VA chief research officer receives award for advancing prostate cancer research for Veterans
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) announced today VA Chief Research and Development Officer, Rachel Ramoni, Ph.D., has been selected as the first recipient of the Above and Beyond Award from the Women in Science Forum of the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF).
Dr. Ramoni received the award for advancing biomedical research and clinical trials for Veterans with prostate cancer and contributing to the fight against COVID-19.
“This recognition shows the real-world impact of VA research,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “VA’s partnership with the Prostate Cancer Foundation is vital and significant to prevent, screen and promote research to speed the development of treatments and cures for prostate cancer as we serve the over 15,000 Veterans diagnosed with prostate cancer every year.”
To support better prostate cancer care for Veterans, the department established the VA Precision Oncology Program for Cancer of the Prostate (POPCaP) in partnership with the PCF. The program aims to deliver precision cancer care to all Veterans, including those who live in remote rural areas. There are currently 12 hubs in the POPCaP network distributed across the U.S.
Under Ramoni’s stewardship, the VA Office of Research and Development has implemented policies that have streamlined research efforts, especially for multi-site clinical trials. In some cases, this has reduced the start-up time for clinical trials from several months to a matter of weeks.
In addition to advancing precision oncology research, Ramoni promotes diversity within the VA research enterprise and has been instrumental in mentoring women researchers in VA.
Learn more about VA research and development.
###
Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
Veterans can also use our chatbot to get information about VA benefits and services. The chatbot won’t connect you with a person, but it can show you where to go on VA.gov to find answers to some common questions.
Subscribe today to receive these news releases in your inbox.
More from the Press Room
News Releases
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that Veteran trust in VA outpatient care has increased to 91.8% — up from 85.6% in 2018 (the first year since VA began conducting this survey).Veteran trust has increased during each of the past six years.
News Releases
The Department of Veterans Affairs will launch the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program, May 31 — to help more than 40,000 Veterans experiencing severe financial hardship avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes.
News Releases
The Department of Veterans Affairs has enrolled 401,006 Veterans in VA health care over the past 365 days — 30% more than the 307,831 it enrolled the previous year. This is the most yearly enrollees in at least the past five years at VA, and nearly a 50% increase over pandemic-level enrollment in 2020.
