The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) announced today VA Chief Research and Development Officer, Rachel Ramoni, Ph.D., has been selected as the first recipient of the Above and Beyond Award from the Women in Science Forum of the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF).
Dr. Ramoni received the award for advancing biomedical research and clinical trials for Veterans with prostate cancer and contributing to the fight against COVID-19.
“This recognition shows the real-world impact of VA research,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “VA’s partnership with the Prostate Cancer Foundation is vital and significant to prevent, screen and promote research to speed the development of treatments and cures for prostate cancer as we serve the over 15,000 Veterans diagnosed with prostate cancer every year.”
To support better prostate cancer care for Veterans, the department established the VA Precision Oncology Program for Cancer of the Prostate (POPCaP) in partnership with the PCF. The program aims to deliver precision cancer care to all Veterans, including those who live in remote rural areas. There are currently 12 hubs in the POPCaP network distributed across the U.S.
Under Ramoni’s stewardship, the VA Office of Research and Development has implemented policies that have streamlined research efforts, especially for multi-site clinical trials. In some cases, this has reduced the start-up time for clinical trials from several months to a matter of weeks.
In addition to advancing precision oncology research, Ramoni promotes diversity within the VA research enterprise and has been instrumental in mentoring women researchers in VA.
Learn more about VA research and development.
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