Kansas City VA Medical Center

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Kansas City VAMC is a complexity 1b health care system within the VA Heartland Network (VISN 15). In addition to our main facility in Kansas City, we have 10 community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) in Kansas and Missouri.
2. Academic affiliations with the University of Kansas, University of Missouri-Kansas City and Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences and numerous associated health affiliates
3. Accreditations include: CARF, Joint Commission, Cancer Program, Human and Animal Research, Laboratory
4. Several ongoing initiatives for expansion of programs at the facility including Geriatrics, Inpatient Substance Abuse, Fisher House, Lab, and Endoscopy and construction throughout the facility for clinical expansion and improvements
5. • Quick Facts:
   • Over 60,000 Veterans Served
   • 559,000 Outpatient Visits
   • 1,800 Employees
   • $340 Million Operating Budget
   • Inpatient Beds at KCVA – ICU (18), PCU (20), Psych (11), Med Surg (61)

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM

Ms. Jean J. Gurga	Executive Director/CEO
Ms. Paula Roychaudhuri, FACHE	Associate Director
Ms. Angela Nix, MHA, MBA, RHIA	Associate Director
Dr. Ahmad Batrash	Chief of Staff
Dr. Vicki Callahan	Deputy Chief of Staff
Ms. Kelly Goudreau, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, FAAN	Associate Director, Patient Care Services / Nurse Executive

KCVAMC RESEARCH PROGRAM

The philosophy of the Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s Research Service is to utilize basic, clinical, rehabilitative, translational and outcome research to continually advance medical science, and provide the latest, most advanced therapeutic environment for our veteran patients. The KCVAMC Research program is fully accredited and conducting research studies involving humans, animals, biohazard chemicals and retrospective data. In addition, KCVAMC Research Service provides oversight committee functions to facilitate research at both Eastern Kansas Health Care System (Topeka, Leavenworth) and Wichita VAMC.
For the fiscal year 2021, there were 40 active investigators (27 M.D.’s, 9 Ph.D.’s, 3 Pharm. D., and 1 RN) conducting research in areas of cardiology, endocrine, gastrointestinal, mental health, neurology, oncology, pulmonary, pharmacy, renal, substance abuse and surgery. Currently there are 7-VA Merit funded, 3-VA CSP funded, 1-NIH and 1-DOD funded investigators.
Out of 148 total active research projects, 122 used human subjects and/ or human data, 46 Investigational drugs, 1 investigational device, 1 radioisotope and 26 animals + biohazard/chemicals with a total expenditure of about $4.26 million from the VA, and non-VA sources (NIH, NCI, DOD, private foundations and,pharma industries).

ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

Drs. William Suo is a VA merit funded basic scientist involved in characterizing novel therapeutic molecules for Alzheimer Disease. Dr. Shuangteng He is studying effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine in stroke. Dr. Vikas Singh, Neurologist is involved in clinical studies addressing posttraumatic headache. Dr. Singh with Drs. Hemant Thakur and Thomas Demark are involved in database research on PTSD, TBI, Stroke and Epilepsy.

ADDRESSING SUBSTANCS ABUSE ISSUES

Dr. Kenneth Grasing, VA merit funded clinician scientist is conducting research to understand chemical changes in the brain caused by substance use disordersto develop medications.

ADDRESSING CARDIOVACULAR ISSUES

Drs. Rajat Barua, Deepak Parashar, and George Cherian are involved in many NIH, VA-CSP and Industry sponsored clinical trials to address atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease and heart failure. In addition, the group is involved in database research to address role of testosterone in cardiovascular diseases. Dr. Damandeep Walia, Rheumatologist is VA-CSP funded clinician working on gout.

ADDRESSING CANCER

Dr. Sushanta Banerjee and Dr. Snigdha Banerjee are VA Merit funded basic scientists studying Role of CCN5 and Cyr61/CCN1 respectively in Triple Negative Breast cancer and Pancreatic cancer Progression andTherapy.
Dr. Faris Farassati is a DOD funded basic scientist involved in developing oncolytic viruses for cancer therapy.
Six Oncologists including, Dr. Chao Huang, Dr. Suman Kambhampati, Dr. January E. Fields-Meehan, Dr. Linda Verkruyse, Dr. Nisreen Haideri, Dr. John Parks and Dr. Eashwer Reddy are involved in clinical trials funded by NCI, Industries and VA-CSP to provide veterans access to novel therapeutic modalities for various types of cancers.

ADDRESSING RENAL, HYPERTENSION AND DIABETIC ISSUES

Dr. Thomas Wiegmann, Dr. Santosh Sharma and Dr. Mariana Garcia-Touza are involved in clinical trials funded by VA-CSP and industries to address renal, hypertension and diabetic diseases. They are also involved in many database research projects including on COVID-19.
Dr. Mukut Sharma is NIH funded basic scientist involved in understanding the impact of fluid flow sheer stress in progression of kidney diseases. In addition, he is also involved in studying role of IL-6 family cytokine in chronic inflammatory kidney diseases.

DRUG DISCOVERY PROGRAM

Dr. Mukut Sharma is leading Dr. Sunil Upadhyay, Synthetic Organic Chemist and Dr. Pritam Thapa, Medicinal Chemist in designing, developing and synthesizing novel small molecules for treating Alzheimer Disease and Substance Use Disorders. Their effort has resulted in synthesis of more than 50 molecules with potential few patents.

ADDRESSING GASTRIC ISSUES

Dr Prateek Sharma is one of the world's leading authorities in the field of gastroesophageal reflux disease, (GERD) and Barrett's esophagus, a condition leading to the development of cancer. His research is funded from VA-CSP, Industries and other foundations to address GI– disorders. Dr. Divyanshoo Kohli is also involved in push and pull endoscopic PEG placement and real-time and shear wave elastography industry sponsored clinical trials.

ADDRESSING FATTY LIVER ISSUES

Dr. Steven Weinman is a VA Merit funded investigator is involved in understanding Role of Macrophages Adaptation in Alcoholic Liver diseases to discover novel therapeutic approach.
Dr. John Thyfault is a VA Merit funded basic scientist involved in understanding , if estrogen modifies risk for fatty liver through modulating hepatic mitochondrial function and bile acid metabolism to prevent and treat harmful fatty liver disease in female veterans, a condition that increases type 2 diabetes, cancer, and liver failure.

ADDRESSING COVID-19 ISSUES

Dr. Sushanta Govindan, DOD funded pulmonologist and Dr. Sonia Castillo and Dr. Kenneth Grasing are involved in COVID-19 related research. Dr. Grasing is conducting an industry funded clinical trial on COVID-19