Deputy Director, Clinical Tech Innovation
VA Immersive Program Manager
Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Caitlin Rawlins has been as a nurse for over 10 Caitlin Rawlins has been in the nursing profession for over twelve years, with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) since 2017. In her first year of VA practice, she initiated the first positive distraction-focused virtual reality program for pain and anxiety management in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). She now aids in leading VHA innovation and immersive technology utilization as Deputy Director of Clinical Tech Innovation, co-lead of the VHA Extended Reality (XR) Network, and Program Manager for VA Immersive in the Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning. She has directly supported the expansion of XR technology use from one facility to over 90% of VA Healthcare Systems and XR network engagement to more than 2,300 VA employees, including developing pilots, programs, and healthcare integration resources. Ms. Rawlins has been awarded the 2019 ANCC Pathway Award, 2022 G2Xchange Disruptive Tech Program Award, 2022 IVRHA Hero Award, and, along with other OHIL Immersive Tech team members, was a recipient of the 2022 Service to the Citizen Award, 2023 ACT-IAC Innovation Impact Award, 2023 FORUM Health IT Innovation Award, 2023 Modern Healthcare Top 10 Innovator Organization, and a 2023 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals® Finalist for contributions to VA’s implementation of XR and development of the VHA XR Network.