Office of Alumni Relations

Heidi Hooper (B.F.A.’81/A) was a metalsmith working and teaching classes in the late ’90s in Boston before a cancerous tumor destroyed the strength of her right arm. She searched for a way she could still create but even working with material such as soft clay was painful. “In order to keep from getting too depressed, each day I gave myself something new to try, whether it was artistic or just cooking an egg,” Hooper says. This experimentation led her to the artistic medium that has made her famous: dryer lint.

Harold Barnwell, D.N.A.P., CRNA (M.S.N.A.’14/HP; D.N.A.P.’15/HP), who considers himself a part of the millennial generation, thinks it is important to bring educational content to tablets and mobile devices. One of the teaching techniques he's experimenting with is breaking his lecture content into short videos that students can access at any time. “I’m looking out there saying, ‘What’s working? What are people engaging with?’ There are millions of people watching videos online. Can we tap into that?” he says.

A three-time Virginia Commonwealth University alumnus who’s devoted his career to building software systems and improving inefficiencies, Ankit Mathur, 37, is co-founder and chief technology officer of RoundTrip, a startup that connects people to reliable medical transportation while reducing wait times, insurance headaches and extra expenses.

Morgan Yacoe (B.F.A.’11/A) a conceptual artist and educator who is trained in sculpture and medical science, is dedicated to investigating the relationship between art and medicine.

In the days leading up to Karar Dance Co.’s October production, “Across Disciplines,” 24-year-old Kara Robertson (B.F.A.’16/A), the company’s artistic director, doesn’t seem anxious at all. She’s focused.

Bol Gai Deng (B.A.’08/GPA) is running for president of South Sudan, but no one can say when the election is or whether it will happen at all.

By Erica Naone Juk “J” Ting, D.O. (B.S.’90/H&S), 49, insists he’s an “average Joe.” Coming from a Virginia Commonwealth University alumnus who’s both a practicing physician and an airline pilot, the claim is a bit hard to swallow. Ting worked as a stadium doctor at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for 11 years. His passion […]

A well-known forensic toxicologist, Peace has traveled the world presenting research on groundbreaking subjects such as uses and misuses of electronic cigarettes.

Alumnus Keylon Mayo (B.S.’06/MC) describes his bow tie business, Mr. Klean Kut, and how he caught Jimmy Kimmel’s attention.

By Erica Naone Robin Foster, M.D. (M.D.’89/M; H.S.’92/M), has barely slept. She worked a night shift in VCU Health’s pediatric emergency department, she explains, as she navigates the hallways of the Children’s Pavilion at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. She excuses herself briefly to check on a family. She can’t stay with them long […]