MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Dr. David Shulkin, the Department of Veterans Affairs secretary, recently said that the most exciting area of research at the VA is related to the brain.
About 20 percent of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have traumatic brain injuries. Research shows most of the injuries were related to impacts of the cerebellum. The injuries are linked to problems raging from memory lapses to post-traumatic stress disorder.
While the U.S. military is studying ways to prevent the injuries, the VA is aiming to improve the diagnosis and treatment of injuries. The VA is funding studies such as the trial of a bacterium to treat PTSD at the Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Veteran Suicide Prevention center in Denver.
In May, Shulkin attended the VA's second annual Brain Trust: Pathways to InnoVAtion event at Harvard Medical School in Boston. The summit is meant to help develop public-private partnerships. Some of the organizations involved were Philips, General Electric and IBM.
