Iowa City VA Health Care System - Working Relationship

The research program at the Iowa City VA Health Care System has been active for over 50 years and has consistently been one of the top ten VA facilities nationwide in terms of funding for medical research. In 2015, support for basic research included $12.6 million in direct research funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Presently there are 51 VA-funded projects and 257 active research protocols. Specialized areas of research expertise include the biology of inflammation, diabetic vascular disease, cancer and immunology. Other patient-focused research includes clinical trials that explore new treatments for cancer, kidney and liver diseases.  In response to the needs of veterans, our investigators have developed new projects to better understand ways to manage patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

The research program has full accreditation by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) for its human research protection program and by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) for its animal care and use programs. 

The Iowa City VA Health Care System research program works cooperatively with the Iowa City VA Medical Research Foundation (ICVARF) and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.  Cooperative working agreements are created to ensure the medical resources are leveraged to maximize medical research benefits and provide clarity for the research, funding and reporting.