Founded in May 1991 as the Missouri Foundation for Medical Research by administrators from the Harry S Truman Memorial VA Hospital in Columbia, Missouri, the foundation provided Truman VA health research scientists with local support for administrative and management challenges in working with external funding, public donations and fundraising while managing and keeping up with VA processes. In March 2015 the Foundation added “Veterans” to the Foundation name so it was renamed Missouri Foundation for Veterans’ Medical Research. Then in March 2018 the name changed again to better reflect its tie in with Harry S Truman Memorial VA Hospital – Truman VA Medical Research Foundation (TVAMRF).
The TVAMRF is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation under the laws of the state of Missouri. There are 83 similar Foundations in the US as first created in 1988 under the authority of US Congress (H.R. 2616, Title II, Part A – Veterans’ Benefits and Service Act of 1988) then codified in 2010 under 38 USC 7361-7366. The TVAMRF is also tasked to attract new research funding and/or solicits gifts centered on discovery and innovation for veterans’ health.
The Foundation operates with an Executive Director acting under a Board of Directors per its mandate in VHA Handbook 1200.17.
A Brief History
From the National Association of Veterans’ Research and Education Foundation (NAVREF):
“In 1984 Richard Levine, MD, associate chief of Staff for Research and Development (R&D) at the Washington, DC, VA medical center (VAMC), founded the Institute for Clinical Research (ICR). His objective was to provide investigators at the Washington, DC, VAMC with a local entity – dedicated to their needs and familiar with VA requirements and processes – to administer research projects performed at the VAMC under funding provided by non-VA federal and private sector organizations.”
Dr. Levine approached Sonny Montgomery (D-MS), chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs (HVAC), and Mack Fleming, the HVAC staff director to create legisltation so that all VA medical centers could take advantage of such an entity. Dr. Levine became the indefatigable driver for enactment of Public Law 100-322, title II, section 204(a).
This statute, later codified at 38 USC § 7361 et seq., allowed the VA secretary to authorize the establishment of nonprofit institutions to serve as a “flexible funding mechanism” [38 U.S.C. 7362(a)] for the conduct of VA research at each medical center. While the enabling legislation was working its way through the various stages of legislative deliberation, Dr. Levine collaborated with Audley Hendricks, assistant general counsel for Professional Group III in the VA Office of General Counsel, to begin developing VA guidance on how to operationalize the anticipated new authority at the local level.”
Fiscal Year runs Oct 1 thru Sept 30.
TVAMRF contribution to VA Research:$454,508
TVAMRF contribution to VA Research: $765,555
TVAMRF contribution to VA Research: $377,805
TVAMRF contribution to VA Research: $328,136
The VA Office of Research and Development in Washington DC also pays out matching funds based on Foundation revenue to the Harry S Truman VA Hospital to fund its research infrastructure and scientific hardware and software needs.
Senior Vice President, Commercial Lending
Associate Chief of Staff, Education
Chief Strategy Officer
Chief of Staff
Associate Chief of Staff - Research / Associate Prof., Nephrology
Retired
Retired / Volunteer
Research Health Scientist
Research Health Scientist
Executive Director
Accountant