Research on Health Disparities and Minority Health
VHA has a long-standing portfolio of research addressing the challenges posed by minority health care needs and the disparities that arise in healthcare delivery, access, and quality.
These varied research studies address disparities among multiple ethnic and racial groups, most prominently between African Americans and whites, but also among different Hispanic groups as well as American Indians. Further, current projects address disparities in care related to:
- joint replacement
- end of life care
- care mood disorders
- diabetes
- health literacy
More system-level disparities are also being investigated, with one study comparing VA health disparities to those in the non-VA health care system. The current equity research portfolio focuses on:
- understanding the reasons for disparities in care,
- developing interventions to reduce disparities,
- and the development of better implementation strategies to translate disparities research findings into practice.
The VA Office of Research & Development has had a Center of Excellence (CoE) devoted to equity research since 2001 is part of the Health Services R&D Service (HSR&D). CHERP conducts research on racial and ethnic disparities, a priority area at HSR&D, whose importance was reiterated in the FY 2008 Priority Research Solicitation. Additionally, HSR&D also funds Career Development Awards concentrated on equity and racial and ethnic variations.