Center for Collaborative Research Advancements for Veterans (CRAVe)

Overview

The CRAVe Center, a newly established center within the Technology Transfer Program (TTP) will aim to centralize the management and facilitation of technology transfer agreements, such as Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA), Confidential Disclosure Agreements (CDA) or Non-disclosure Agreements (NDA), Data-Use Agreements (DUA), and Material Transfer Agreements (MTA).

Mission

The mission of the CRAVe Center is to facilitate and oversee important veteran health-centric research conducted under the above-mentioned technology transfer agreements, ensuring efficient execution of the agreements without significant delays, while maintaining centralized management.

Objectives

1. Streamline review processes: implement efficient workflows for reviews of technology transfer agreements to minimize delays in execution of the agreements and initiation of important veteran health research, working with all relevant offices at the VA (including Office of General Counsel, Non-Profit Corporation, Office of Research and Development, and the VA Medical Centers).
2. Centralized management: The use of Wellspring Sophia and VAIRRS (as applicable) databases to docket and maintain agreement records, and centrally organize all relevant documents, and communications for each technology transfer agreement for ease of tracking and reference.
3. Quality assurance: the CRAVe Center will aim to ensure the VA and its representatives are consistent in our approaches and engaging in fair practices when collaborating with our industry partners and academic affiliates.
4. Collaboration: A dedicated center and personnel managing technology transfer agreements centrally will further foster collaboration among VA staff, VA researchers, VA partners, and our veterans. The CRAVe Center will ensure the research advancements made under the technology transfer agreements by facilitating development of eligible new inventions through the Technology Transfer Program pipeline.

Staff

Jenish Patel, PhD
Director, CRAVe Center
Technology Transfer Specialist, TTP

Dr. Jenish Patel joined the Technology Transfer Program (TTP) of the Office of Research and Development at the VA in 2020, as a Regional Lead Technology Transfer Specialist. In his tenure so far in TTP, Dr. Patel managed to negotiate and execute over ten (10) invention management agreements with VA academic affiliates, creating a foundation for the assigned region. Dr. Patel hired and trained three field technology transfer specialists, and facilitated dozens of agreements and invention disclosures.

Prior to joining the VA, Dr. Patel was a Senior Technology Transfer and Patent Specialist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), for six years, where he managed an extensive portfolio of technology transfer agreements, including facilitating from inception to completion - numerous CRADAs, including clinical trial and other collaboration agreements, MTAs and CDAs.

Dr. Patel has a doctorate from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York in Microbiology with a research focus on immunology and infectious diseases, where he also conducted his post-doctoral research in innate immunity to pathogens. Dr. Patel has authored over 25 publications throughout his academic research career. Before his PhD, Dr. Patel was a post-baccalaureate research fellow for the Association of Public Health Laboratories at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for two years conducting laboratory research on pandemic influenza viruses.

Dr. Patel, in his new role as the Director of the CRAVe Center, aspires to uphold his contribution to the exemplary efforts undertaken by the VA for our veterans and the public. Dr. Patel believes that the diversity, expertise, knowledge and skills he brings to TTP and the CRAVe Center will serve the mission of the VA well.

Rebecca Megabiaw
Program Specialist, TTP and CRAVe Center

Ms. Megabiaw is currently a Program Specialists for the Department of Veterans Affairs Technology Transfer Program.  Ms. Megabiaw joined the VA in 2020 as a Program Analyst handling the Invention Disclosure (ID) submissions.  In 2023, Ms. Megabiaw was promoted to a Program Specialist and is now handling patent prosecution administration and data analytics. Prior to joining the VA, Ms. Megabiaw was a Financial Program Specialist at Wells Fargo. Before joining Wells Fargo, Ms. Megabiaw served as a Program Analyst at Miller and Desatnik in Los Angeles, CA. Before that, Rebecca worked as a Customer Specialist with Chartwell Dining Services in Frostburg, MD.

Ms. Megabiaw holds a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication with a minor in Communication Studies from Frostburg State University.  Ms. Megabiaw is currently pursuing her Master in Health Administration at the University of Maryland.  Rebecca is fluent in Amharic and Tigrinya.