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Database & Methods Cyberseminar Series
Navigating the VA Data Landscape
VIReC's Database & Methods Series is an introductory guide to VA data and information systems. Sessions are designed to help VA researchers understand common VA data sources and how they are used in research and quality improvement. This series is suitable for all levels.
Current Schedule
VIReC’s Database & Methods Cyberseminar Series is updated yearly to address changes in the data environment. It begins with an introduction to VIReC and VA databases, an overview of resources for using these data, and information about data access and request processes. Presenters will then discuss a variety of data topics and sources, describing how VA data can be applied to research and quality improvement questions. Select the Special Topics Archive tab above to explore cyberseminars from previous years on topics such as comorbidities, laboratory data and more.
| Session | Upcoming | Archived |
|---|---|---|
| Meet VIReC: The Researcher's Guide to VA Data Learn about VIReC, a key resource for navigating VA’s complex data landscape and an advocate for data user needs. This session provides an overview of VIReC activities, products, and services along with a tour of the Center's websites and online resources. Presented by: Maria Souden |
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View 10/7/24 |
| An Introduction to Commonly Used VA Databases Provides an overview of commonly used VA data sources and some resources for using them effectively. Presented by: Maria Souden & George Allen |
- |
View 11/4/24 |
| VHA Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW): Using CDW Data to Conduct a Research Study for SQL Beginners Shows concrete examples of using CDW data to perform a simple study using VA data and will go over beginning SQL language. Presented by: Anne Hines |
- |
View 12/2/24 |
| Creating Order from Chaos – Using VINCI SOPs to Create Tables for Analysis Covers what is provided in a research space; how to extract the data using standard operating procedures; and putting together a final table to use for analytics. Presented by: Jim Gatsby |
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View 1/6/25 |
| Integrated Veteran Care_Consolidated Data Set (IVC_CDS): A Review of Community Care Claims Data and FAQs Reviews the referrals, claims, and patient data in the Office of Integrated Veteran Care Consolidated Data Set schema (ivc_cds); answers to frequently asked questions will also be covered. Presented by: Erin Beilstein-Wedel & Megan Vanneman | - |
View 2/3/25 |
| An Introduction to VA Pharmacy Data This session provides an overview of pharmacy data sources and describes how to locate pharmacy data within the CDW. Presented by: Kjersti Rich |
- |
View 3/3/25 |
| VA REDCap 101: Overview for VA Researchers This session will provide VA researchers with an overview of VA REDCap, a primary data collection tool originally developed by Vanderbilt University. Presented by: Bonnie Paris |
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View 3/18/25 |
| Assessing Race and Ethnicity in VA Data Describes how to locate race and ethnicity data and assess its quality in VA and Medicare. Presented by: Maria Mor |
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View 4/7/25 |
| Moving a Project from Qualtrics to VA REDCap This presentation will compare capabilities of Qualtrics vs VA REDCap, provide an example of migrating a project from Qualtrics to VA REDCap with lessons learned, and provide links to resources to support you in the process. Time will be dedicated to a Q&A session at the end. Presented by: Lewis Greenstein & Bonnie Paris |
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View 4/15/25 |
| Description of the CORC (COVID-19) Research Data Repository (RDR) Presented by: George Ioannou & Kristin Wyatt |
Register 6/2/25 |
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| Applications for Joint Longitudinal Viewer (JLV) in Research: Introduction This session is the first of a two-part series describing what is needed to begin using JLV for research, including an interactive presentation on setting up a JLV workspace for basic research tasks. Presented by: Reese Omizo |
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View 7/1/24 |
| Applications for Joint Longitudinal Viewer (JLV) in Research: Day to Day Uses The second session of this two-part series explores advanced uses of JLV to uncover clinical data. Applications for Joint Longitudinal Viewer (JLV) in Research: Introduction for an introduction to JLV. Presented by: Reese Omizo |
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View 7/15/24 |
| Centralized Interactive Phenomics Resource (CIPHER): Phenotype Library and Tool Demonstration Overview and live demonstration of CIPHER, a knowledgebase of computable electronic health records (EHR)-based phenotypes, tools, and resources for health data users. Presented by: Ashley Galloway, Jacqueline Honerlaw, Kelly Cho |
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View 9/9/24 |
Special Topics Archive
The Database & Methods Cyberseminar Archive lists prior sessions. It features presentations from the current year’s schedule along with those from previous years. Sessions are point-in-time. Information is current and accurate for the year in which the information was presented.
Select a title below to access the recording, handout, and transcript for that session.
