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VHA Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning is recognizing the outstanding contributions of VA employees through two national awards: the Dr. Robert L. Jesse Award for Excellence in Innovation and the new Garry J. Augustine Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) Collaboration Award. Nominations will close on August 14 at 11:59 PM PT.
The Garry J. Augustine VSO Collaboration Award, established this year, is designed to recognize collaborations between VHA and Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) that harness innovation to impact the care, services, or experiences at a VA facility. This award honors Garry J. Augustine, a Vietnam Veteran, 50-year legendary VSO leader, and fierce Veteran advocate. The award will celebrate VA employees who have demonstrated a commitment to engaging VSOs as they work to deliver high-quality, world-class care for Veterans, their families, and caregivers. VA collaborating with VSOs to advance the future of Veterans health helps to foster Veteran trust and increases their engagement with VA care. VA employees may view the award overview video here, and view nomination requirements, information session details, FAQ, and submission instructions here.
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The Dr. Robert L. Jesse Award for Excellence in Innovation was established in 2019 in honor of the late Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health and Acting Under Secretary for Health. The Dr. Robert L. Jesse Award celebrates VHA employees and teams who embrace the spirit of innovation and work to improve standards of care for all Veterans. Previous award recipients include Dr. Mark Holodniy, who won the clinical award in 2023 for developing robust predictive models which generate proactive responses VA can use when addressing emerging outbreaks or climate change-related health concerns faced by Veterans. Awardees are selected from three categories - clinical, non-clinical, and team. Dr. Robert L. Jesse Award nominees must be VHA employees that promote innovation at a VA facility, VISN, or VHA Program Office. VHA employees may view nomination requirements, information session details, FAQ, and submission instructions here.
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VHA Innovators Network is thrilled to announce that we received 358 applications for the 2025 Spark-Seed-Spread Innovation Investment and Accelerator Program! Spark-Seed-Spread is an initiative that empowers employees to identify challenges and design solutions to enhance the experiences of Veterans, caregivers, and VA employees. Chosen by iNET facility leadership and national subject matter experts, frontline employee innovators receive resources and training to operationalize early-stage innovations, turning their spark of an idea into a thoughtfully designed and thoroughly tested solution. Learn more about iNET on our website or our recently published overview video.
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VHA Diffusion of Excellence has published their August edition of the Diffusion Marketplace newsletter. In this edition, learn more about the featured innovation of the month, Speak Up, which is a a 10-minute informational video that empowers Veterans with type 2 diabetes to actively communicate and engage in shared decision making during medical visits, and more.
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From July 16 to 18, 2024, 2024 VHA IE Entrepreneurs in Residence, Lori Murphy and Dr. Jay Gorman attended the VA & Department of Defense Suicide Prevention Conference in Portland, Oregon. This event brought together leaders, researchers, and stakeholders to address Veteran suicide. Both Fellows engaged with VA leadership and other researchers in the field, emphasizing the critical transition from service member to Veteran, leaving the Department of Defense (DoD) to receiving care at VA.
Dr. Gorman valued connecting with advanced organizations, noting, "Meeting other innovators and researchers in the suicide prevention space helped break down silos, ensuring we’re not replicating but building on existing work." Dr. Gorman’s Fellowship project supports Veterans Socials across the country. Veterans Socials are organized periodic gatherings of Veterans to develop social connection and exchange resources.
While at the conference, Ms. Murphy focused on suicide prevention programs and the importance of supporting young and transitioning Veterans. She set up a table and distributed materials to highlight her Fellowship work developing and scaling Compassionate Contact Corps: a volunteer service that connects Veterans to weekly conversations aimed at reducing loneliness. Ms. Murphy noted the conference’s emphasis on the role of peer support and resources in combating loneliness.
US Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Denis McDonough, spoke at the conference and stressed the need for improved social connectedness and seamless transitioning services between the DoD and VA. This event underscored the importance of collaboration and enhanced support systems for Veterans to prevent suicide and promote well-being.
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