Promoting Partnerships To Improve Veterans’ Health
NAVREF's State of the Science series spotlights urgent health issues facing the Veteran community. Launched in 2025, these events convene VA leaders, researchers, industry innovators, and Veteran advocates to examine current data, elevate emerging science, and catalyze partnerships that accelerate real-world impact.
Our goal is to strengthen public-private collaboration around the VA's most pressing research priorities—ensuring Veterans have access to cutting-edge care driven by evidence, data, and innovation.
NAVREF envisions a nation in which Veterans receive the finest care based on groundbreaking research. Our member organizations—over 75 nonprofit foundations aligned with VA medical centers—facilitate more than $350 million in VA research annually and support more than 3,000 activities in clinical trials, education, and training.
Through the State of the Science series, we aim to:
- Raise awareness of VA research priorities
- Foster new collaborations between government, academia, industry, and community partners
- Expand clinical trial pipelines and real-world data initiatives
- Create enduring pathways to bring innovative therapies to Veterans faster
Four events in, the series is already producing results. Partners who have joined State of the Science have gone on to:
- Launch new clinical trials within VA
- Fund quality improvement initiatives that strengthen care delivery
- Invest in patient education and Veteran support programs
- Work with NAVREF member nonprofits on new funding models that address a broader range of Veteran needs
- Advocate on Capitol Hill to make Veterans research a priority
NAVREF State of the Science: Advancing Prostate Cancer Research for Veterans
May 2027 | Date and location coming soon
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among Veterans. Military exposures, including Agent Orange, raise the risk for many who served, and VA is leading research on earlier detection, precision treatment, and care models built around Veterans' needs.
Our next State of the Science event will bring together leaders from VA, academia, industry, philanthropy, and the Veteran community to:
- Present the latest VA data on prostate cancer among Veterans
- Highlight VA research priorities in prostate cancer detection and treatment
- Identify new pathways for collaboration with industry, philanthropy, and federal partners
- Explore how to strengthen the clinical trials pipeline through NAVREF's nonprofit network
Interested in partnering with us? Contact Elizabeth Stout, NAVREF's Public Affairs Liaison, at estout@navref.org.
Migraine and chronic headache disorders affect Veterans at higher rates than the general population. Service-related factors such as traumatic brain injury, blast exposure, PTSD, toxic exposures, and repetitive head and neck trauma increase the likelihood of persistent headache conditions that affect daily functioning, quality of life, and health care use.
Our November 2026 State of the Science event brought together VA leaders, researchers, industry partners, and Veteran advocates around one question: how do we change what migraine and headache mean for Veterans? The event:
- Presented the latest VA data on migraine and headache trends among Veterans
- Featured a conversation between a Veteran clinical trial participant and the VA investigator who led his trial
- Showcased VA research in precision medicine, AI, psychedelics, brain stimulation, and primary care
- Explored pathways to partnership with VA through NAVREF's nonprofit network
Hosted at Deloitte in Arlington, Virginia, the convening brought together VA clinical and research leaders, industry, philanthropy, and the Veteran community to look at where VA headache research stands and where partners can help move it forward. Highlights included:
- Headache and migraine affect about 30% of women Veterans compared with about 8% of men, yet clinical trials have historically enrolled mostly men. Headache care needs are growing in every state.
- Military exposures play a role. Roughly 4 million Veterans deployed over the past 30 years were exposed to open burn pits, and research shows a link between that exposure and headache.
- VA has built a national network of 29 Headache Centers of Excellence to expand specialty care and research.
- VA researchers identified 12 genetic markers not previously linked to migraine and found that in male Veterans, the CGRP pathway targeted by the newest migraine drugs may not be the main driver. With 30–60% of patients not responding to those drugs, a genetic score could one day help match Veterans to the right treatment.
- New treatments are in development. Early VA studies suggest a few doses of psilocybin may reduce cluster headache attacks, and the benefit doesn't appear to depend on the psychedelic effect. Larger trials are underway. Other teams are testing accelerated brain stimulation for women Veterans and focused ultrasound for post-TBI headache.
- Machine learning models developed with Veteran data are improving the ability to forecast headache episodes and treatment response.
- In a VA pilot, primary care doctors trained as “Headache Champions” increased specific migraine diagnoses by 52% and triptan prescribing by 61%. The team hopes to expand the program to more clinics.
