Aaron Jackson, Ph.D.

M.A. in History (California State University, Sacramento) and B.A. in History (Metropolitan State University, Denver)
[email protected]

Dissertation: Broken: A Disability History of Veterans' Healthcare https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7603x8fs

The history of the largest and only fully-nationalized healthcare system in the United States: the Veterans Health Administration. Roughly established in 1921, the VA has evolved into one of the most successful healthcare systems by practically any measure--health outcomes, patient satisfaction, cost of care delivery, and so on. It is also fundamental to the success of medical training and research. Yet, in some ways, it is a fundamentally broken system, with its tiered access and a bureaucracy that prioritizes economic efficiency over patients' health. Unfortunately, the VA system has not been the subject of much historical analysis or critique. I'm hoping my research helps uncover ways to improve and expand care access in the VA and beyond.