Joel Kupersmith, MD
Chief Research and Development Officer (CRADO)
As Chief Research and Development Officer of the VA, Dr. Kupersmith has completed projects and published papers on a number of health and research policy projects including how to fund, oversee and promote comparative effectiveness research, how Academic Medical Centers should be accountable, quality of care in teaching hospitals, regional IRBs, medical manpower and other issues.
During his tenure at VA, advances have included the creation of a major Genomics program, establishment of a Central Institutional Review Board, improved communications to increase public and stakeholder awareness of VA research, increased collaboration with Veterans representative groups, academics and other partners, and increases and advances in comparative effectiveness research. Additionally, substantial improvements in the conduct of research and central office process-including the receipt of a Baldrige quality award-and significant increase in research funding and the number of research projects to improve Veterans' lives have been achieved.
His earlier research interests were in the area of electrophysiology, the causes and treatment of heart rhythm abnormalities and implantable cardioverter defibrillators. His work included delineation of conduction system characteristics in the human heart, unique effects of antiarrhythmic drugs in ischemic tissue as a basis for their antiarrhythmic actions and classification and electrophysiologic consequences of the sodium/potassium pump. Subsequently, he published in the area of cost effectiveness of heart disease treatments and outcomes following heart attacks. Most recently his work has been on health policy issues.
Dr. Kupersmith has been on many national and international committees involved in heart disease and on editorial boards of the American Journal of Medicine and two heart disease journals. He was elected to the Governing Council, Medical School Section of the American Medical Association and has been a Site Visit Chair for the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. He is a member of the National Advisory Research Resources Council of the National Institutes of Health and the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research.