Boston VA Research Institute (BVARI)

The Boston VA Research Institute (BVARI) is a nonprofit research corporation (NRC) that supports biomedical research and education within the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System. BVARI is a Veterans Affairs-affiliated NRC that supports all aspects of medical research aimed at improving healthcare and veterans’ health. 1

Read More

At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Website: www.bvari.org
Formation:

1991

CEO:

Patricia McNulty

CEO’s Salary:

$138,592 2

Location: Boston, MA View on map
Tax ID: 04-3081524
Most Recent Filing: 2025
Budget (2025): Assets: $25,744,224 Revenue: $15,893,775 Expenses: $14,923,968

Contents

    Activities

    Boston VA Research Institute supports Veterans Affairs research and educational programs by helping researchers secure and manage projects from federal agencies like the CDC, Department of Defense, and National Institutes of Health; pharmaceutical companies; and foundations. 1 BVARI’S Sponsored Programs Administration supports VA researchers through all the stages of a sponsored award, including proposal preparation, agreement negotiations, and award management. 3

    BVARI’s Project COPE study is focused on individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD), especially as daily in-person treatments were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As certain medications required for medication-assisted treatment have become more regulated by the federal government, Project COPE aims to compare how treatment for OUD has been affected by these regulations before and after the pandemic. Project COPE also aims to show how patient outcomes have been affected by changes in OUD healthcare delivery. 4

    Funding

    The Boston VA Research Institute is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While BVARI does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from the John Templeton Foundation ($605,087 in 2016), 5 the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association ($350,000 in 2015), 6 and the Trustees of Boston University ($103,234 in 2019). 7

    Board of Directors

    Jennifer Vasterling is the chair of the board of Boston VA Research Institute, the chief of psychology at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, and a clinical investigator in the Behavioral Sciences Division of the VA National Center for PTSD. Vasterling is the president of the Society for Clinical Neuropsychology. 8

    Jacob Joseph is the vice chair of the board of BVARI, chief of cardiology at the Providence VA Medical Center, and director of clinical research partnerships and innovations at the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC). 9

    Michael Charness is the chief of staff at the VA Boston Healthcare System. 10

    Aldebaran Hofer is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and a former deputy associate chief of staff for research at the VA Boston Healthcare System. 11

    Patricia McNulty is the CEO of BVARI. 12

    Andrew Budson is the chief of cognitive and behavioral neurology, the associate chief of staff for education, and the director of the Center for Translational Cognitive Neuroscience at the VA Boston Healthcare System. 13

    Terence M. Keane is the assistant dean of VA Research, the associate chief of staff for research and development at VA Boston Healthcare System, the director of the behavioral science division at the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and the president of the American Psychological Foundation. 14

    Vincent Ng is the director of the VA Boston Healthcare System and a member of the Boston Federal Executive Association. 15

    Richard Seligman is the associate vice president of research administration at the California Institute of Technology. 16

    Other members of the board include treasurer/secretary Antoun Houranieh, William E. Boden, Mary Brophy, and Robert Forrester. 12

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2025 $25,744,224 $15,893,775 $14,923,968 View
    2023 $28,144,486 $17,108,717 $14,947,928 View
    2022 $31,259,140 $13,304,752 $12,996,243 View
    2021 $30,681,512 $10,948,061 $10,804,828 View
    2020 $27,331,940 $12,065,526 $12,223,190 View
    2019 $25,108,392 $12,570,469 $12,088,244 View

    Prior year filings: 2018, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    • Number of Employees: 85

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Sherilyn SawyerSR DIRECTOR OF PRECISION MEDICINE$257,899
    Patricia McNulty MSCEO$246,986
    Jessica Loren MulliganDIRECTOR OF HR & OPERATIONS$223,380
    Margaret NiznikiewiczSENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTIST$198,213
    Kristen HardingDIRECTOR OF RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION$195,988
    Marian O'NeilCFO$178,963
    Dmitry GerashchenkoRESEARCH SCIENTIST$168,353

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $9,076,347
    • Number of Grants: 75
    • Number of Funders: 32

