1. About the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center REAP award

2. About the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center REAP Investigators

3. About the VA Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP)

1.  About the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center REAP award

"Of the people who held these various opinions, not all of them died. Not, however, did they all survive. On the contrary, many of each different persuasion fell ill here, there, and everywhere...." The Decameron, Giovanni Boccaccio.

Title: "HOST DEFENSE IN PULMONARY DISEASE"

Focus: to define the molecular basis by which pulmonary immune responses against lung pathogens move from innate immunity to adaptive immunity. 

Plan: working in established murine experimental model systems, to identify polymorphisms in genes that define strain differences in innate immunity. 

Central Thesis: variations between individuals in susceptibility to lung infections depend crucially on genetic polymorphisms in the innate immune response to pathogens, which critically modifies the subsequent inflammatory and adaptive immune responses.

Long-term goal: to develop novel genomics-based approaches to prevent and treat human lung infections. 

2)  About the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center REAP Investigators
REAP Principal Investigator

• Jeffrey L. Curtis, M.D.
  additional professional information
  Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Health Systems
  Staff Physician & Chief, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine Section, Ann Arbor VA Medical Center 

REAP Collaborating Investigators:

• James M. Beck, M.D.
  additional professional information
  Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Health Systems Staff Physician , Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine Section, Ann Arbor VA Medical CenterStephen Chensue, M.D., Ph.D.
  Associate Professor of Pathology, University of Michigan Health Systems Staff Physician , Pathology Service, Ann Arbor VA Medical Center 
  
  
• Paul J. Christensen, M.D.
  additional professional information
  Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Health Systems Staff Physician, Research Service, Ann Arbor VA Medical Center
  
  
• Margaret R. Gyetko, M.D
  additional professional information
  Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Health Systems Staff Physician, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine Section
  Associate Chief, Medical Service, Ann Arbor VA Medical Center
  
   
• Rodney Hayward, M.D.
  Associate Professor, School of Public Health
  Director, VA Center for Practice Management & Outcomes Research
  
   
• Hedwig Murphy, M.D., Ph.D.
  Assistant Professor of Pathology, University of Michigan Health Systems
  Staff Physician, Pathology Service, Ann Arbor VA Medical Center 
  
  
  
• Galen B. Toews, M.D.
  additional professional information
  Professor of Internal Medicine And Chief,
  Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, University of Michigan Health Systems
  Staff Physician, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine Section, Ann Arbor VA Medical Center 

3)  About the VA Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP)

On March 24, 1998, the Veterans Health Administration Medical Research Service announced the opportunity for VA Medical Centers to compete for support by a new mechanism, the Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP). The purpose of this award was to promote and support groups of VA investigators in programs of exceptional quality which address specific medical problems by integrating basic science and clinical research approaches. Each program must revolve around a medical problem of importance to the veteran population. To qualify, each program had to have at least four VA-funded investigators. 

Major goals of the REAP are:

• Training of new investigators who will undertake research careers within the VA health care system. 
• Development of new & innovative research ideas via pilot projects to acquire data supporting the validity and feasibility of the ideas. 
• To support the participating investigators through one-time award of major equipment or specialized facilities. 

Criteria for evaluation of REAP applications were:

• Scientific qualification of the participating investigators
• History of successful training
• Evidence of research productivity
• Plans to develop innovative research the enhance the current activities of the Program.
• Integration of basic research and clinical applications