All-Payer Claims
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8/24 | Requesting and Including State Data, Including All-Payer Claims Databases (APCDs), in VA Studies and Evaluations Shares why APCD or other state data is important for VA research and evalation. Provides recommendations on which state date to include. Giving direction on the logistics for acquiring these data. |
All Payer Claims | Ahmed Mohamed Amy Rosen Megan Vanneman Todd Wagner |
Comorbidity
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/9/2019 | Advanced Comorbidity Measures Takes a deep dive into comorbidity measures for a more advanced audience. Prerequisite: Comorbidity Measures Using VA & CMS Data introduces approaches to and issues in assessing comorbidity using VA and Medicare claims data. |
Comorbidity | Denise Hynes |
| 9/10/2018 | Comorbidity Measures Using VA & CMS Data Provides overview of current approaches to and issues in assessing comorbidity using VA and Medicare claims data. Also describes efforts to improve measurement of comorbidity using claims data. |
Comorbidity | Denise Hynes |
Community Care
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/5/2024 | Understanding VA-Purchased Community Care Claims and Referrals from the Office of Integrated Veteran Care Consolidated Data Set (IVC_CDS) This seminar covers basic knowledge necessary to access and analyze VA-purchased community care data from IVC_CDS clams and referrals data. |
Community Care | Erin Beilstein-Wedel Matthew Labo Megan Vanneman Todd Wagner |
| 9/12/2022 | Updates on VA-Purchased Community Care Data This cyberseminar will provide an overview of VA-purchased community care data sources and describe methods related to calculating utilization, cost, and access. |
Community Care | Erin Beilstein-Wedel Matthew Labo Megan Vanneman Todd Wagner |
Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW)
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/23/24 | VHA Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW): Using CDW Data to Conduct a Research Study This cyberseminar will provide an overview of VA-purchased community care data sources and describe methods related to calculating utilization, cost, and access. |
CDW | Anne Hines |
| 5/22/2023 | VHA Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW): A Conceptual Overview This seminar summarizes terms and concepts associated with relational databases and provides an overview of the VHA’s Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) as it exists in 2023. |
CDW | Margaret Gonsoulin |
Data Access
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/14/24 | VA Data Access Requirements for Operations (intranet only) Focuses on the regulatory requirements and processes for requesting access to VA data for operations (i.e., non-research) purposes. |
Data Access Miniseries | Angela Jannotta |
| 11/6/24 | Requesting Data Preparatory to Research Provides guidance will discuss VINCI services available to researchers in the preparatory to research stage, how to submit a preparatory to research request in the Data Access Request Tracker (DART) and provide tips for preparing a research protocol and study team. |
Data Access Miniseries | Olga Efimova |
| 10/10/24 | VA Data Access Preparatory to Research Requirements Provides an overview of the documents required and information needed for preparatory to research purposes, as well as helpful VHA web resources to inform and support the data user's path. |
Data Access Miniseries | Angela Jannotta |
| 10/2/24 | Requesting Research Data Access Using DART Provides those wanting to do research how to request access to data for either Preparatory to Research or IRB research. To understand how to manage DART requests through their lifecycle and what your role is. As well as, what to expect following approval. |
Data Access Miniseries | Tim Trautman |
| 9/4/24 | VA Data Access Requirements for Research (intranet only) Focuses on the regulatory requirements for requesting access to existing databases containing Veterans' healthcare information. |
Data Access Miniseries | Angela Jannotta |
| 12/4/23 | Navigating VA Data Access: An Overview of the Process for Requesting Permission to Use VA Data Provides guidance on determining the data necessary for research and operations projects and describes the framework for requesting access to commonly used VA data sources, including where to find specific instructions for the most frequently analyzed VA data sources. |
Data Access | Angela Jannotta |
| 11/1/23 | VA Data Access for Operations This seminar is the third topic in a three-session miniseries and focuses on the resources, regulatory requirements, and processes for requesting VA data access for operations purposes. |
Data Access Miniseries | Angela Jannotta |
| 10/4/23 | VA Data Access for Preparatory to Research This seminar is the second topic in a three-session miniseries and focuses on the resources, regulatory requirements, and processes for requesting access to VA data for preparatory to research purposes. |
Data Access Miniseries | Angela Jannotta |
| 9/6/23 | VA Data Access for Research This seminar is the first topic in a three-session miniseries and provides guidance on processes, regulatory requirements, and resources applicable to VA data access for preparatory to research activities, approved research projects, and operations purposes. |
