About Us
The Houston Center of Excellence (CoE) is one of 13 competitively awarded national centers of research excellence funded by the Health Services Research and Development Service of the Veterans Health Administration (VA). The CoE has received generous support from the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center from its establishment in 1990 as the Houston Center for Quality of Care & Utilization Studies.
In 1998, the Section of Health Services Research of the Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, became a co-sponsor. Over the years, the Center has flourished into a research powerhouse that has a growing operating budget, primarily from grants and contracts, and a national reputation inside and outside VA for excellence in health services research, faculty development, and scientific leadership.
Significant collaborations in addition to the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine include the VA South Central MIRECC, Texas A&M University, Texas Children's Hospital, University of Texas School of Public Health, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Harris County Hospital District, Rice University, and the University of Houston.