Author Profile

Aram Dobalian

Institution: Department of Veterans Affairs

Affiliation: Veterans Health Administration

Department: Veterans Emergency Management Evaluation Center (VEMEC)

City: North Hills

State: CA

Country: USA

Dr. Aram Dobalian is the founding and current Director of the Veterans Emergency Management Evaluation Center (VEMEC), the only national center within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) devoted to the study of cutting-edge operations and policy questions that support VA’s public health preparedness and response responsibilities – to ensure timely access to high-quality care for veterans during disasters, and to support federal, state, local, and tribal emergency management and homeland security efforts. As VEMEC's Director, he oversees all of its activities, including its applied research and evaluation projects. Since 2003, his research has focused on public health preparedness and response, including the development of performance metrics, community resilience, crisis leadership, facility evacuation and sheltering, workforce readiness and training, and behavioral health. In 2008, he obtained support from senior VA leaders to develop a strategic plan that would position the VA as a national leader in disaster research by having VA serve as a “laboratory” for developing evidence-based emergency management practices that would benefit both VA and the Nation. He also led the National Program Evaluation of the VA Nursing Academy (VANA), a 5‐year, $60 million program consisting of partnerships between 18 VA facilities and 16 nursing schools. The purpose of VANA, now expanded and renamed the VA Nursing Academic Partnerships (VANAP) program, was to: (1) expand faculty and professional development; (2) increase nursing student enrollment; (3) provide opportunities for educational and practice innovations; and (4) increase recruitment and retention of VA nurses as a result of enhanced roles in nursing education. This project was also supported by funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the national “Conference on Enhancing Nursing Undergraduate Teaching and Learning in the Clinical Setting: What do we know and how do we move forward?” As of 2017, he has served as PI or co-PI on grants currently totaling more than $19 million. He was the guest editor for a special issue of Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness that commemorated the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. He is a member of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, the Upsilon Phi Delta National Academic Honor Society in Healthcare Administration, and the State Bar of California. He currently teaches courses on health systems and health policy at UCLA, where he is an Adjunct Professor of Health Policy and Management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and at the UCLA School of Nursing. He is also a member of the Institute of Medicine's Standing Committee on Medical and Public Health Research During Large-Scale Emergency Events.

Recent Posts

The Development of a Veterans Health Administration Emergency Management Research Agenda

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Introduction: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the largest integrated healthcare delivery system in the United States, is charged with ensuring timely access to high-quality care for veterans during disasters, and supporting national, state, local, and tribal emergency management and homeland security efforts. In 2008, the VHA Office of Public Health (OPH) sponsored the first VHA Emergency Management Research Agenda-setting conference to develop research priorities that address the needs of veterans and to position VHA as a national leader in emergency management by having VHA serve as a “laboratory” for the development of evidence-based emergency management practices.

Methods: We focused on four steps: #1: Appraising the emergency management research portfolio of VHA-based researchers; #2: Obtaining systematic information on VHA’s role in emergency management and the healthcare needs of veterans during disasters; #3: Based upon gaps between the current research portfolio and the existing evidence base, identifying strategic priorities using a research agenda-setting conference; and #4: Laying the groundwork to foster the conduct of emergency management research within VHA.

Results: Identified research priorities included how to prevent and treat behavioral health problems related to a disaster, the efficacy of training programs, crisis communication strategies, workforce resilience, and evacuating veterans from health care facilities.

Conclusion: VHA is uniquely situated to answer research questions that cannot be readily addressed in other settings. VHA should partner with other governmental and private entities to build on existing work and establish shared research priorities.

The Role of Veterans Affairs in Emergency Management: A Systematic Literature Review

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The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a key player in emergency management for both veterans and civilians. Unfortunately, limited evidence-based research findings exist regarding the role and experience of VA during disasters. The present study is a systematic literature review of 41 published, peer-reviewed articles regarding VA and emergency management. Trained researchers utilized a data abstraction tool and conducted a qualitative content analysis. A description of article characteristics include methodology, phase of emergency management addressed in the research, and study design. Five topic categories emerged from the review including effects of disaster on mental health status and services use, effects of disaster on general health services use, patient tracking, evacuation, and disaster planning/preparation. Findings were used to generate suggestions for future research.

Keywords: Veterans Affairs, veterans, disaster, emergency