Story - Parkinson - Transforming veteran health care
Loyola University Chicago faculty with joint appointments with the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital conduct high-priority research around veteran health care. The Hines VA is Illinois’ largest and oldest operating Veterans Administration Hospital, and its primary care program is ranked among the top in the nation for VA quality of care.
Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health
Loyola Chicago transforms veteran health care through quality improvement and advanced policy research
A partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs is helping veterans while giving students invaluable research experience
Nearly 414,000 U.S. service members sustained traumatic brain injuries between 2000 and late 2019, according to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. These injuries are compounded by higher rates of cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes and other diseases in veterans, as well as their exposure to toxins and other hazards of the job.
Examining the health care and outcomes for veterans with these types of overlapping issues — particularly those with disabilities from neurological conditions — is what Kevin Stroupe, a public health professor at Loyola University Chicago and the director of one of 18 Centers of Innovation (COINs) for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, focuses on.
“Where it really gets complicated is when a single patient has multiple health conditions layered on top of each other – as many veterans do,” he says. “By nature, veterans who are enrolled in the VA are coming to us with layered and complex health conditions — and that’s why we specifically focus on addressing that complexity.”
Loyola Chicago faculty with joint appointments with the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital conduct high-priority research around veteran health care. The Hines VA is Illinois’ largest and oldest operating Veterans Administration Hospital, and its primary care program is ranked among the top in the nation for VA quality of care. Loyola Chicago faculty contribute their nationally recognized leadership through their dedication to conducting and applying new research and their commitment to training the next generation of health practitioners.
Vast data, vast research
The researchers are using the massive amount of data from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to identify new opportunities for care management and delivery. The VA was among the pioneers in electronic record-keeping, starting decades ago. As a result, they possess a vast amount of inpatient, outpatient, and pharmaceutical data for millions of patients across the country — a gold mine for researchers.
With this large, diverse dataset, researchers can more easily study less common diseases. They can reach a wide range of patients for studies, surveys, and interviews to inform new approaches to care. And they can identify patterns requiring further study and investigation.
The COIN led by VA-appointed Loyola Chicago faculty focuses its research efforts on individuals with disabilities and optimizing patient engagement and communication. They collaborate with other Chicago-area healthcare systems and higher education institutions, as well as other COINs throughout the country.
“This data, this structure, this collaboration – it’s all about serving the VA’s mission to address the physical, psychological, and spiritual needs of veterans,” says Abigail Silva, a Loyola Chicago professor and COIN researcher. “That very much aligns with Loyola Chicago’s value of cura personalis.”
Cura personalis is a Latin phrase meaning “care for the person,” an often-cited Jesuit value centered on concern and care for the personal development of the whole person. This implies a dedication to promoting human dignity and care for the mind, body and spirit of the person.
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Read the storyThe art of implementation science
Loyola Chicago researchers aren’t just data mining. They are challenging the status quo to get best-in-class care to patients sooner.
“Getting written up in the New England Journal of Medicine is not our goal. It’s not good enough to do good research and publish it. That doesn’t always mean those latest and greatest practices will reach our patients,” says Fran Weaver, who works with Stroupe at both the VA and Loyola Chicago.
Weaver is describing what’s known as “implementation science” — a set of strategies and methods to get research into practice sooner. Loyola Chicago incorporates these principles into their curriculum for current medical, nursing and public health students, as well as for working practitioners. In addition, Loyola Chicago is leading implementation science efforts to accelerate the translation of health innovation to practice through its research partnership with the Institute of Translational Medicine, an NIH-supported $50M clinical and translational science award program led by the University of Chicago and Rush University.
For Elaine Morrato, the dean of Loyola Chicago’s Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, this strategy reflects some of the foundational elements of the Parkinson School.
“We are among leading institutions embracing transdisciplinary team science and intentionally bridging clinical quality improvement with public health approaches. That’s because we understand the value of collaboration and patient-centered research,” she says. “We’re also steeped in the Jesuit traditions of community service — advancing research to serve humanity and pursuing access to good health for all.”
