UCLA Fielding alums lead the way in veterans' health research

The UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, through a decades-long relationship with the Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System in Los Angeles, has a long history of collaboration with VA researchers and healthcare providers dating back to the school’s creation in 1961.

From then until today, the school’s graduates have taken a leading role in research into veterans' health, on topics ranging from colorectal cancer to diabetes to pulmonary disease and beyond, officials said.

“Almost all our researchers at the VA in Los Angeles have their academic appointments at UCLA in the schools of medicine, public health, or both, and those at UCLA Fielding bring their expertise in building health systems and evaluating national programs and policies,” said Dr. Elizabeth Yano, (PhD, ’95) director of the VA‘s Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS). “UCLA Fielding faculty also working at VA Greater LA, or who got their doctoral training at UCLA Fielding, are leading research in primary care, mental health, specialty care, and women’s health, as well as on homelessness and social factors that complicate access to needed services for our nation’s veterans.”

VAGLAHS serves more than 84,000 veterans, and there are about 200,000 veterans known to live in Los Angeles County, according to VA records. Overall, across southern California, there are roughly 1.4 million veterans, according to state and federal estimates.

“VA research is actually mandated by federal statute to make sure that work directly relevant to veterans’ medical care and treatment needs is prioritized, in the same way that care tailored to veterans’ needs is at the forefront of VA’s healthcare mission,” said Dr. Isomi Miake-Lye, (PhD, ’16) a VA researcher for more than 15 years who earned her doctorate at UCLA Fielding. “So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that some of the top priority areas include military exposures, traumatic brain injury, suicide prevention, and chronic pain, as some examples.”

The veterans’ health-focused studies at VAGLAHS by UCLA Fielding alums, many with affiliations with the UCLA schools of public health, medicine, nursing, and dentistry, run from operational and organizational improvement to the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. (See list below)

Among the elements of the UCLA-VAGLAHS partnership between clinicians and researchers that function well, physicians said, is the veteran population being served brings positive attributes to the table, in terms of their willingness to work with scientists.

“Veterans are some of the most engaged patients and research participants I work with; many see joining a study as another way to serve, because it helps the veterans who come after them,” said Dr. Russell Buhr (PhD, ’19), a pulmonary and critical care physician with UCLA and at the VA. “They’re also refreshingly direct about what is and isn’t working, which makes our research better.”

Dr. Fola May (PhD, ’15), a colorectal cancer physician who combines working with patients at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Westwood with cancer research as a scientist at UCLA Health’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, echoes that opinion.

“They are some of the most grateful patients I have been privileged to provide care for, and they also have a very strong sense of service, community, and purpose in research,” May said. “Many recognize that by participating in research, they are helping not only themselves but also fellow veterans and future generations of patients.”

In addition, there is an obvious benefit for physicians to train as health policy researchers, experts said.

“The UCLA Fielding PhD program taught me to think and learn independently,” said Dr. David Ganz (PhD, ‘07), a senior VA and UCLA physician who specializes in geriatrics. “In essence, to become a lifelong learner, and not rest on my laurels.”

Dr. Carlos Oronce (PhD, ’23) is an internal medicine physician at UCLA and a VA researcher; he said his public health education at UCLA Fielding has influenced all his clinical and research work.

“One of the most valuable lessons I learned at Fielding was to always ask, 'Why does this matter?' ” Oronce said. “Regardless of how sophisticated the research methods are, the work must be relevant to improving health and healthcare. I carry that mindset into my work at the VA and use it to guide the questions and projects I pursue.”

Buhr, whose combination of clinical care physician and research scientist is typical of many of the UCLA Fielding alums who work at VAGLAHS, said the findings of his veteran-focused research is applicable to every patient with similar conditions.

“My team’s VA-funded research asks a simple question with big consequences: are veterans with asthma and COPD getting the treatments that national guidelines recommend, and if not, why not?” Buhr said. ”We use the VA’s nationwide electronic health record to track how quickly new recommendations reach veterans, and we’re also building measures the VA can use to monitor and improve lung care in every clinic. Asthma and COPD affect tens of millions of Americans, so what we learn about turning evidence into everyday practice applies well beyond the VA.”

Recent veterans' health-related studies

Recent peer-reviewed research – all published in 2026 – with a veterans’ health element and coauthored by UCLA Fielding faculty and alums has included:

• The effectiveness (October) of medications used to treat patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD);
• An analysis (October) of stress and anxiety among healthcare personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic;
• The effects (October) of hormone treatment on kidney function;
• How to improve (September) women’s health research among military and veteran populations;
• Research (September) into intimate partner violence among veterans;
• How hospital patient care (September) can be improved by drawing on the experience of the Veterans Health Administration;
• A study (September) of the mental health of medical residents’ working in intensive care units;
• A six-year-long analysis (August) of health failure care in the VA health system;
• Research (August) into reducing attrition in treatment rates among women veterans;
• The use (July) of acupuncture to treat chronic pain;
• The significance (July) of standardized electronic health record-keeping;
• The outcomes of treatment (July) for veterans with advanced chronic kidney disease;
• Research (July) into how the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs has used specific case management practices to improve housing outcomes among homeless adult veterans;
• A review (July) of lung cancer screening as a technique to reduce mortality;
• Analysis (July) of how neighborhood factors effected the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on different populations, including veterans;
• An assessment (June) of lung cancer screening to reduce mortality;
• Reduction of mortality (June) among diabetes patients;
• Mortality risks (June) among veterans receiving dialysis;
• Diabetes prevention (May) among veterans with a prediabetes condition;
• Research (May) into the effectiveness of lung cancer screening among veterans;
• A study (May) of insomnia among women veterans;
• Improvements (May) in psychiatric care for veterans;
• The use of AI (April) to improve veterans’ healthcare;
• Research (April) into occupational exposure and respiratory health among veterans;
• A study (April) of insomnia and PTSD among veterans;
• Research (March) into how to improve health care for women veterans;
• How health care (March) can best be delivered to veterans who live in rural areas;
• Research (March) into improved treatments for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;
• A study (February) of primary care for veterans who have been homeless;
• Research (January) into the outcomes of homelessness prevention programs focused on veterans;
• An update (January) of priorities for research into the health of women veterans; and
• A study (January) of the effectiveness of medications used to treat opioid use disorders.

Funding

The studies referenced above were supported, in part, by resources from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Health Administration, as well as other federal agencies and both philanthropic and academic support. The content of the studies is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. Government.