VA Cooperative Studies Program (CSP)
CSP Central Office - Washington, D.C.
CSP Central Office is located in Washington, D.C. All CSP activities are managed, coordinated, and funded in this office and operate under the leadership of the Chief Research and Development Officer.
When 10,000 Veterans suffered from tuberculosis in the 1940s, researchers enrolled them in VA studies to evaluate drugs for treating the disease. This effort was considered the first VA Cooperative Study and led to the development of the Cooperative Studies Program (CSP). CSP was organized into its present form by James A. Hagans, MD, PhD. in 1972. By enabling biostatistical and data management expertise and a clinical research pharmacy to be integrated with investigator-initiated ideas, a unique framework for conducting multi-site clinical trials in VA was instituted. CSP has since grown into a major clinical research activity that encourages and supports VA investigators in conducting clinical research and collecting data across multiple research facilities.
Today, CSP provides definitive research findings that have a direct impact on the clinical care given to our Veterans and the nation. Headquartered in downtown Washington, D.C., near the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Central Office, CSP links VA investigators to an extensive network of professional biostatisticians, health economists, pharmacists, programmers, and administrators. Along with its epidemiology centers, CSP serves as a foundation for all clinical research efforts supported by the Clinical Sciences Research & Development Service of the Veterans Health Administration's Office of Research and Development. Additionally, CSP established several collaborations with other federal, international, university, and private industry partners. These activities are centrally directed, managed, and supported by CSP Central Office under the leadership of the Chief Research and Development Officer.
Key Personnel
Acting Chief Research and Development Officer (CRADO)
Grant D. Huang, MPH, PhD
Acting Director, Cooperative Studies Program (CSP)
Ryan E. Ferguson, ScD, MPH
Dr. Ferguson is the Director of the CSPCC in Boston, MA, where he is involved in the design and conduct of large multi-center randomized clinical trials. Dr. Ferguson joined the Cooperative Studies Program in 2001 and has since focused on clinical trial methodologies for conducting pragmatic comparative effectiveness trials. He currently serves as a Principal Investigator for the VA’s Point of Care Research Program which is focused primarily on pragmatic clinical trials and innovation in translational science. In addition to his interests in clinical trials methodology and pragmatic trials, Dr. Ferguson’s research interests are focused on the epidemiology of acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease. Dr. Ferguson’s published work includes first authored publications, abstracts, presentations, and book chapters on pragmatic trials and trial design. Dr. Ferguson is on faculty at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the department of General Internal Medicine. He is also a member of the Society for Clinical Trials, the Society for Epidemiologic Research, and the American Statistical Association. 
Program Manager
David Burnaska
Contact
Cooperative Studies Program
VA Office of Research and Development (14RD)
810 Vermont Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20420
Phone: (202) 443-5600
Fax: (202) 459-6156
Email: CSP@va.gov
