Veterans Affairs Learning Opportunities in Research (VALOR)

Veterans Health Administration, Decatur PA

Investigators

Abstract

The VALOR program will build upon the success of the pilot project attracting underrepresented interns to consider a career in VA R&D. During the initial 2-year pilot project, 18 interns were supported. 83% of whom were from underrepresented populations, and 27% reported an impairment that affected one or more activities of daily living. The VALOR program embodies innovation and scholarly excellence through its convergence science approach. The program's emphasis on collaboration and inclusivity fosters a dynamic learning environment where diverse perspectives and disciplines converge to tackle complex challenges. For the next 5 years, we propose to target enrollment of 10 interns each year from underrepresented populations (targeting recruitment of PWD, veterans, family members of veterans, and other underrepresented populations) interested in VA biomedical engineering R&D. Interns in the VALOR program will be able to participate for up to two summers to increase their exposure to VA R&D becoming more meaningfully engaged in R&D through convergence teams. The duration of the internships will be 10-weeks, 40 hours/week, for 400 VA R&D contact hours. The estimated time spent on R&D versus training/educational activities is 80% and 20% respectively. VALOR program activities will center on five objectives: (1) developing a sense of excitement about VA R&D activities and career opportunities; (2) human-centered technology and engineering though PADE; (4) developing a critical thinking scientific mindset that promotes success in VA R&D, and (5) understanding the principles and processes of conducting rehabilitation-biomedical engineering R&D within a VA environment. These objectives will be accomplished by active intern participation in 1) projects where they are fully engaged, 2) working with and learning from diverse, engaged VA researchers at various stages in their careers, and 3) a series of didactic training, and professional activities that sustain close interactions with VA clinical and engineering investigators, and technical and clinical staff. Intern projects will encompass R&D in the areas of rehabilitation engineering, assistive technology, medical devices, data analytics, and robotics. Aside from working on their mentored R&D projects they will be exposed to different aspects of VA engineering R&D conducted within HERL by participating in lectures and workshops. An interactive workshop involving related industry, community leaders, advocacy organizations, veteran organizations, R&D, and graduate study representatives will provide an opportunity for interns to learn about VA R&D career opportunities. The VALOR intern deliverables include an elevator pitch competition, a conference formatted paper and formal poster presentation of their work at an Intern R&D Symposium (IRS) and HERL Open House (HOH) which showcases R&D conducted by interns. Our experienced team of mentors will adjust the level of mentoring needed to exercise the interns’ critical thinking ability and enable VALOR interns to assume ‘ownership’ of their project. Each intern will exercise their communication skills by interacting with members of a convergence team. A key component of the VALOR program will be that interns learn-by-doing working intimately with the end-users to seek solutions or to describe underlying phenomena using engineering principles and practices. Mentors and VALOR interns will meet daily to discuss project tasks and track progress; most will work side-by-side. Interns will be encouraged to seek the advice or assistance of their primary mentors and other team members as often as needed. HERL engineers, technicians, and R&D staff will work with the interns to train them on the specific skills necessary to complete their projects. Formative and summative assessments will be completed at several phases of the VALOR program: recruitment, internship training, and post-internship follow-up. With the VALOR program we propose to formalize and encourage replication by collecting and disseminating assessment and outcome data.