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

"I consider this to be an investment in our workforce, and ultimately an investment in our patients." Meet the six Virginia State University honors students who recently visited VCU’s medical campus for a milestone day of mentorship and discovery. From one-on-one sessions with mentors in different medical fields to deep dives into big-data research tools, discover how this VCU-VSU partnership is helping future doctors find their "why" and prepare for the rigors of medical school.

I am making a personal appeal to every researcher in our community to pay close attention to the NIH’s new open access policy. This is especially critical for Principal Investigators and first authors. The stakes for our center are incredibly high: if even one paper that cites our Wright Center NIH grants is out of […]

Rather than focusing on the areas where mortality is highest, a multidisciplinary team is putting a spotlight on communities that are performing significantly better than expected despite facing the same risks as their neighbors who are struggling.

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.

Happy New Year, Wright Center Team! As we step into 2026, I find myself reflecting on what can only be described as an extraordinary year for the C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research. Our theme for 2025 was Impact, and looking back at the data from our Evaluation team, the […]

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 […]

The VCU Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Science demonstrated an impressive presence at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) in Atlanta, GA, contributing approximately 37 posters, presentations, and workshops to the schedule. A core team of Wright Center-affiliated faculty and staff drove conversations across critical areas, from […]