Solving real-world problems
Loyola Chicago students are central to this work. The VA’s Centers of Innovation encourage researchers to mentor young investigators who want to learn more about VA policy implementation and evaluation.
Jennifer Gaucin, who graduated in 2024 from Loyola Chicago’s Parkinson School with a degree in public health and will pursue her Master of Healthcare Administration in the fall, was one of five interns at the local VA COIN in the summer of 2023. She researched water contamination issues at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, which is one of two major military toxin exposure cases that the COIN researchers are investigating.
“I had never thought of working with the VA before, but I know veterans and wanted to do research related to people I know. This was such a special experience that opened my eyes to research, and the great work the VA does. It’ll be wonderful to keep it going,” she says, referring to her return to COIN this summer to continue her research.
Gaucin specifically focused her efforts on female health, scouring more than 150 studies to investigate two toxins found in the water supply and their ties to miscarriages and infertility. It was a daunting, exhaustive process for Gaucin: her first research project and one characterized by conflicting analyses.
Weaver, who supervised Gaucin’s research efforts, supported her inquisitive nature.
“We are very fortunate to have students like Jennifer to work with us on this research. It’s not just a nice opportunity to expose someone early in their career to do research and implementation science. Their work is also incredibly fruitful. They are able to do research we wouldn’t otherwise have the resources to do — it adds to our depth,” Weaver says. “This is the Loyola way, to not just ‘tell’ but ‘show’ our students how to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems.”
The art of implementation science
Loyola Chicago researchers aren’t just data mining. They are challenging the status quo to get best-in-class care to patients sooner.
“Getting written up in the New England Journal of Medicine is not our goal. It’s not good enough to do good research and publish it. That doesn’t always mean those latest and greatest practices will reach our patients,” says Fran Weaver, who works with Stroupe at both the VA and Loyola Chicago.
Weaver is describing what’s known as “implementation science” — a set of strategies and methods to get research into practice sooner. Loyola Chicago incorporates these principles into their curriculum for current medical, nursing and public health students, as well as for working practitioners. In addition, Loyola Chicago is leading implementation science efforts to accelerate the translation of health innovation to practice through its research partnership with the Institute of Translational Medicine, an NIH-supported $50M clinical and translational science award program led by the University of Chicago and Rush University.
For Elaine Morrato, the dean of Loyola Chicago’s Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, this strategy reflects some of the foundational elements of the Parkinson School.
“We are among leading institutions embracing transdisciplinary team science and intentionally bridging clinical quality improvement with public health approaches. That’s because we understand the value of collaboration and patient-centered research,” she says. “We’re also steeped in the Jesuit traditions of community service — advancing research to serve humanity and pursuing access to good health for all.”
Solving real-world problems
Loyola Chicago students are central to this work. The VA’s Centers of Innovation encourage researchers to mentor young investigators who want to learn more about VA policy implementation and evaluation.
Jennifer Gaucin, who graduated in 2024 from Loyola Chicago’s Parkinson School with a degree in public health and will pursue her Master of Healthcare Administration in the fall, was one of five interns at the local VA COIN in the summer of 2023. She researched water contamination issues at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, which is one of two major military toxin exposure cases that the COIN researchers are investigating.
“I had never thought of working with the VA before, but I know veterans and wanted to do research related to people I know. This was such a special experience that opened my eyes to research, and the great work the VA does. It’ll be wonderful to keep it going,” she says, referring to her return to COIN this summer to continue her research.
Gaucin specifically focused her efforts on female health, scouring more than 150 studies to investigate two toxins found in the water supply and their ties to miscarriages and infertility. It was a daunting, exhaustive process for Gaucin: her first research project and one characterized by conflicting analyses.
Weaver, who supervised Gaucin’s research efforts, supported her inquisitive nature.
“We are very fortunate to have students like Jennifer to work with us on this research. It’s not just a nice opportunity to expose someone early in their career to do research and implementation science. Their work is also incredibly fruitful. They are able to do research we wouldn’t otherwise have the resources to do — it adds to our depth,” Weaver says. “This is the Loyola way, to not just ‘tell’ but ‘show’ our students how to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems.”