All of us would probably agree that people who do not get enough to eat are generally less healthy than those of us who are well fed. Dr. Alicia Cohen is a family physician and health-services researcher at the Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center who has made it her life’s work to attack this problem.
Her research examines the links between not getting enough to eat and poor health. She goes further: How can the VA best address the needs of veterans who find it difficult to put food on the table for their families? How can the VA better identify community resources to help address this issue?
Early findings from her work have been cited in congressional testimony on veterans and military hunger. Last month, her work was recognized nationally when she was named a recipient of a prestigious fellowship from the National Academy of Medicine.
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NAM fellowship
“The fellows were chosen based on their professional qualifications, reputations as scholars, professional accomplishments and the relevance of their current field expertise to the work of the NAM and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine,” NAM stated in a news release.
“I am so humbled and excited about this opportunity,” said Dr. Cohen, who also practices primary care at the VA Providence’s Homeless Clinic and Women’s Health Clinic.
“This is an incredible honor and is perfectly aligned with my research, training and career goals,” Cohen said.
Cohen is one of seven recipients nationwide for 2022. During the two-year fellowship she will collaborate with “eminent researchers, policy experts and clinicians from across the country,” according to NAM.
Fellows continue in their primary academic or research posts while engaging in the National Academies’ health and science policy work. (Cohen is also an assistant professor of Family Medicine and Health Services at Brown University’s Alpert Medical School.)
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Dr. Alicia Cohen
She was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Rockville, Maryland. She received her M.D. from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. She continued her training in California at the Sutter Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency Program. She then went on to the University of Michigan for an Integrative Medicine Fellowship. While there, Dr. Cohen earned a master’s degree in Health and Health Care Research.
Today, she serves on several national VA committees and workgroups. She represents the VA on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity.
Cohen lives in Providence with her husband, two children and yellow Labrador retriever. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, camping, kayaking and “pretty much anything else that involves enjoying the outdoors with family and friends.”
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Rep. Cicilline hosts ‘Community Conversation’ for vets and families
On Aug. 15, some 120 veterans, active service members and their families joined Rep. David Cicilline at Pawtucket’s Slater Park Pavilion for a conversation about issues important to them.
The event, postponed from July 25 due to weather, benefited from a beautiful summer evening as invitees enjoyed hamburgers, hot dogs and soft drinks. They mingled with local and RI National Guard leaders before sitting down for a serious discussion.
This was the fifth Veterans Community Conversation the congressman has hosted and the first since 2019 due to COVID concerns.
“Problems affecting our veterans have always been a very high priority for me,” Cicilline told the Journal. District Director Chris Bizzacco added, “These discussions are an important opportunity for the Congressman to provide an update on what is happening in Washington, and to hear…
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