The Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Million Veteran Program (MVP) has enrolled its 400,000th veteran volunteer, squarely putting it on track to become one of the world's largest medical databases, linking genetic, clinical, lifestyle and military-exposure information, with the goal of learning more about the role of genes in health and disease. Veterans who volunteer for the program donate blood, from which DNA is extracted, and periodically fill out surveys about their health, health-related behaviors and military experiences. They also consent to having authorized researchers access the information in their VA electronic health record, and to being re-contacted for future research opportunities. All information is kept secure and de-identified. For more information about MVP and VA research in general, visit the VA Office of Research and Development website and the VA Million Veteran Program (MVP) webpage.
For more on veteran benefits, visit the Military.com Benefits Center.
