# Pain, Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities, Education

> **NIH VA I50** · VA CONNECTICUT HEALTHCARE SYSTEM · 2024 · —

## Abstract

This application proposes the continuation of a Center of Innovation (COIN), called the Pain Research,
Informatics, Multimorbidities, and Education (PRIME) Center. The COIN builds on the successes of our
existing PRIME Center at the West Haven campus of VA Connecticut Healthcare System (VACHS), supported
since 2008 by a Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP).
The mission of the PRIME Center is:
 To study the interactions between medical and behavioral health factors to develop and implement
 interventions that can improve health by employing medical informatics, behavioral science,
 implementation science, and health services research.
The purpose of the PRIME Center is:
 To provide leadership within and outside VA to foster high quality, high impact, and Veteran-centered
 health services research and education.
The high level goals of the PRIME Center are:
 1) Conduct research to improve care for Veterans with pain and associated chronic conditions;
 2) Conduct research to improve women Veterans' health;
 3) Foster innovative/emerging health services research outside the two focus areas;
 4) Engage Veterans in all aspects of our strategic planning and research methods;
 5) Establish a strong infrastructure that supports mentoring and career development, including partnered,
 system-oriented research and implementation research; and
 6) Promote interdisciplinary, cross-institutional collaborations and research networks in priority areas.
Leadership: Dr. Bastian has a 27-year career in VA research, starting at the Durham VA in 1991. In 2016,
she moved her affiliation to Yale School of Medicine and was appointed Director of the PRIME Center. Dr.
Heapy has been the Associate Director of the PRIME Center since 2008 and is a leader in its focused area of
research around pain. Dr. Brandt, Deputy Director, provides expertise in medical informatics, health services
research, informatics education and the use of electronic health record data for health services research.
Partnerships: The PRIME Center is supported by long standing and effective partnerships with VHA Patient
Care Services and Operations leaders, especially Pain Management Program/Specialty Care Services and
Women's Health Services, as well as a large number of cross-COIN and other VHA medical center
collaborations. The Center has also established important partnerships with Primary Care and Mental Health
Services, Office of Academic Affiliations, and Clinical Operations, the Office of Information and Technology,
and with the VA New England Healthcare System (VISN 1).
Focus Areas:
Pain & Opioids: Pain and safe and effective pain care are among the most critical health issues facing
Veterans. The PRIME Center's focused area of research is consistent with VHA's establishment of multimodal
pain management as a high priority, the high prevalence of pain among Veterans, and gaps in pain care
received in VHA. Our objective is to improve care for Veterans with pain and associated conditions.
Wo...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9663574
- **Project number:** 1I50HX002723-01
- **Recipient organization:** VA CONNECTICUT HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** Lori A Bastian
- **Activity code:** I50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2018-10-01 → 2023-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9663574

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9663574, Pain, Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities, Education (1I50HX002723-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9663574. Licensed CC0.

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