Grants & Talks

BY ARTIE E. SHELTON, M.D., VHC DIRECTOR

VVA’s Veterans Health Council thanks the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America for its unrestricted $20,000 grant.

I am a member of Pfizer’s Founding Committee of the C.difficile Awareness Initiative, which has produced four episodes of a C.difficile podcast series. Entitled “C.difficile Among High-Risk Populations, the Elderly, and Veterans,” you can listen to the podcast on Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart, Tunein, PodBean, SoundCloud, Apple, and YouTube.

Clostridioides difficile is a bacterium that can cause a serious and potentially life-threatening infection associated with symptoms from diarrhea to severe intestinal infections. There are more than 200,000 cases per year in the U.S. Individuals taking antibiotics, older adults, and those with compromised immune systems are most at risk. We need to think about the risk among veterans. Of the nearly 21 million veterans in the U.S., 47 percent are 65 years or older. This growing population is at risk and needs to be educated.

VHC Deputy Director Rebecca Patterson has been selected to receive the Do Good Graduate award from the University of Maryland, which recognizes graduating students for their commitment to social impact and innovation. Patterson recently spoke at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine on “Guidance on PFAS and Health Outcomes.” She also presented at the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine on “Toxic Exposures During Military Service for Physicians.”

Mansi Gosalia, a Master of Public Health degree candidate, and Nathan Cremeans, an Army veteran who is a senior working on a bachelor’s degree in Public Health Sciences, will join VHC for ten-week summer internships. Gosalia has interned in the U.S. Senate and the Maryland General Assembly. Both are committed to helping veterans receive the recognition and care they have earned.

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