Summary of National Meeting
VA Rehabilitation Research:
Meeting the Challenge for the Next Millenium
The first annual meeting of the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service was a celebration of the Service's rich history and an opportunity to anticipate a promising future. The Meeting Co-Chairs, Drs. Felix Zajac of Palo Alto and P. Hunter Peckham of Cleveland, and Jon Peters of Baltimore, presided over a gathering of more than 200 participants in Washington, DC, October 1-3 to present data, engage in scientific debate, and honor the accomplishments of both junior and senior investigators. The conference theme, Enabling Veterans: Meeting the Challenge of Rehabilitation for the Next Millenium, reflected the Service's dedication to supporting research to optimize veteran's health care.
 Dr. Feussner |
John R. Feussner, MD, Director of VA Research and Development, welcomed the attendees to this, the first meeting of its kind. He was pleased to join them in this "unique opportunity to share state-of-the-art information in the ares of Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Amputations; Spinal Cord Injury and Related Neurological Disorders; Communication, Sensory and Congitive Aids, and Aging." |
| Mindy L. Aisen, MD, Director of the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, commented on her excitment at joining the Service at this juncture. Possibilities for breakthroughs abound in a number of fields, and increased communication between investigators in those fields can only speed up the process. "I look forward," she said, "to joining you in enabling veterans and writing the next page of an already illustrious history." |
 Dr. Aisen |
The Conference featured 128 poster displays, 23 demonstrations, and 6 exhibits. Abstracts of all these may be found in the Proceedings. Those attending enjoyed seeing what others were doing, as well as seeing those others, themselves.
 R: Sally Ann Holmes, MD. |
 R: Patrick E. Crago, PhD. |
 L: Peter Gorman. |
 L: Dr. Zajac. |
VA Rehabilitation Research Service takes great pride in its achievements. As the only federally funded research dedicated solely to the needs of disabled veterans, the Service has been the force behind prosthetic innovations such as the VA-Seattle limb system and CAD-CAM techniques for fitting sockets. In wheelchair design, investigators have produced results enabling veterans and clinicians to compare available and emerging products that optimize individual user needs. The development of software to precisely measure scotomas and preferred retinal loci for visual tasks has opened a world of better therapies and adaptive strategies for veterans with severe chronic vision loss. And the list of achievements goes on!
 Drs. Joseph Ouslander, left, and Felix Zajac, right, with incredible expanding ball. |
 The AdVAntage ArmTM is examined by Dudley Childress, center, and Mary Cupo, right. |
 Dr. Childress |
A series of talks from leaders in Rehabilitation Research priority areas such as prosthetics, spinal cord injury, communication and sensory disorders, and aging engaged the audience in an overview of the past, present, and future. Dr. Dudley S. Childress, Director of Prosthetics Research Laboratory in Chicago, opened the session with a scholarly review of the field of prosthetic design research, and the history of its evolution within the Department of Veterans Affairs. |
Dr. Childress emphasized that "the field was mobilized by the consequences of World War II, and VA support lead to America becoming a world leader in prosthetics". The push from VA researchers revolutionized the field of prosthetics. "Prosthetic research and development is probably the longest running medical research program in the VA."
Dr. Pamela Duncan, from the VA heartland Network and University of Kansas addressed the challenges facing VA rehabilitation researchers who are investigating issues relevant to the aging veteran population. She noted the high prevalence of hypertension, stroke, diabetes, and heart disease in veterans over 64 years of age. Dr. Duncan suggested that we could enhance quality of life more effectively for this growing population through multi-disciplinary evaluative, diagnostic, and therapeutic interventions that enhance restorative and rehabilitative care.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) research opportunities, particularly in this age of managed care, were discussed by Kristjan Ragnarrson, MD, from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. Dr. Ragnarrson applauded VA research efforts that have led to longer, healthier, and more enjoyable lives for veterans with SCI. Future efforts, he suggested, should be directed toward improving neurological function, quality of life, and especially community reintegration. Dr. Ragnarrson also made an appeal for the practice of Evidence Based Medicine within rehabilitation medicine. "We all believe that rehabilitation works, but we do not understand what ingredients in the rehabilitation process are most effective, how much of each treatment needs to be provided, and how long the treatment needs to be provided to achieve optimal benefits," he noted.
Jerome Schein, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Sensory Rehabilitation at New York University, proclaimed the efforts of researchers in communication, sensory and cognitive aids as "heroic". "The last two decades have seen copious examples of the value of VA RR&D-funded research. Veterans have benefited from the efforts made by a legion of scientists who might not have contributed the wonderful array of devices, techniques and clinical strategies we have today without VA RR&D's support."
The highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the inaugural Paul B. Magnuson Award for Outstanding Achievement in Rehabilitation Research and Development. The award is named after Dr. Paul B. Magnuson, former VA Chief Medical Director from 1948 to 1951, who was the key architect of the VA Health System's university affiliations, residency programs, and a leading proponent of "Title 38" legislation that enabled VA to hire physicians and nurses. Dr. Magnuson was also an innovative bone and joint surgeon who founded the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. With the establishment of this award, VA Rehabilitation Research Service recognizes and honors investigators who, like Dr. Magnuson, display genuine dedication to veterans and whose work has significantly changed the lives of persons with disabilities for the better.
| The inaugural Magnuson Award was given to Dr. Ernest Burgess by Dr. Thomas Garthwaite, Deputy UnderSecretary for Health as "a tribute to Dr. Burgess's career of service to veterans with amputations." A veteran of World War II, Dr. Burgess is best known for his development of the VA-Seattle foot and introduction of CAD-CAM into the prosthetic fitting process. Because of Dr. Burgess' work, many amputees not only walk today, they run. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Burgess eloquently paid tribute to VA's efforts to provide the best possible rehabilitation services to veterans with prosthetic and orthopedic needs and pressed the gathered investigators to "do more". |
 Seated: Ernest E. Burgess, MD; standing, L to R: Jophn R. Feussner, MD; Mindy L. Aisen, MD, and Thomas Garthwaite, MD. |
| Meeting Co-Chairs | ||
|---|---|---|
 Felix E. Zajac, PhD, Rehab R&D Center and Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA |
 P. Hunter Peckham, PhD, VA Rehab Center of Excellence in FES and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH |
 Jon S. Peters, MS, PT, Director, Baltimore Rehabilitation Information and Technology Administrative Center (BRITAC), Baltimore, MD |
This first annual meeting of VA rehabilitation researchers was a success on all levels. In summarizing the meeting, investigators were challenged to focus research efforts on identifying, treating, and preventing complications of chronic impairments, and to seize the research opportunities inherent in refining the applications of compensatory rehabilitative treatment strategies. New areas of focus include upper extremity prosthetics, visual impairment, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease, repair of damaged neural tissue, and restoring function in veterans with conditions such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury. Perhaps most importantly, VA Rehabilitation Research has established a new tradition to foster communication and collaboration among investigators; to formally recognize the superior achievements of rehabilitation researchers; and to redouble efforts and refocus research results to most effectively enable veterans into the next millenium.
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Last revised Mon 06/28/1999
