In 1983, a public law authorized the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide preventive health services to veterans.  Because of the legislation, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) organized field advisory groups and task forces to oversee and monitor the delivery of preventive services.  Facilities were required to appoint prevention coordinators.

In 1992, Congress established a national center for prevention.  The legislation specified that it would be a field-based program office of the VA Central Office (VACO), rather than located in Washington.  Facilities were asked to submit proposals for the Center and the proposal from the Durham, North Carolina, VA Medical Center was selected. The VA National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (NCP) opened there in 1995.

NCP began operations with a staff of three: Director Robert Sullivan, MD, and two others. A year later, the staff had grown to eight and the first Preventive Medicine conference was held in Las Vegas, in collaboration with patient health educators.  A Handbook and Program Guide were published, along with three editions of a newsletter, "Prevention Notes."

From 1997 to 1999, the Center conducted the Veterans Health Survey annually, a survey about receipt of preventive services by veterans.  A national summit on the role of prevention in VA was held in 1998, attended by 25 nationally-known experts in the field.  For several years in the late 1990's, a prevention conference was organized in conjunction with Patient Education and/or Primary Care.

A focus on weight management began in 2001, following a presentation at a primary care conference in San Diego by a panel of VA clinicians who had developed successful local weight management programs.  Building on this interest, a comprehensive weight management program for VHA facilities, MOVE! was developed.

Steve Yevich, MD, MPH, served as Director from 2001 to 2005.  Linda Kinsinger, MD, MPH, has been the Director since November 2005.  Since that time, the office has expanded to include Veterans Health Education and Information and has taken the lead in the HealthierUS Veterans initiative.