The Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded the scope of its remote and rural care program in order to provide critical services to veterans who might not otherwise be able to reach VA clinics. The Mobile Prosthetic and Orthotic Care program with Program Manager Danny Abrahamson and Program Coordinator Eli Kaufman has quickly turned into one of the most promising and impactful services within the VA's Office of Rural Health. The original pilot has expanded into a nationwide service that provides life-changing prosthetics care to veterans from the comfort of their own homes.

This past fall, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and other partners launched the Bespoke Gene Therapy Consortium in an effort to leverage adeno-associated viruses as vectors to treat rare diseases. The initiative seeks to streamline research to clinical use, driving efficiencies into the traditional research and development process. FDA leader Peter Marks and NIH's P.J. Brooks discuss the consortium's work and how it aims to help people with rare diseases.

Veterans Affairs has one of the nation's most comprehensive traumatic brain injury research programs and care networks, including a multi-tiered care model designed to provide full support to veterans with TBI, especially when transitioning out of the military. Dr. Joel Scholten, national director of the Veterans Affairs Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service, discusses how VA is overseeing pioneering research into the often complex condition and how technology is impacting diagnosis and treatments for the condition.

Throughout 2021, HealthCast has highlighted the National Cancer Act's 50th anniversary through a miniseries of episodes with its leadership. Dec. 23 marks the official anniversary, so we wrap up the miniseries with a finale episode with NCI Principal Deputy Director Dr. Doug Lowy to reflect on the meaning of the act, the dedication of people working for and with NCI, as well as what remains on the horizon for NCI and its partners.

The National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) and Cancer Information Service (CIS) collaborate to provide valued data and other cancer information to researchers, patients and the public. This includes developing statistical models for software and engaging with the public on smoking cessation through instant messaging, for example. The last episode in this miniseries commemorating the National Cancer Act’s 50th anniversary talks to leaders Dr. Lynne Penberthy and Candace Maynard from the programs.

The Veterans Health Administration has begun exploring capabilities of 5G capacities within its health care network to power innovations that are advancing surgical prep and patient care. Dr. Tom Osborne, director of the Veterans Affairs National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation, discusses how VA is using 5G to explore new capacities like augmented reality that are pushing the horizons of health care modernization.

NIH conducts critical research across all fields of medicine and has been a key player in steering the nation throughout COVID-19. Behind this important work is a network of IT infrastructure, data-driven capabilities, security and dedicated personnel who have supported NIH before and during the pandemic. Its Center for IT drives these NIH-wide operations, as Deputy Director Stacie Alboum breaks down how COVID-19 has impacted those activities and priorities.

When the National Cancer Act passed in 1971, Congress required NCI to form designated cancer centers to help fight the war on cancer. 50 years later, NCI has designated 71 cancer centers that are driving cutting-edge research and service to their nearby communities. In the seventh episode of our National Cancer Act miniseries, we dive into the history and work of these cancer centers.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has been using its 3D printing network to support innovative health care initiatives across the country. Hear from Nikki Beitenman, 3D printing specialist at the Charleston, VA medical center, on how the agency is using these capacities to help patients recover from unusual forms of hearing loss.

This sixth episode commemorating the National Cancer Act 50th anniversary highlights how developments in technology and innovation have accelerated cancer research and helped usher in new diagnostics and treatments. National Cancer Institute leaders discuss the importance of leveraging data for research, how technology is enabling immunotherapy and precision medicine, what tech is on the horizon and how you can help introduce new ideas to the cancer research space.