Brief Description

MDREF is the Metropolitan Detroit Research and Education Foundation. It is a separate nonprofit, within the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit that facilitates research and education projects for the staff.

MDREF is one of 84 Nonprofits in the country that service the VA medical centers. All are based on a federally authorized statute passed in 1988. MDREF was incorporated in the State of Michigan in November, 1992 as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit. These 84 nonprofits, also known as the VA-affiliated nonprofit research and education corporations (NPCs) are authorized by Congress under 38 USC §§7361-7366 to provide flexible funding mechanisms in order to conduct research and education at VA facilities nationwide.

MDREF forms a unique partnership with the VA that dramatically broadened VA's ability to accept private and non-VA public funds to support VA's research program and work-related medical training for VA staff. MDREF can administer funding that the VA cannot. In this way MDREF broadens the scope of service to recruit the best researchers and the best funding sources. MDREF sponsors education events such as the Lunch and Learn series, Seminars in Medicine and VA specific education.