NPCs are enacted by Congress in 1988 to be “flexible funding mechanisms” for the conduct of VA-approved research including: Basic Science Research; Epidemiologic or Health Systems Research; and Clinical Trials, Phase I-IV.
The Bronx Veterans Medical Research Foundation, Inc. (BVMRF) is incorporated in the State of New York to support VA research at the Bronx VA Medical Center, now known as the James J. Peters VA Medical Center.
It was demonstrated that one aspirin tablet a day reduced by half the rate of death and nonfatal heart attacks in patients with unstable angina in the Kansas City VA Medical Center.
Public Law 100-322 was amended to support VA education in addition to research for: VA Employees ; Veterans; and Veterans' Families and Caregivers.
The first large clinical trials of hearing aids were conducted, documenting that the devices can help the hearing-impaired in both quiet and noisy environments.
The first powered ankle-foot prosthesis, developed in collaboration with MIT and Brown University, was unveiled.
VA was part of two major national research initiatives on COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics: Operation Warp Speed (OWS) and the Accelerated COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) initiative.