Will Trump Jeopardize Prostate Cancer Research

Will Trump Jeopardize VA Prostate Research?

President-elect Donald J. Trump will soon announce his pick for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and his nominee should honor the phenomenal research that the Veterans Health Administration provides. VHA research — the nicotine patch, the first implantable cardiac pacemaker, the Shingles vaccine, among many others — benefits not only veterans but all Americans.  Last year alone, according to VA Undersecretary for Health David Shulkin, VHA researchers published 9,480 papers in the scientific literature.

Most recently, the VHA, in partnership with the Prostate Cancer Foundation, which has helped fund the research for many major treatments,  embarked on another critical research initiative.  The Foundation has donated $50 million to the VHA, making this, Shulkin says, the largest commitment to cancer research the VHA has ever received, one that will help deliver better care to veterans  particularly those in rural and remote areas.  Foundation, CEO and President physician Jonathan Simons says the foundation is eager to work with the VHA because it is the largest health care system in America, with the most men suffering from prostate cancer of any healthcare system or institution.  Because of this the VHA, he says, provides a unique opportunity to help solve some of the most vexing riddles about prostate cancer, democratize treatment through the VHA’s superior telehealth capacity, and accelerate the pace at which new drugs and treatments are made available to the nation’s veterans.   READ MORE