Data Access Miniseries | Angela Jannotta Linda Kok |
Electronic Health Record Databases & Tools, e.g., JLV
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/15/2024 | Applications for Joint Longitudinal Viewer (JLV) in Research: Day to Day Uses The second session of this two-part series explores advanced uses of JLV to uncover clinical data. Applications for Joint Longitudinal Viewer (JLV) in Research: Introduction for an introduction to JLV. |
JLV, EHR | Reese Omizo |
| 7/1/2024 | Applications for Joint Longitudinal Viewer (JLV) in Research: Introduction Describes what is needed to begin using JLV for research, including an interactive presentation on setting up a JLV workspace for basic research tasks. |
JLV, EHR | Amber Lane Reese Omizo |
| 3/15/2021 | Joint Longitudinal Viewer (JLV) and Research Part 2: A Deeper Look An interactive presentation covering basic use of JLV in the research setting, common use cases, optimizing EHR search and workspaces, and troubleshooting JLV issues. Includes a live demonstration and Q&A session. |
JLV, EHR | Amber Lane Reese Omizo |
| 3/1/2021 | Joint Longitudinal Viewer (JLV) and Research, Part 1: Getting Started An interactive presentation covering basic use of JLV in the research setting, common use cases, optimizing EHR search and workspaces, and troubleshooting JLV issues. Includes a live demonstration and Q&A session. |
JLV, EHR | Amber Lane Reese Omizo |
| 6/4/2018 | Working with EHR Data Using VistAWeb, VINCI ChartReview Tool, and Joint Legacy Viewer Describes EHR data and chart review methods, identifies strategies and considerations for conducting chart review, and discusses available tools to support chart review activities. |
EHR | Daniel Denhalter Susan Hastings Elizabeth Mahanna |
| 7/10/2017 | Chart Review Using National EHR Tools Explains benefits of conducting chart review, presents research studies that used chart review methodology, and describes steps for developing a chart review manual. Compares VA tools for accessing EHR data and provides resources related to the VA’s transition to JLV. |
EHR | Linda Williams |
GECDAC RHF
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/9/2023 | Geriatrics and Extended Care Data Analysis Center Residential History File (GECDAC RHF) Presents details of the database system structure, the business rules developed to create it, and some applications using it along with useful SAS coding. |
Geriatrics & Extended Care, RHF | Orna Intrator Rajesh Makineni |
Laboratory & Pharmacy Data
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/3/2025 | An Introduction to VA Pharmacy Data Provides an overview of pharmacy data sources and how to locate these data within the CDW. |
Pharmacy, CDW | Kjersti Rich |
| 5/6/2024 | An Introduction to VA Pharmacy Data: Sources and Uses for Medication Information Explores the content and structure of pharmacy datasets in the VA. |
Pharmacy Datasets |
Timothy Anderson Bonnie Paris |
| 6/3/2019 | Diagnoses, Labs, and Meds, Oh My! Using CDW to Define a Study Cohort by Multiple Criteria Demonstrates how to identify studssssy cohort based on occurrence of condition-relevant ICD-9/10 codes, utilization of condition-relevant medication, and condition-relevant lab results. |
CDW Lab Data |
Peter Richardson Kathryn Royse |
| 7/9/2018 | Phenotyping Physiologic Measurement of Lung Function in the VA EHR Using Automated Tools Describes the challenges to extracting pulmonary function test (PFT) data from large EHR-based data sources, and the benefits and limitations of automatic tools that extract PFT values from the EHR. |
Phenotyping, EHR | Kathleen Akgün |
| 5/7/2018 | Pharmacoepidemiological Designs: Using CDW Lab Data and Drug Data for Effectiveness Research Provides overview of laboratory data in the CDW and reviews how to find drug information, including date of fill, number of pills per day, strength of pill, refill data, and exposure window. |
CDW, Lab Data, Pharmacy Data |
Adriana Hung |
Medicare
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/10/2023 | Overview of CMS & USRDS Data in the VHA Provides technical information about using Medicare data in the VHA, including details of who is in the data, timeliness of data, and how to access the data after approval. |
Medicare Data Veterans |
Kristin de Groot |
| 7/11/2023 | Measuring Veterans' Medicare Health Services - Part 2 Provides technical information about using Medicare data in the VHA, including details of who is in the data, timeliness of data, and how to access the data after approval. |
Medicare Data Veterans |
Kristin de Groot |
| 4/11/2023 | Using Medicare Data in VA research: Part 1 Provides an overview of Medicare data available to VA researchers and describe how these data can be used to identify Veterans' use of health services paid by Medicare. |
Medicare Data Veterans |
Kristin de Groot |
| 7/30/2024 | Medicare Data in the OMOP Common Data Model Describes the VA’s transformation of Medicare data into the OMOP common data model (CDM) and how the data in this format allows it to be more easily used with other instances of OMOP data in VA. |
Medicare Data Veterans |
Kristin de Groot |
