• Editor’s Note: Kane County is the home to 24,436 veterans, the seventh-largest county by veteran population in the state of Illinois. “Ask Jake” is a monthly series of articles written by Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission Superintendent Jacob A. Zimmerman, designed to help Kane County veterans and their families, in appreciation of their service and sacrifice.

Steven E. Braverman, MD, has been selected as the new director for the Hines VA Hospital, effective Sept. 18, 2016, and Jake Zimmerman says that’s good news for Kane County veterans.

“This opens up a new and bright chapter for the Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Hospital,” said Zimmerman, superintendent of Kane County’s Veterans Assistance Commission.  “The director’s position has been vacant now for over a year and a half, and we are incredibly relieved that veterans will finally have real leadership at one of the busiest VA hospitals in the country.  I look forward to working with Col. Braverman as he transitions into the director’s role to ensure the quality and timeliness of the care our veterans receive.”

Braverman ‘s resume is impressive.

A native of Baltimore, MD, he holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University and a Doctor of Medicine degree from Vanderbilt University, with a medical specialty transitional internship at the Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Fort Gordon, GA, and a residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC.

In the summer of 2016, he was director of program analysis and evaluation for the Army Medical Command. Healthcare leadership assignments include director of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD; director of Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Hood, TX; director of USAMEDDAC and Ireland Army Community Hospital, Ft. Knox, KY; and Deputy Director, Clinical Services, Moncrief Army Community Hospital, Fort Jackson, SC. Healthcare staff positions include Medical Corps Deputy Corps Chief and Corps Specific Branch Proponent Officer; Chief of the Clinical Services Division, U.S. Army Medical Command; deputy director of Health Policy and Services, Office of the Surgeon General; chief consultant to the Army Surgeon General; command surgeon, National Defense University; and PM&R consultant to the Army Surgeon General. He deployed to Iraq as the Multi-National Corps–Iraq Deputy Surgeon for Clinical Operations in 2008-2009.

Braverman is board certified by the American Board of PM&R and served as an examiner for their oral board certification exam. He has served on the boards of directors of the Association of Academic Physiatrists, the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, and the American Board of Medical Acupuncture.

About Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital

Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital, located 12 miles west of downtown Chicago on a 147-acre campus, offers primary, extended and specialty care to our nation’s heroes. Hines Hospital operates nearly 500 beds and has community-based outpatient clinics in the Illinois communities of Kankakee, Hoffman Estates, Oak Lawn, Aurora, LaSalle and Joliet, serving more than 630,000 patients annually.

Hines is affiliated with approximately 70 colleges and universities for undergraduate and graduate studies in the associated health professions and professional students of medicine, nursing and dentistry. Specialized clinical programs include: Blind Rehabilitation, Spinal Cord Injury, Cardiovascular Surgery, Traumatic Brain Injury and Residential Care.  Hines also has one of the largest, most diverse research programs in the VA system, with approximately 550 projects, 175 investigators, and an estimated budget of $24 million. More than 3,500 employees are proud to work at Hines VA Hospital and take great pride in providing “The Best Care Anywhere” to Veterans from Illinois and beyond.

About the Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission

The Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission exists to help veterans access the benefits they earned for serving our great nation. Whether you are looking to apply for health care, dental insurance, disability compensation, home loan, GI Bill, or state benefits — the KCVAC office can help! Don’t try to navigate the benefits bureaucracy alone: Veterans Assistance Commission help is free! For more information, visit the Veterans Assistance Commission web page, “Like” the Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission Facebook page and sign up for the Veterans Assistance Commission newsletter.

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