Considering a VA HSR

1
Considering a VA HSRD RCD Award

• Joshua Chodosh, MD, MSHS
• Veterans Affairs GLAHS
• David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine

2
Overview

• Why consider HSRD as a geriatrician?
• Benefits of VA based health services research
• Being strategic
• Identifying research areas
• Pre-application efforts
• The application
• Building a VA research career

3
Why Consider HSRD as a Geriatrician?

• The VA has a growing older population
• The VA is a national model for healthcare
  improvement
• Geriatrics care continues to be in need of
  considerable improvement
• Healthcare costs will continue to drive many
  discussions.

4
Benefits of VA-Based HSR

• Outstanding health services laboratory
• Culture of innovation
• Extensive and continually improving databases
  including Medicare beneficiary data
• National health services research colleagues
• Better current funding opportunities compared to
  NIH

5
Being Strategic

• Picking the best mentors
• Finding the right Center of Excellence if none at
  your facility
• Developing a research plan that addresses
  important VA issues and leads to the next steps

6
Mentors

• Skill set and/or content expertise that match
  your career development needs
• VA-based (at least some and whenever possible)
• Demonstrated mentoring experience/success
• Previous track record of collaboration between
  mentors or at least specific plan of
  collaborative work on your behalf

7
Mentors

• During this past year these three mentors each a
  well known professional in his own right, have
  made sufficient efforts to work together and to
  develop a valuable mentoring plan for Dr.
  Chodosh.

8
Identifying Research Areas

• This has been appropriately revised and focused
  and made more applicable to VA conditions. He has
  a good flexible timeline which leads to a health
  services grant for a multi-site controlled
  trial.
• Combine your interests with areas of emphasis in
  VA
• Identify your unique research interests so that
  you are one of the few (if possible) in VA
  developing a particular expertise

9
Identifying Research Areas 2

• Build in next steps of your research career
• Will you be ready to submit a full proposal in 1-
  2 years (perhaps sooner)?

10
Pre-application Efforts

• Identify mentors, determine their collaborative
  approach to your development
• Draft their letters!
• Establish baseline/background data for project
• Meet with those writing letters of support
• Draft their letters, too! (Not obligated to use
  them)
• Plan ahead! (find all forms and get help!)

11
The Application

• Be strategic
• The career plan should mirror the research plan
• Build upon previous work
• Demonstrate why you need this support
• Emphasize the importance/value of a VA career
• Complete a draft early use outside reviewer(s)

12
Re-Application

• Publish
• Move forward in the direction you said you were
  going to take
• Initiate this process when you submit your first
  proposal
• Demonstrate flexibility

13
Flexibility

• I found him to be very responsive to our
  suggestions and his February 2nd letter is a good
  example of his flexibility and willingness not to
  just entertain these suggestions but to adopt
  certain new concepts. While he maintained his
  overall career direction, he focused his seminar
  program towards learning health services
  methodology.

14
Building a VA Research Career

• Identify leadership opportunities within your
  facility and nationally
• The quality of your research will drive those
  opportunities
• Be proactive
• Establish collaborations outside of your facility
• You are the future of VA HSRD!

15
Good Luck!

• Joshua Chodosh, MD, MSHS
• VA Greater Los Angeles Health System
• GRECC / Sepulveda COE
• 11301 Wilshire Boulevard, Building 220
• Los Angeles, CA 90073
• Phone [phone] (Ext 48491)
• Fax [phone]
• Joshua.Chodosh_at_med.va.gov