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $146,8402025 President and Fellows of Harvard CollegeSPONSORED RESEARCH SUB-AWARD
    $104,7242024 Ocean State Research Institute IncSUBAWARDEE
    $103,2342020 Trustees of Boston UniversityRESEARCH Research
    $95,2812025 Vanderbilt University Medical CenterResearch
    $87,7462024 President and Fellows of Harvard CollegeSPONSORED RESEARCH SUB-AWARD
    $81,3162020 Guardian Community Trust IncTHE AIM OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO CONTINUE THE LINE OF INQUIRY INTO PUBLIC GUARDIANSHIP. THIS IS A MULTI-PHASE PROJECT. AS A RESULT OF OUR PHASE 1 PROJECT WE IDENTIFIED SEVERAL NEXT STEPS, INCLUDING SURVEYS OF CLINICIANS AND GUARDIANS; TRACKING OF DATA WITH "MASS COURTS" DATA BASE AND THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF ELDER AFFAIRS; INTERVIEWS WITH THOSE UNDER/ PREVIOUSLY UNDER GUARDIANSHIP. THIS PROPOSAL CONCERNS SURVEYS OF CLINICIANS AND GUARDIANS. THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY ARE INTENDED TO SUPPORT CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF SOUND PUBLIC POLICY TOWARD UNMET GUARDIANSHIP NEEDS IN THE COMMONWEALTH.
    $78,4362023 President and Fellows of Harvard CollegeSPONSORED RESEARCH SUB-AWARD
    $65,1172025 Ocean State Research Institute IncSUBAWARDEE
    $50,0002021 The Hope FoundationVA INTEGRATION SUPPORT
    $49,9532021 Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc.PROGRAM SUPPORT
    $48,7572025 Foundation for Atlanta Veterans Education and Research IncCollaboration in Research
    $47,5982022 Trustees of Boston UniversityResearch
    $45,6682020 President and Fellows of Harvard CollegeSponsored research sub-award
    $36,2902022 Joslin Diabetes Center IncRESEARCH-SUBAWARD
    $27,0272023 Trustees of Boston UniversityResearch Research
    $24,4852021 President and Fellows of Harvard CollegeSPONSORED RESEARCH SUB-AWARD
    $15,2022024 Trustees of Boston UniversityRESEARCH
    $12,4012025 Trustees of Boston UniversityRESEARCH
    $11,8522025 Northeastern UniversitySUB-AWARD
    $9,9752022 Mary Hitchcock Memorial HospitalCHARITABLE RESEARCH
    $6,7282021 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center IncRESEARCH- SUBAWARD
    $6,7282020 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center IncRESEARCH- SUBAWARD
    $6,0042022 President and Fellows of Harvard CollegeSPONSORED RESEARCH SUB-AWARD

    Contact InfluenceWatch to report errors, suggest edits, or provide tips for additional profiles.

    Contact Us

    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “What We Do.” Boston VA Research Institute. Accessed January 20, 2023. https://www.bvari.org/what-we-do.
    2. Boston VA Research Institute Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2020, Part VII, Section A, Line 1a.
    3. “Sponsored Programs.” Boston VA Research Institute. Accessed January 23, 2023. https://www.bvari.org/sponsored-programs.
    4. “Project COPE.” Boston VA Research Institute. Accessed January 20, 2023. https://www.bvari.org/projectcope
    5. The John Templeton Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2016, Part XV, Line 3.
    6. Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Disorders Association, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2015, Schedule I, Part II.
    7. Trustees of Boston University, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Schedule I, Part II.
    8. “Jennifer J. Vasterling, PhD.” Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm/profile/jennifer-vasterling/.
    9. Jacob Joseph.” LinkedIn, 2023. Accessed January 23, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-joseph-4398b436/.
    10. “Michael E. Charness M.D.” U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.va.gov/boston-health-care/staff-profiles/michael-e-charness/
    11. “Aldebaran Hofer, Ph.D.” Brown University. Accessed January 23, 2023. https://www.brown.edu/academics/molecular-pharmacology-physiology-and-biotechnology/sites/brown.edu.academics.molecular-pharmacology-physiology-and-biotechnology/files/uploads/Hofer%20Bio%20and%20Abstract.pdf.
    12. “Board of Directors.” Boston VA Research Institute. Accessed January 23, 2023. https://www.bvari.org/board-of-directors.
    13. “Home.” Andrew Budson MD. Accessed January 23, 2023. https://www.andrewbudsonmd.com/.
    14. “Terence M. Keane, PhD.” Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm/profile/terence-keane/.
    15. “Vincent Ng.” U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.va.gov/boston-health-care/staff-profiles/vincent-ng/.
    16. “Richard Seligman.” LinkedIn, 2023. Accessed January 21, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-seligman-b7231923/.