Deborah Deas, vice chancellor of health sciences and the Mark and Pam Rubin Dean of the UCR School of Medicine, has been selected to serve on the Department of Veterans Affairs National Academic Affiliations Council, or NAAC. Deas’ initial three-year term on the council will begin on October 1, 2024.

“I’m incredibly grateful to be a newly appointed member of this council,” Deas said. “It’s an honor to serve the public in this capacity, and I look forward to lending my voice in support of partnerships between the VA and its academic affiliates across the nation.”

The NAAC provides guidance to the leadership of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or VA, on issues related to its interactions with the health professions community. Comprising 14 members, the council has a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of patient care, education, and research.

Its activities include:

• Developing ways to increase beneficial partnerships between the VA and academic institutions,
• Suggesting strategies for updating electronic health records based on experiences from academic affiliates,
• Finding and addressing policy and administrative challenges in managing affiliations,
• Proposing new methods to build a strong and diverse workforce for the VA, and
• Creating effective ways to share faculty, trainees, facilities, equipment, and other healthcare resources.

The council operates through public meetings and regularly reports its progress to VA leadership. It assesses all facets of VA’s relationships with the academic sector and suggests policy, regulatory, and legislative changes.