VA Doctor Wins Prestigious National Award
A VAPAHCS doctor, Thomas Rando, MD, PhD, is among a select group of 13 researchers nationwide being recognized for their innovative work by the National Institutes of Health. The winners of the NIH Director’s 2005 Pioneer Awards will each receive up to $500,000 annually for five years to help fund their research. This award is one of the most prestigious and important recognitions by the NIH. Dr. Rando, who is also an associate professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford, was selected out of an initial pool of 840 applicants. The award was established to encourage researchers to tackle major challenges in biomedical research using innovative approaches that have a high risk of failure but that could produce monumental changes in the field if successful. “The scientists we recognize with Pioneer Awards have far-ranging ideas that hold the potential to make truly extraordinary contributions to many fields of medical research,” said NIH Director Elias Zerhouni, MD. Dr. Rando said the award is “both an honor and a challenge.” The challenge, he added, will be to live up to the high standards the award sets. Rando is looking for ways to repair damaged tissue in the elderly. His goal is to figure out how to compensate for the age-related decline in the body’s repair capability. His work also has the potential to help sufferers of degenerative diseases such as muscular dystrophy. He said his research team has some data to suggest that it isn’t changes in the cells that reduce their ability to repair tissue with age, but changes in the environment, or niche, where they reside. This is what he’ll use the award money to explore.
Presidential Rank Award
Each year, the President recognizes and celebrates a small group of career senior executives with the President’s Meritorious Rank Award for exceptional long-term accomplishments. One of the winners this year is our Director, Lisa Freeman. Winners of this prestigious award are strong leaders, professionals, and scientists who achieve results and consistently demonstrate strength, integrity, industry, and a relentless commitment to excellence in public service. Award winners are chosen through a rigorous selection process. They are nominated by their agency heads, evaluated by boards of private citizens, and approved by the President. The evaluation criteria focus on leadership and results. Meritorious rank recipients receive 20 percent of base pay and a framed certificate signed by the President. Once again, our VAPAHCS Director is recognized as an outstanding leader.
VA’s 2005 Excellence in Leadership Award
VAPAHCS’ Director Lisa Freeman was recently selected to receive VA’s 2005 Excellence in Leadership Award. The award was presented by Deputy Secretary Gordon Mansfield during the Leadership VA Alumni Association conference in Las Vegas. Ms. Freeman won the award, from among numerous applicants, for her exemplary leadership within the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, VA and the health care community.
Health Care's Most Wired
Hospitals & Health Networks has named the 100 Most Wired Hospitals and Health Systems. The list is based on the Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study that asks hospitals to report on how they use information technology to address five key areas: safety and quality, customer service, business processes, workforce, and public health and safety. The survey was made possible through a partnership among H&HN, Accenture, CHIME and IDX Systems Corp. VA Palo Alto Health Care System has been listed as Health Care's Most Wired three years in a row, 2004, 2005 and most recently in 2006.
Web Manager Best Practice Awards 2005:
VHA Excellence in Public Affairs Awards 2005