C. KENNETH AND DIANNE WRIGHT CENTER FOR CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH VCU BLOG

Are you stuck at a certain phase of your research project? We can help you get "unstuck" through the consultation services offered by the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research. The Research Design Studio reached a major milestone with its inaugural pilot session in December 2025. Among the first participants was Alyssa Button, Ph.D., an early career researcher and a clinical psychologist in pediatric endocrinology at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU.

When a Virginia school district needed to turn a hydration policy into real-world habits, they partnered with VCU Wright Center lead Melanie Bean, Ph.D.. This wasn't a top-down approach; a Community Advisory Board of parents and teachers steered the research toward vital goals like dental health and healthy weight. Students even took the creative lead, designing "Water Hero" mascots to make hydration the "cool" choice.

Dr. Debbie DiazGranados, Director of Evaluation and Team Science at VCU’s Wright Center published a new article tackling the puzzle of evaluating teams, whos work depends on "soft" competencies, such as communication, leadership, and collaborative problem-solving, and which are notoriously difficult to measure. Her article, co-authored with colleagues at two other institutions, appeared in the American Journal of Evaluation (December 2025).

To understand the impact of the digital divide on modern healthcare, the VCU Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research supported a massive analysis of 21 million primary care visits. Led by Jong Hyung Lee, Ph.D., and Alex Krist, M.D., the study reveals that while telehealth use remains significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels, persistent barriers like poverty and broadband access continue to limit its reach. The timing of the study is critical as emergency authorizations that allow Medicare to cover a broad range of telehealth services could expire in days.

If you don’t share your research, who will? Groundbreaking work only achieves its full potential when it is shared effectively, allowing it to live outside the lab and change the world. To help scientists bridge the gap between academic study and real-world application, VCU’s Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research is proud to introduce […]

Public health policy and advocacy can take many forms — from direct community engagement to the analytical work that shapes data-driven decision-making. Dr. Roy Sabo’s role in public health policy development has often been an indirect but powerful one, focused on measurement, modeling, and tool creation that guide effective interventions and inform policy decisions.  Dr. […]

Good news for the VCU community: The VCU Wright Center is pleased to announce the launch of our institutional license for Overton, the world’s largest searchable database of policy and grey literature. This powerful resource is available to anyone with a vcu.edu or vcuhealth.org email address. For every researcher and administrator focused on demonstrating the […]

Clinical trials are the cornerstone of medical innovation, offering hope to patients and driving advancements in treatment. A recent article in Richmond Magazine highlights the pivotal role of clinical research in our region, featuring personal stories of clinical trial participants. These experiences underscore the profound impact these studies can have on individual lives and the […]

The Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (VOAA) is accepting proposals from state agencies for its 2025 funding cycle to support evidence-based initiatives addressing the opioid crisis. Eligible projects should align with VOAA’s priority areas, including mobile crisis services, overdose reduction, expanded treatment access, recovery supports, and workforce development. Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) may submit one institutional […]

The ever-evolving landscape of clinical and translational research demands a workforce that is not only highly skilled but also adaptable to the interdisciplinary nature of modern science. Recognizing this need, the Wright Center, working closely with the VCU College of Health Professions, piloted a new course designed to enhance translational workforce development, aligning with the […]