What do you do to open a new front in industry efforts to engage the VA on novel, patient-friendly platforms in medicines research? Call in the generals. Another front for cooperation is a project commenced by the George W. Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative, focused on improving the lives of the 3 million veterans who have served since 9/11. The project, the Warrior Wellness Alliance, launched in February, seeks action to confront the “invisible wounds of war”: specifically, PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI). One goal is to increase investment in research that leads to better diagnosis and treatment for these two conditions, which in the Institute’s view does require outreach to the innovative drug industry.
To that end, the Bush Institute and the VA organized a consultative meeting with biopharma companies and VA and ORD staff on January 12, 2017. The meeting was opened by Secretary Shulkin, still in his previous role as VA undersecretary for health. There were presentations by retired US Army Colonel Miguel Howe, director of the Military Service Initiative, and former US Army Vice-Chief of Staff, General Peter Chiarelli, who now serves as CEO of One Mind, a Seattle-based 501(c) non-profit focused on partnerships to combat brain disorders