Research Also Part Of VA Hospital

By Carla M. Collado
Staff Writer

Most people who drive by the VA Long Beach Healthcare System on Seventh Street (at Bellflower Boulevard) might think the facility only offers medical care and support services to veterans. But an event next Tuesday, May 13, will give the public a chance to learn about the medical research that VA scientists conduct in order to benefit not only veterans, but also the entire Long Beach community.

There are about 30 active researchers or investigators at the VA Long Beach, including a mixture of MDs and PhDs working on more than 100 clinical and science lab projects, explained Chris Reist, associate chief of staff for research and development. Currently, they’re studying illnesses such as diabetes, vascular disease, hepatitis C, digestive diseases (ulcer/wound healing, liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease), high cholesterol and mental illnesses (post traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression), among others.

“The VA does a lot of research and it is applicable to the community at large,” Reist said.

In fact, the center receives about $9 million annually in funding for research through clinical trials for the private industry and competitive peer-reviewed projects for organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, he said. Reist explained that the VA Long Beach’s research mission started when the center was founded in order to attract better doctors.

The VA Long Beach also is affiliated with numerous medical schools including ones at the University of California, Irvine; California State University, Long Beach: the University of California, Los Angeles; Long Beach City College; and Bryman College.

“It’s all about the idea that science and research are really going to be underlying the best clinical care,” Reist said.

Tuesday’s event is partly a celebration of National VA Research Week. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the public will have the opportunity to meet VA Long Beach scientists and learn about their most current work (from the last six months).

One of the scientists on hand will be Dr. Mazen Jamal, a VA gastroenterologist and UCI associate clinical professor of medicine. He has been treating patients and conducting research at the VA Long Beach since 2001. Currently, Jamal’s research is focusing on inflammatory bowel disease (mainly ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease) and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Jamal said doctors like him must constantly do research — he devotes 25% of his work time for research — to find better treatments and make sure those treatments are available to patients before they hit the market.

“We cannot really have any improvement in the way we see patients in general without doing research,” Jamal said.

For instance, he is currently conducting research trials of alternative treatments for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. One of them involves a stem cell that has proven to be effective for reflectory Crohn’s patients (whose conditions do not improve) and the other involves a medication called Lialda that ulcerative colitis patients can take once daily.

“It is very important for the public to know about these new treatments,” Jamal said.

On Tuesday, Jamal will be handing out information to the public on the diseases he researches, as well as sharing information on medications that are available.

Reist said one of the main goals of the event is to show members of the community that the VA Long Beach works to improve the lives of veterans and non-veterans alike. He said few people realize that, in addition to serving more than 40,000 veterans annually, the facility employs 1,800 people from the Long Beach community.

He added that more than half of physicians throughout the country have done at least some of their medical training at VA centers. Reist cited major accomplishments by VA researchers nationwide, including developing the first cardiac pacemaker, performing the first liver transplant, developing the first nicotine patch and being the first to demonstrate the effectiveness of once-a-day aspirin in reducing heart attacks.

Tuesday’s program will include a light lunch, and parking will be available. For more information, call the VA Long Beach research office at 826-5801.