Recent News
Amyn Habib M.D. is the recipient of the 2018 Researcher of the Year Award.
May 21, 2018
Dr. Habib is a staff physician in Neurology at the Dallas VA and an Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics with the Simmons Cancer Center and the O’Donnell Brain Institute at UT Southwestern. The focus of his research is to identify new ways to treat brain and lung cancer.
Subhash Banerjee M.D. is the recipient of the 2017 Researcher of the Year Award.
May 18, 2017
Dr. Banerjee is Chief of Cardiology and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. An internationally recognized expert in his field, Dr. Banerjee is highly specialized in complex cardiovascular procedures that combat the growing epidemic of heart and vascular disease. His love for research helped draw him to the field of interventional cardiology where he and his team developed VA’s 1st approved Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) program at VA North Texas!
Joseph Garcia, M.D. is the recipient of the 2016 Researcher of the Year Award.
June 1, 2016
Researchers discover actual cause of GERD!
May 27, 2016
For more than 80 years doctors have believed that stomach acid backing up through the esophagus causes the damage to the lining of the esophagus in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Dallas VA Medical Center have proven that it’s actually an inflammatory response prompted by the secretion of proteins called cytokines.
A recent study, published in Biological Psychiatry, by Dr. Bryon Adinoff identifies areas of the brain associated with relapse to substances.
Jan 1, 2016
In addicted patients, the people, places, and paraphernalia associated with obtaining or using a drug form “contextual memories.” When these contextual memories are triggered, they often elicit craving and a return to drug use. The posterior hippocampus in the brain plays a major role in the storage of these drug-related cues. Dr. Adinoff found that individuals with cocaine use disorders who return to cocaine use shortly following treatment have increased brain activity in the posterior hippocampus compared to those who do not relapse and compared to healthy controls. These findings may suggest that quieting the brain areas where craving cues are stored may decrease the risk of cocaine relapse following treatment.
A recent study, published in Biological Psychiatry, by Dr. Bryon Adinoff identifies areas of the brain associated with relapse to substances.
Jan 1, 2016
In addicted patients, the people, places, and paraphernalia associated with obtaining or using a drug form “contextual memories.” When these contextual memories are triggered, they often elicit craving and a return to drug use. The posterior hippocampus in the brain plays a major role in the storage of these drug-related cues. Dr. Adinoff found that individuals with cocaine use disorders who return to cocaine use shortly following treatment have increased brain activity in the posterior hippocampus compared to those who do not relapse and compared to healthy controls. These findings may suggest that quieting the brain areas where craving cues are stored may decrease the risk of cocaine relapse following treatment.
Dr. Roger Bedimo's work identifies the consequences of infectious diseases on fractures.
Feb 1, 2016
Roger Bedimo, MD, Infectious Diseases specialist showed that both HIV and chronic hepatitis C significantly increase fracture risk and showed that they do so through different mechanisms. They also showed that treatment of hepatitis C might improve fracture risk. Published in AIDS and AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, these findings shed new light on the mechanisms of bone fragility in HIV and hepatitis C and suggest another criterion for hepatitis C therapy.
Theresa Bjorness, Ph.D. is the recipient of a VA Career Development Award.
July 1, 2015
She will be joining the VANTHCS Research and Development Service and studying how low amounts of sleep impact cocaine use. Dr. Bjorness will work under the mentorship of Dr. Robert W. Greene, VA staff psychiatrist and Professor of Psychiatry at UTSW. The grant was funded by the VA’s Office of Research and Development
Roger Bedimo, M.D. is the recipient of the 2015 Researcher of the Year Award.
June 1, 2015
Dr. Bedimo and his team found that HIV infection itself and certain antiretroviral agents increased the likelihood of fractures.
2015 American Geriatrics Society New Investigator Award
February 15, 2015
Dr. Una Makris, staff rheumatologist at VA North Texas Health Care System and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas South Western was awarded a 2015 American Geriatrics Society New Investigator Award based on her work “What Older Adults with Restricting Back Pain Worry About: Deteriorating Function, Reliance on Others, Distrust of Medications.” It will be presented during the 2015 AGS Annual Meeting in National Harbor, MD by the incoming AGS President, Steven Counsel, MD.
George Winokur Clinical Research Paper Award
The American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists
November 10, 2014
For a second time, Dr. Alina Surís has been named the recipient of the prestigious George Winokur award of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists, recognizing the best published article of the year in the association’s journal, The Annals of Clinical Psychiatry.
A recent study, published in Nature Medicine, by Dr. Joseph Garcia could lead to advancements in anemia treatments
Isaura Santos
October 6, 2014
New Anemia Treatments Can Evolve From Acetate, The Primary Component Of Household Vinegar
VA is critical to medicine and vets
Robert A. McDonald
October 2, 2014
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Robert McDonald, gives high praise to the role of research within the VA in his recent article.
VA researchers explore the possibility of taking the trauma out of traumatic memories
August 22, 2014
Suris and her team of researchers have conducted some preliminary studies in which they’ve successfully interfered with traumatic memories at the cellular level. However, she emphasized that her research, while promising, is still in its infancy.