| 10/11/2022 | Using Medicare data to study COVID-19 in Veterans Provides an overview of Medicare data, statistics on the number of Veterans with COVID-19 and/or COVID-19 vaccines in the Medicare data, and examples of ways the Medicare data can be used to study COVID-19. |
Medicare Data Veterans |
Kristin de Groot |
| 7/12/2022 | Using Medicaid Data in VA Research Provides a brief overview of the types of data produced by CMS, its availability in the VHA, and Veterans' enrollment in Medicaid and their healthcare utilization paid by Medicaid. |
Medicare Data Veterans |
Kristin de Groot |
Mental Health
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/12/2016 | A Practical Guide to Using the CDW Mental Health Domain Introduces CDW Mental Health domain and data elements available, provides examples of how specific data elements, such as the AUDIT-C and BAM, have been used in research, and addresses potential limitations of these data. |
CDW, Mental Health |
Eric Hawkins Carol Malte |
Outpatient
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/6/2017 | Assessing Outpatient Utilization with VA Data Introduces two primary sources of VA outpatient utilization data, MedSAS and CDW. Discusses how clinical and administrative outpatient data has been used in retrospective cohort studies. |
CDW, Outpatient | Denise Hynes |
Patient-Generated Health Database
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/4/2024 | Understanding and Accessing the Office of Connected Care's Patient-Generated Health Data (PGHD) Database Provides an overview of PGHD and how this database may be leveraged for research and operations purposes. We will explore the database's structure, the types of data it contains, and important considerations when using these data. |
Patient-Generated Health Data | Terry Newton Stephanie Shimada Mark Zocchie |
Phenomics
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/9/2024 | Centralized Interactive Phenomics Resource (CIPHER): Overview and Demonstration of the VA Phenomics Library Provides an overview and updates from CIPHER, the VA Phenomics Library. CIPHER is a catalog and knowledge-sharing platform of electronic health record (EHR) based phenomics metadata and annotations that aims to optimize Veterans' health data, drive collaborative research and improve clinical operations. |
CIPHER, EHR, Phenomics | Kelly Cho Ashley Gallloway Jacqueline Honerlaw |
Race/Ethnicity
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/7/2025 | Assessing Race and Ethnicity in VA Data Describes how to locate race and ethnicity data and assess its quality in VA and Medicare. |
Race, Medicare | Maria Mor |
USVETS
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/6/2019 | United States Veterans Eligibility Trends and Statistics: A New Data Source with Socioeconomic Variables Introduces USVETS database including addressing its accuracy, completeness, consistency, validity, and timeliness; defines available socioeconomic data; and describes process to obtain access to USVETS. |
USVETS | Ankur Bhargava George Hauser |
VA REDCap
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/18/2025 | VA REDCap 101 Describes benefits and limitations of VA REDCap, reviews basic and advanced features of VA REDCap, and provides additional resources for training and support. |
VA REDCap, Primary Data Collection | Bonnie Paris |
VHA SCIDR
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/6/2023 | Overview of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Spinal Cord Injuries & Disorders Registry (VHA SCIDR) Introduces the VHA SCIDR as the SCI/D population case-identification platform and how to connect the data set to all Veterans' VHA healthcare data. |
Spinal Cord Injuries & Disorders | Jennifer Sippel Adam Eberhart Bridget Smith |
Vital Status/Mortality
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/6/2023 | VHA Death Ascertainment File (DAF) and Other Data Sources for Mortality Ascertainment Describes the new VHA Death Ascertainment File and summarize other sources available for death ascertainment. |
Mortality, VSF, Vital Status | Noreen Arnold |
| 6/27/2022 | New VHA Vital Status File Introduces the new VHA Death Ascertainment File (DAF) which replaces the current VHA Vital Status File (VSF). |
Mortality, VSF, Vital Status | Noreen Arnold |
| 3/7/2022 | Ascertaining Veterans’ Vital Status: Data Sources for Mortality Ascertainment and Cause of Death Identifies data sources for Veteran vital status ascertainment and describes the strengths and limitations of these data sources for mortality ascertainment |
Mortality, VSF, Vital Status | Charles Maynard |
| 6/7/2021 | Ascertaining Veterans’ Vital Status: Data Sources for Mortality Ascertainment and Cause of Death Describe the components of the VA Vital Status Files and how they can be used for research purposes. Also discusses other death databases such as the National Death Index and state death certificates. |
Mortality, NDI, Vital Status | Charles Maynard |
Weight Data
| Date | Title | Key Topic(s) | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/6/2020 | WEIGHT WEIGHT…DO TELL ME!: Comparing algorithms to process and clean CDW weight data Compares algorithms identified from a systematic literature review used to process and clean administrative (CDW) weight data, leading to practical recommendations. |
CDW, Weight Data |
Jennifer Burns Laura Damschroder Richard Evans Wyndy Wiitala |
