Three VA Ann Arbor Health Scientists Earn HSR&D Awards

Sarah L. Krein, PhD, RN, is the recipient of the 2022 HSR&D Daniel Deykin Award for Outstanding Mentor, which is presented each year to an HSR&D researcher(s) who exhibits outstanding dedication in mentoring the next generation of researchers. Skills of importance include fostering an appreciation for the vital input provided by VA stakeholders, including policymakers and Veterans, and guiding mentees toward an understanding of the positive impact research can have on the health and care of Veterans.

Dr. John Piette, an HSR&D Research Career Scientist and part of HSR&D’s Center for Clinical Management Research (CCMR) in Ann Arbor, MI, and colleagues, authored a paper titled “Patient-centered pain care using artificial intelligence and mobile health tools: A randomized comparative effectiveness trial.” Published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the article reports findings from an HSR&D-funded study that evaluated a novel approach to delivering cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for chronic pain. The authors found that AI-based CBT achieved equivalent pain outcomes compared to standard CBT, but it did so with significantly less resource use (less than half the therapist time). This study suggests that personalizing VA pain therapy using AI could dramatically increase access to evidence-based alternatives to opioids, treating up to twice as many patients with the same number of therapists.

Laura Damschroder, MS, MPH, is the recipient of the 2022 HSR&D Health System Impact Award. This award honors HSR&D- and QUERI-funded research that has had a direct and important impact on clinical practice or clinical policy within the VA health care system – and that has been successfully translated into VA’s policy or operations.