Who we are

The Palo Alto War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC), established in 2007 is the third such center funded by the VA. We provide a "second opinion" consultation service for combat veterans with illness and/or injuries that have not responded to current treatments.

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What we do

Our center utilizes a team of clinicians, researchers and educators who thoroughly review the history of the current complaint and offer recommendations for further testing and treatment. Veterans are referred to our clinic by their primary care physicians (PCP) through a centralized referral process. In some cases, a veteran can self-refer by initiating the WRIISC referral themselves but in all cases, the final referral comes through the WRIISC office in Washington, DC.

Our research focuses on improved diagnostics and rehabilitation for veterans who have sustained a mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

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Our Staff

Jerome Yesavage, MD - ACOS Mental Health

Dr. Jerome Yesavage is the Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health and Chief of Psychiatry, VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) and the Executive Director of the VAPAHCS WRIISC. His research focuses on Alzheimer's Disease (senile dementia), Age-Associated Cognitive Decline (normal changes in cognitive function seen in older adults), depression in aging, sleep disorders in aging and lifespan changes in complex tasks such as aircraft pilot performance. He has authored numerous papers covering topics in Geriatric psychiatry including Alzheimer's disease, cognitive assessments, and aviation safety.

J. Wesson Ashford, MD, PhD - WRIISC Director

Dr. J. Wesson Ashford is the Director of the War-Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC) at VAPAHCS, a Senior Research Scientist at the Stanford/VA Aging Clinical Research Center and Alzheimer's Center and a staff psychiatrist at the VAPAHCS. Dr. Ashford is an authority on Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and experienced in the recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of these and numerous other neuropsychiatric disorders. He has contributed major innovations to the fields of neuropsychological testing, brain imaging, and dementia treatment, with more than 70 scientific publications on Alzheimer's disease, MCI, genetic factors in Alzheimer's disease, and testing methodologies. Dr. Ashford is a Scientific Board Member of the Northern California Alzheimer's Association and Chair of the Memory Screening Advisory Board for the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. Dr. Ashford's training includes a B.A. from UC-Berkeley; an M.D. from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UCLA, where he set up the Alzheimer's PET Scan Study. He is a prolific scientific writer and speaker as well as a frequent presenter at international conferences.

Maheen Adamson, PhD - Deputy Director of Research

Dr. Adamson completed her PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, taught cognitive psychology at California State University, Fullerton, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford/VA Aging Clinical Research Center (ACRC). Dr. Adamson's PhD dissertation focused on how the human brain processes various languages like English, Arabic, Urdu, Japanese and Hebrew, to name a few. She has also investigated the decline of language and memory functions in normal older adults, patients with Alzheimer's disease, and patients with Frontal Temporal Dementia (FTD). She is involved in a longitudinal pilot study where she is exploring the gene-brain-cognition relationship to provide insight on aging, expertise, and brain changes in real world tasks such as flying a plane. Dr. Adamson's current research interests also include tracking age and trauma related changes in the brain. She is working on applying brain imaging techniques (both structural and functional) and cognitive evaluations to study cognitive and structural brain changes in veterans with and without TBI.

Jauhtai Joseph Cheng, MD - Neurology

Dr. Cheng is a staff neurologist at the VA Palo Alto Healthcare system and is the primary neurology consultant for the WRIISC, Palo Alto. Dr. Cheng received his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati, completed his internship in internal medicine and residency in neurology at the Mayo Graduate Clinic in Minnesota, and a fellowship in neurology at the University of California, Davis.

Sandra Scaling, RN, MSN - Clinical Coordinator

Sandra Scaling is the Clinical Coordinator for the VA Palo Alto WRIISC-CA Program. She began her career as a Research Technician at Stanford University in the Department of Genetics and Immunology. After returning to college, she obtained an ADN degree in Nursing. In 1998, she was recruited by the Department of Veteran Affairs in Palo Alto as a Staff Nurse. Soon after, she became the Assistant Nurse Manager of an acute inpatient psychiatry unit. In 2001, Ms. Scaling transferred to the position as coordinator of Mental Health Emergency Services at the VA Palo Alto.

Recently, Ms. Scaling has obtained her Master's Degree in Nursing from the University of San Francisco. Currently, Ms. Scaling is the Clinical Coordinator for the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, and is honored to continue to have the opportunity to serve our country's finest, the Veterans.

Louise Mahoney, MS - Deputy Director of Education & Risk Communication

Louise Mahoney coordinates educational and risk communication projects for the WRIISC CA which include conferences, web and print material and special workshops. She attended UC Berkeley and UC Davis and holds masters degree in molecular and developmental genetics. After several years involved in genetic research at UCLA and USC, she re-trained in computer science and worked as a computer programming for industry and academic computing consultant at UC Irvine and Cal State Long Beach. She began developing websites in 1994 and has taught introductory courses on web development and modern dance at the college level.

Ms. Mahoney is also developing a Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) research program for the WRIISC CA and offers several weekly mind/body classes to staff and Veterans. Class Schedule

Stacy Moeder, MHA, MBA - Administrative Officer

Stacy Moeder, MHA, MBA, started with the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1994 as an Administrative Fellow at the VA Medical Center in Long Beach, California. In 1995, she transferred to the VA Health Care System in Palo Alto, California as an Employee Relations Specialist. In 2000, Stacy became the Administrative Officer for Surgical Service and in 2003, she moved to Research Service. In 2007, she became the Administrative Officer for the new War Related Illness and Injury Study Center. In her personal time, Stacy enjoys spending time with her two young daughters and husband.

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How to contact us