NCIRE - The Northern California Institute for Research and Education, Inc.

September 25th is National Research Administrators Day! Research administrators provide vital support to the Research Community, powering the engine towards great scientific discoveries that benefit the global community! Research administrators have been an important part of the 100-year history of Veterans Affairs (VA) Research and Development. Among each Principal Investigator is a dedicated team of research administrators who are the pillar workforce that makes health care discoveries, advancement, and innovations possible. NCIRE thanks the research administrators of the San Francisco VA Health Care System and University of California, San Francisco Research Community for their part in advancing medical research that improves the lives of our Veterans and the community at large! If you know a great research administrator, today is the day to recognize their tireless contributions. Learn More: https://lnkd.in/eXSVmgx

Dr. Phyllis Tien receives research award through NCIRE Congratulations to Principal Investigator Dr. Phyllis Tien and her research team for receiving a Notice of Award for RM1DA063351 Titled: Stimulant and Polysubstance use, Inflammation and Sex Effects on Myocardial Disease in HIV (SPISE) for the fund period from 7/15/2025 to 3/31/2030. Joining Dr. Tien in research for this award is Drs. Jorge Kizer, Elise Riley, Peter Hunt, Katherine Wu, and Bradley Aouizerat. Congratulations and best of luck with your research.

POW/MIA Recognition Day serves as a call to action, reminding the Nation to rededicate our efforts for bringing our patriots home and for caring for our military families awaiting word of their loved ones. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), more than 83,000 service members are missing from conflicts from World War II to the present time. Of that number, the majority (more than 73,000) are missing from World War II. NCIRE honors the members of the United States Armed Forces who bravely served and were captured or not yet found to make the journey home. To learn more about the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s efforts to fulfil our nation’s promise to leave no service member behind visit: https://www.dpaa.mil/

The United States Air Force celebrates its 78th birthday today! September 18th is the anniversary of the passage of the National Security Act of 1947. That legislation created what would later be known as the United States Department of Defense which would establish the United States Air Force as a separate branch of military service. NCIRE honors the U.S. Airforce service members and its Veterans who have been a vital part of its 78-year history. Read More: https://lnkd.in/gmmai6Y2

Dr. Carl Grunfeld receives NAVREF Barbara West Award for Distinguished Service NCIRE congratulates VA research leader Dr. Carl Grunfeld for receiving the Barbara West Award for Distinguished Service from the National Association of Veterans’ Research and Education Foundations (NAVREF)! NAVREF presented Dr. Grunfeld with the award at its Annual Awards Dinner, a part of the organization’s 33rd Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado, September 14-17, 2025. The Barbara West Award recognizes Dr. Grunfeld’s 15-plus years of leadership at the University of California, San Francisco and VA, where he is the Professor of Medicine, Emeritus and serves as the Veterans Health Administration Central Office’s Deputy Chief of Research and Development Officer for IT & Data Governance, respectively. He also serves as an advisor to the NCIRE Board of Directors, after serving as a Board member for 12 years. The is one of four awards presented to individuals who exemplify innovation, service, partnerships, and leadership that drive “tangible meaningful impact for Veterans and advancing American public health,” said NAVREF CEO Rashi Romanoff. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g2tJqpPw

Twenty-four years ago, on September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 souls were lost in the largest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. The 9/11 Memorial & Museum provides a virtual guide to the 911 Memorial & Museum built at the site of the terrorist attack in New York. Visit https://lnkd.in/dAPf_vx4 NCIRE honors the lives lost that day, and in the years that followed through the subsequent conflict, and health complications experienced by those brave First Responders. You will forever be remembered.

This September, NCIRE joins the VA’s Make the Connection campaign during National Recovery Month. The campaign raises awareness of substance use disorders and celebrates the achievements of individuals in recovery through public service announcements, advertising, and partnerships with Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) and mental health service providers nationwide. This endeavor also shares stories of Veterans who have become healthier, happier, and more empowered thanks to mental health treatments. To hear their stories, visit https://lnkd.in/gZN6qACm

Substance use and use disorders among Veterans on long-term opioid therapy Principal Investigators, Dr. Katherine Hoggatt and NCIRE Board Member Dr. Salomeh Keyhani, conducted a study that highlights the deadly risk of using other drugs while in long-term opioid treatment. Set to publish in the September 2025 edition of Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, the study titled, “Substance use and use disorders among Veterans on long-term opioid therapy”, reports that one in four Veterans receiving long-term opioid therapy exhibit risky alcohol use, test positive for other substances, or have a documented substance use disorder. The study is available for a pre-publish online viewing here: https://lnkd.in/gCPKT4bU

Household Wealth and Potentially Inappropriate Medications in Persons With Dementia: Role of Comorbidities and Caregivers Principal Investigators, Drs. Michael Steinman and John Boscardin, co-authored a study that investigates the association between lower socioeconomic status and increased potentially inappropriate medications among older adults, as seen in some studies, is infrequently studied in persons with dementia. The study was published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society. You can read it here: https://lnkd.in/gVBpyD6F Dr. Steinman was also quoted The Washington Post article “Taking too many prescription drugs can be very risky for older people”, discussing the challenges and dangers of polypharmacy in older adults. You can read it here: https://lnkd.in/gpeHJxBw

During World Alzheimer’s Awareness Month this September, NCIRE joins the global effort to raise awareness and challenge the stigma surrounding Alzheimer's disease and other dementia. We thank our supported Principal Investigators Drs. Michael Weiner, Sei Lee, Theresa Allison, Amy Byers, Kenneth Covinsky, Linda Chao, Wenhan Chang, Salomeh Keyhani, Rebecca Sudore, Alexander K. Smith, Duygu Tosun-Turgut, Deborah Barnes, Miriam Ashford, and NCIRE Board Member Dr. Kristine Yaffe, who have dedicated their careers to Alzheimer and dementia research to improve care and find a cure. Learn more about the NCIRE-supported Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative led by Dr. Michael Weiner: https://adni.loni.usc.edu/ NCIRE calls on everyone to support World Alzheimer’s Month by getting involved; whether you fundraise for the cause, share information about Alzheimer's or talk to a loved one about dementia, you can make a difference.