- Army Veteran Ken Maxwell shared why he volunteered for a VA clinical trial: helping other people gave meaning to his own suffering.
NAVREF invites partners across sectors to support this growing series by:
- Sponsoring future events to elevate Veteran-focused research
- Sharing expertise through panels, research showcases, or case studies
- Collaborating on clinical trials via VA's nonprofit network
- Contributing resources that advance equitable, evidence-based care for Veterans
Interested in partnering with us? Reach out to our team at info@navref.org.
Cognitive decline and dementia affect a growing number of Veterans, many of whom face unique risk factors tied to military service. The Department of Veterans Affairs is leading research into early detection, innovative care models, and interventions that improve quality of life—but cross-sector collaboration is essential to accelerate progress.
Our May 2026 State of the Science event brought together VA leaders, researchers, industry partners, and Veteran advocates to advance this critical work. The event:
- Showcased emerging VA research and data on Alzheimer's and related dementias
- Explored care models addressing cognitive decline among Veterans
- Identified opportunities for collaboration across VA, academia, industry, and philanthropy
- Highlighted how NAVREF's nonprofit network supports partnerships that translate research into better outcomes
Co-hosted with Guidehouse in Arlington, Virginia, the summit brought together federal, academic, and industry leaders to explore how a collaborative, data-led approach can advance Alzheimer's research and improve dementia care for Veterans. Highlights included:
- An estimated 300,000 Veterans live with Alzheimer's and related dementias, and as many as 70% may be undiagnosed—far above the general population; VA projects a 22% rise in dementia patients by 2033.
- VA's scale is a research advantage: the largest integrated U.S. health system, with nearly 1,400 facilities serving more than 9 million Veterans and longitudinal data ideal for studying disease progression and treatment response.
- The field is shifting toward earlier detection and intervention as disease-modifying therapies emerge, though access remains uneven.
- VA Charleston's model—early memory screening, a dementia registry, and biomarker testing that feed into trial-ready cohorts—offers a blueprint for scaling capabilities nationally.
- Caregivers are central to participation, providing an estimated 31 hours of unpaid care each week; caregiver-informed trial design improves recruitment and retention.
- Five priorities emerged: expand early detection, scale proven site models, streamline partnerships, apply AI and digital tools, and align federal and local partners for multi-site trials.
Veterans are disproportionately affected by lung cancer due to military service exposures and historically higher smoking rates. In November, NAVREF convened VA leaders, researchers, and partners for State of the Science: Accelerating Lung Cancer Research for Veterans to explore how to close care gaps and expand research opportunities.
The event:
- Presented the latest VA data on lung cancer trends and future projections
- Highlighted VA research priorities and capacity
- Identified new pathways for collaboration with industry, philanthropy, and federal partners
- Explored how to strengthen the clinical trials pipeline through NAVREF's nonprofit network
Women Veterans are the fastest-growing group of VA patients, with enrollment tripling since 2001. As their numbers grow, so does the demand for comprehensive, gender-specific care and research.
Our May 2025 State of the Science event brought together public and private leaders to:
- Present demographic and clinical data on women Veterans
- Project long-term healthcare needs across lifespan
- Highlight VA's women's health research priorities
- Launch conversations around investment, innovation, and equity
Co-hosted with Guidehouse in Arlington, Virginia, the summit convened leaders from VA, federal agencies, academia, and industry to examine the state of women Veteran research and identify ways to improve representation, collaboration, and care. Highlights included:
- Women Veterans remain underrepresented in clinical research and underserved in care delivery, with most existing studies still observational rather than interventional.
- They face distinct health needs—spanning reproductive, cardiovascular, mental health, and trauma recovery—that call for research protocols reflecting their lived experiences.
- Structural barriers such as limited clinic hours, childcare gaps, and low awareness of benefits like VA's Beneficiary Travel program continue to disrupt continuity of care.
- VA initiatives are reshaping the research landscape, including the Million Veteran Program, the Women's Health Research Network, and the Breast & Gynecologic Oncology System of Excellence.
- With roughly 1,380 facilities and the ability to practice across state lines, VA is well positioned for decentralized trials—and NAVREF helps connect industry partners to those opportunities.
- Priority collaboration areas included integrating active-duty and Veteran health data, using Veteran health trends to inform active-duty screening, and expanding interagency data sharing.
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