improving Antimicrobial Stewardship for Asymptomatic Bacteriuria
Total Funding: $1,219,757
Funding Dates: Feb. 1, 2018 – Sept. 30, 2021
Donna White, Ph.D.
VA Merit Review CSR&D
Title: Sex hormones and HCV-related liver disease progression
Total Funding: $49,318
Funding Dates: June 1, 2017 – June 30, 2021
Donna White, Ph.D.
MEDVAMC Seed Award
Title: COVID-19 Impact and Risk Factors in HIV+, Hepatitis C+ and Transgender Veterans
Total Funding: $49,318
Funding Dates: Oct. 1, 2020 – Sept. 30, 2021