Announcing Boots to Wellness, Women Veterans Healthcare Research Exchange: Breast Cancer Screenings for Women Veterans
Boots to Wellness: Women Veterans Healthcare Research Exchange
This hybrid event, scheduled for May 13, 2026, 10 a.m.—12 p.m. EDT (in person at the Crescenz VAMC LVA Auditorium and online over WebEx), will focus on Veteran Women’s health research at the VA and the importance of Veteran voices in VA research. Following brief presentations from Veterans, VA researchers and others about Women Veterans’ health, Veterans will have an opportunity to ask questions that are important to them and to learn more about upcoming active research studies.
Register to attend online: Click here. To attend in person, join us on May 13, 2026 in the LVA Auditorium at Crescenz VAMC
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Women’s health is Veterans’ health—it’s as simple as that. And one of the bedrocks of modern women’s health is screening for breast cancer. But when to start screenings has been a source of confusion at times.
Women at average risk for breast cancer are now recommended to start mammogram screenings at age 40, with screenings every two years until age 74, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). This is especially important for the ever-increasing number of women Veterans who have been turning to the Veterans Health Administration for their post-service healthcare.
That age—40—is the latest of a puzzling number of screening recommendations issued from national health authorities over the years. The age to start screenings has previously been stated as 55 years, or 50, or at 45. The result is that many women who are now well into their 40s and 50s have yet to begin these vital screenings at all, let alone every two years. (The American College of Radiology, the Society of Breast Imaging, and the American Society of Breast Surgeons recommend screenings every year starting at 40.)
Reasons given for updated guidelines from the USPSTF were an uptick in breast cancer for women aged 40 to 49 years, a decrease in ill effects from newer mammography technology, and racial and ethnic differences in breast cancer mortality.
The VA funds and conducts extensive studies focused on women Veterans. And as the population of women Veterans grows, breast cancer has become a major research priority.
In 2022, Congress passed two laws concerning mammograms for Veterans, providing for tele-screening services and expanded for mammograms to Veterans who served in regions with known toxic exposures (such as burn pits), no matter the Veteran’s age.
As with any important medical decision, it is best to consult with your own primary care doctor or gynecologist—someone who can provide a risk assessment.
Every VA facility has a Women Veterans Program Manager and Women's Health Primary Care Providers to ensure women Veterans have access to care and treatment, including breast cancer screenings. If a given VA facility cannot provide in-house screenings, women Vets are referred to community care.
“Some women have risk factors that put them at higher-than-average risk for developing breast cancer,” according to Breastcancer.org. “The American College of Radiology, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and several other medical organizations have published screening guidelines [and] the recommendations vary depending on individual risk factors. But in general, they recommend annual mammograms starting at age 30 and annual breast MRIs starting at age 25 to 35.”
The VA offers mammograms on-site at over 80 facilities. For women diagnosed with breast cancer, full-service oncology treatment includes imaging, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and other advanced state-of-the-art treatments as needed, on-site or as referred in the community. VA patients are also eligible for enrollment into clinical trials.
The bottom line: consciousness and consultation. Be conscious of your family and service exposure risks, and consult with your trusted VA doctors.
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Veterans help shape the direction of VA research for years to come. It’s about building a brighter and healthier future for all Veterans.
So mark your calendars, bring your questions, and join us at the Crescenz VAMC on May 13, 2026, (3900 Woodland Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104, LVA Auditorium; or online with WebEx), and let's work together for a future where every Veteran receives the care and support they deserve. There’s a lot to talk about!
The Veterans Community Advisory Board is made up of Veterans, like you, and they are working hard to promote holistic Veteran healthcare. This starts with spreading awareness among Veterans and researchers of the health equity issues that affect Veteran health and how to address them in the VA health system. “The voice of Veterans is often lost in research,” former VCAB Chair, Chuck Maxwell noted. “As a result, solutions developed may not meet the needs of patients. Patients and the public have come to feel disconnected from the goals of research.” With this in mind, the VCAB, in partnership with CHERP, PREF and the Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, present the Veterans Healthcare Research Forum: Boots to Wellness: Women Veterans Healthcare Research Exchange, May 13, 2026, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. EDT.
Get Involved! VCAB Voices shaping research!
If you want to engage with Veterans about VA Research and identify with the CHERP VCAB’s mission, “To advise, foster relationships, and contribute experience and input to CHERP Leadership and Researchers in order to promote health, healthcare, and health equity for the Veteran Community,” the Veterans Community Advisory Board in Philadelphia would love to have you as a member! Contact CHERPVCAB@gmail.com today!