About BRINM | Board Of Directors

About BRINM

BRINM’s Mission Statement

By supporting the VA research and education programs in Albuquerque, the Biomedical Research Institute of New Mexico’s (BRINM) mission is to promote high quality scientific research and education improving healthcare, medical treatment and quality of life for our nation’s veterans and, ultimately, the general public.

BRINM’s Guiding Principle

BRINM exists to support VA investigators in making successful advances in medical diagnosis and treatment through research and education. Therefore, we are committed to providing quality administrative services.

BRINM’s Goals

• To be the institution of choice for administration of research and education funding
• To foster collaboration that will further the BRINM mission
• To create a rewarding and challenging environment in which to conduct research
• To educate the public about VA research

BRINM is classified as a public nonprofit organization under the Internal Revenue Code 501©(3). It is one of more than 80 similar nonprofit organizations associated with VA medical centers nationwide. Passed in 1988, Public Law 100-322, Section 204 authorizes the establishment at any Department of Veterans Affairs medical center of a nonprofit corporation to provide a flexible mechanism for the receipt and administration of research funds other than VA appropriations. The purpose of BRINM is to advance the research mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs through the support of research-related activities at the New Mexico VA Healthcare System (NMVAHS).

Sources of funding may be grants, contracts, or gifts from for-profit companies, charitable foundations, the National Institutes of Health or other federal agencies, professional societies or other nonprofit entities, and individuals. Because the only statutory purpose of BRINM is to facilitate VA research, all funds received must be administered for purposes relating to VA approved research or to further research related education.

The mandated members of the BRINM board of directors are the medical center’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Medical Officer (CMO), the Associate Chief of Staff for Research (ACOS/R) and the Associate Chief of Staff for Education (ACOS/E). In addition, at least two members are required who are not officers or employees of the Federal Government, but are familiar with issues involving medical and scientific research. Also, the Chair of the Research Committee is a member of the board of directors.

Currently, BRINM administers funding for over a 100 different VA approved research projects and employs more than 95 full-time and part-time individuals. Some projects are funded entirely through BRINM and for others BRINM administers supplemental funding. Although the majority of the research on these projects is conducted at the NMVAHS facility in Albuquerque, some of the work is carried out as cooperative studies at other locations. A few of the medical disciplines encompassed in these studies are audiology, cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, immunology, neurology, oncology, psychology, and psychiatry.

BRINM has proven to be invaluable as a means for handling medical research funding. This mechanism has enabled investigators to conduct their research in an expeditious manner, free from much of the usual red tape. Because of this, BRINM has become a well-established institution with a growing number of active investigators and research projects. As the Institute’s activities evolve, its mission has expanded to provide funding for research projects.