About Atlanta VA.
The Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center, located in Decatur, Georgia, is a major healthcare, research, and training institution dedicated to improving the health, function, and quality of life of U.S. Veterans. Through its longstanding academic affiliation with Emory University, the Atlanta VA provides an important environment for multidisciplinary clinical and translational research.
The Atlanta VA serves as a key hub of the Emory Human Performance Research Institute (EHPI), connecting expertise in neuroscience, neuroimaging, biomechanics, rehabilitation, orthopaedics, pain medicine, and clinical care.
This collaboration seeks to better understand the mechanisms underlying musculoskeletal injury, chronic pain, movement dysfunction, and functional recovery, with an emphasis on translating scientific discoveries into improved rehabilitation strategies and long-term health outcomes. A central component of this partnership is the VA-funded Cartilage Regeneration using Advanced Technologies to Enable Motion (CReATE Motion) Center.
This interdisciplinary research program seeks to accelerate the development and translation of advanced approaches to preserve, restore, and improve joint health and function. Research efforts encompass post-traumatic osteoarthritis, musculoskeletal injury, joint degeneration, and innovative technologies for evaluating rehabilitation outcomes and therapeutic effectiveness.
Through collaboration with Emory SPARC, investigators integrate advanced brain and musculoskeletal MRI with biomechanical, behavioral, and clinical assessments to investigate the relationships among central nervous system function, musculoskeletal health, pain, and movement.
Current and developing research initiatives address chronic low back pain, movement-evoked pain, kinesiophobia, joint injury and recovery, and the neurological consequences of repetitive head impacts, occupational blast exposure, and traumatic brain injury.
By combining the VA's clinical expertise and Veteran-focused research infrastructure with SPARC's specialized imaging and human performance capabilities, this partnership supports the development of clinically meaningful biomarkers and targeted rehabilitation strategies. Ultimately, these efforts aim to reduce pain, preserve mobility, and improve long-term functional outcomes and quality of life among U.S. Veterans, with broader applications across the lifespan.
What happens here.
Key facts.
Research projects across the Atlanta VA research program
Research investigators involved in VA research
Research associates and staff supporting research activities
Acre medical center campus in Decatur, Georgia
Inpatient beds across the institution's reported facilities and programs
Longstanding academic affiliation with Emory University, with additional partnerships involving Georgia Tech, Morehouse School of Medicine, the CDC, and the Georgia CTSA
Milestones.
Establishment and growth of the Atlanta VA's academic and research partnerships with Emory University, supporting multidisciplinary clinical research and investigator development.
The Atlanta VA Medical Center was officially renamed in honor of former U.S. Senator and Veterans Affairs Administrator Joseph Maxwell Cleland, with a formal renaming ceremony held in September 2023.
The VA-funded CReATE Motion Center began its five-year research program (2024–2028), bringing together investigators and resources to advance cartilage regeneration, joint preservation, rehabilitation, and functional outcome assessment.
Expansion of collaborative research between Emory SPARC and the Atlanta VA, including projects focused on advanced neuroimaging, musculoskeletal pain, post-traumatic osteoarthritis, and Veteran rehabilitation.
Development of additional collaborative research programs leveraging advanced neuroimaging, quantitative musculoskeletal MRI, biomechanics, and clinical assessments to investigate movement dysfunction, musculoskeletal pain, and neurological injury in Veterans.
Current & past projects.
A multi-modal structure-function investigation to identify integrated biomarkers of PTOA and long-term knee health in U.S. Veterans
Utilize a clinical observational structure-function study in U.S. veterans to rigorously evaluate how cartilage composition and neural activity for lower extremity knee movements contribute to the clinical onset of PTOA.
Enhanced discrimination of post traumatic osteoarthritis in U.S. veterans using neuroimaging and biomechanical assessments
To integrate advanced methodologies (brain fMRI and markerless motion capture) to discriminate U.S. Veterans at high versus low risk for post traumatic osteoarthritis
An MRI-compatible instrumented leg press device to investigate load-dependent brain activity in veterans with post-traumatic osteoarthritis
Develop an MRI-compatible pneumatic leg press system with bilateral force transducers to concurrently quantify lower-limb kinetics and brain activity during dynamic lower-limb movement. This technology will provide a new approach for investigations of neural-biomechanical relationships and motor function in U.S. Veterans with post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis.
Impact.
Studies in preparation and in progress.
Capabilities & technology.
Some of these capabilities are available through collaborative partnerships with Emory University and the Emory Sports Performance And Research Center (SPARC) and are not physically housed at the Atlanta VA Medical Center.
People at Atlanta VA
Gregory D. MyerPhD, FACSM, CSCS*DDirector, Emory Human Performance InstituteSPARCCOBRAAtlanta VA→
Jed A. DiekfussPhDAssistant Professor, Department of Orthopaedics · Director of Motor Neuroimaging, Emory SPARCSPARCBiomotion LabCOBRAAtlanta VA→
Andrew C. HagenPhDPostdoctoral Research FellowSPARCBiomotion LabAtlanta VA→
Taylor M. ZulegerPostdoctoral Research FellowSPARCCOBRAAtlanta VA→Recent publications
Funding at Atlanta VA
2024–2028Atlanta VA2026–2028Atlanta VA2024–2026Atlanta VA2026–2027Atlanta VAWorking together.
The CReATE Motion Center is supported by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under award I50RX004845.
Getting here.
Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center 1670 Clairmont Road Decatur, GA 30033
Main telephone: 404-321-6111
Website: va.gov/atlanta-health-care/locations/joseph-maxwell-cleland-atlanta-va-medical-center
Visitor information: The medical center is located in Decatur, Georgia, and provides clinical care, rehabilitation, education, and research services for eligible Veterans. Visitors should consult the official VA website for current directions, parking, facility access, and visitor policies.
Research participation: Individuals interested in participating in clinical research should contact the relevant study team for eligibility, scheduling, and study-specific instructions. Research participation may occur at the VA or an approved collaborating research facility, depending on the protocol.
Emory SPARC collaboration: Certain advanced imaging and biomechanical research procedures may take place at Emory SPARC in Flowery Branch, Georgia, rather than at the Atlanta VA Medical Center. Participants should follow study-specific directions provided by research staff.