The Veterans Health Administration Health Professions Trainees Background Check and Information Technology Issues - September 23

Over the past year, multiple federal policy and procedural changes have directly affected the security vetting, onboarding, and information technology access of Health Professions Trainees (HPT) on clinical rotations and affiliate staff working at VA facilities. This webinar provides an update on the policies and procedures related to VA onboarding procedures, background checks and computer access. After this session, participants should be able to:

1. List the proposed modifications to VA HPT and Affiliate Staff security vetting, onboarding and information technology access.
2. Describe the effect on HPT and affiliate staff, the planned process changes and mitigations related to the updated background checks and computer access changes.
3. Identify opportunities to support HPTs and Affiliate Staff in completing these new processes.

Woodson "Scott" Jones, M.D.
Vice Dean for Graduate Medical Education (GME) and Designated Institutional Official (DIO)

Woodson "Scott" Jones, M.D. is the Vice Dean for Graduate Medical Education (GME) and Designated Institutional Official (DIO), Lois L. Bready, M.D. Endowed Professor, Professor of Pediatrics in the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine (LSOM), University of Texas Health, San Antonio. The Office of GME oversees over 90 graduate medical education programs (>60 ACGME-accredited residency and fellowship programs, >30 non-ACGME fellowship programs, with more than 900 residents. Before joining the LSOM, Dr. Jones served as the Dean, DIO, and CEO of the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC), overseeing GME and graduate-allied health training programs.  Over one-quarter of UT Health residents are trained within the South Texas Veterans Health Care System and meets monthly with the ACOS for Education and is passionate about veterans’ healthcare as retired AF Officer.

Dr. Jones’ is also the Course Director for the Association of American Medical Colleges Graduate Medical Education Leadership Development Certificate Program.  The Veteran’s Administration is the largest single training platform for residents in the country and, therefore, critical to the future of healthcare delivery. Therefore, he has brought in the VA Office for Academic Affairs to give lectures and actively sought to increase VA GME leaders' participation in the course. He has had the privilege of being the course mentor for several outstanding VA education leaders.  Improving the communication and collaboration between academic affiliates and their VA partners is an area of active interest of Dr. Jones.

Edward Walton, MD MHPE
Director, Medical Informatics Unit (MIU), Office of Academic Affiliations

Dr. Edward Walton earned his BA in biology from Middlebury College and his MD from Dartmouth Medical School. He then completed Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics residencies at the University of California, San Diego. Currently, Dr. Walton is Director of the Medical Informatics Unit (MIU) at the Office of Academic Affiliations, US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); one of his primary roles in the MIU is to ensure that the VA’s 113,000 health profession trainees are integrated into the VA’s electronic health record modernization project (EHRM). Dr. Walton was instrumental in creating the Health Professions Trainee Council within EHRM and is currently co-chairing. He has also been actively involved in the MHS Genesis electronic health record deployment within the military health system. He completed the 10x10 informatics certification from the American Institute of Medical Informatics in 2020.

Dr. Walton practices emergency medicine at Lieutenant Colonel Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 2020, he completed a Master of Health Professions Education at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Walton also serves as a Captain in the US Navy Reserve Component. He has deployed to Afghanistan, Cuba, and, most recently, to the Javits Center in New York City as a member of the military COVID–19 response. In February 2023, he assumed the role of Commanding Officer for Navy Reserve NAVCENT Medical and Reserve Fleet Surgeon. This unit supports 5th Fleet activities from their base in Bahrain.