[{"id":1962,"date":"2026-11-13T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/?p=1962"},"modified":"2026-11-12T14:58:39","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T14:58:39","slug":"vcu-study-suggests-brain-waste-clearance-may-relieve-sickle-cell-disease-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/2026\/11\/13\/vcu-study-suggests-brain-waste-clearance-may-relieve-sickle-cell-disease-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"VCU study suggests brain waste clearance may relieve sickle cell disease pain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Findings point to treatment of unexplored mechanism behind debilitating disease symptoms.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Jeff Kelley<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A year ago, Casey Grey didn’t know much about sickle cell disease. An adjunct professor and postdoctoral researcher in Virginia Commonwealth University\u2019s College of Engineering<\/a>, Grey studies the brain’s glymphatic system, a cerebrospinal fluid-driven network that clears metabolic waste and inflammatory molecules from the brain during sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His research has focused on using targeted light and sound stimulation to enhance this clearance pathway, with potential applications to neurological diseases and brain injury. Blood-based sickle cell disease wasn’t on his radar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I always thought of it as a blood disease, not a brain condition,” said Grey, Ph.D. “The red blood cells sickle, they block blood vessels, and that’s where the problems occur. But I didn’t realize how much of the disease involves the brain.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding an unexpected connection<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That changed when Grey attended a presentation given by VCU pharmacologist Aron H. Lichtman<\/a>, Ph.D., whose School of Medicine<\/a> laboratory studies sickle cell disease in collaboration with physician-scientists including Wally R. Smith<\/a>, M.D., director of the VCU Adult Sickle Cell Program, and Daniel Sop, Ph.D., a senior research scientist in the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Sickle blood cells fold into bizarre shapes (including \u201csickles\u201d that give the disease its name) and clump together, causing excruciating pain, anemia (red blood cell deficiency) and often an early death. Sickle cell predominantly affects individuals of African descent.<\/p>\n

For more than five decades, VCU has been a national leader in sickle cell disease research<\/a>, with clinicians and scientists working together to improve the lives of patients. VCU Health serves hundreds of sickle cell patients from across Virginia, intentionally reaching and educating patients and providers as far away as the Eastern Shore.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n

One set of images caught Grey’s attention: brain scans of healthy individuals compared to brain scans of people with sickle cell disease. Unlike healthy brains, where blood flow naturally declines with age, patients with sickle cell disease experience chronically elevated cerebral blood flow that continues to increase over time. Those increases are associated with chronic pain and cognitive impairment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I looked at that image and thought, ‘Wow,'” Grey said. “The blood vessels were really definitely disrupting glymphatic flow.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That realization became the foundation for a new collaboration among engineers, pharmacologists and physician-scientists across VCU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testing a new idea<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Grey led the team’s pilot study<\/a>, published in July in the Journal of Sickle Cell Disease, which found that one hour of daily 40 Hertz light and sound stimulation dramatically reduced chronic pain behaviors in a humanized mouse model of sickle cell disease. Previous research has shown this type of sensory stimulation increases the release of signaling molecules that help restore healthy blood vessel function and improve glymphatic clearance throughout the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After six weeks of treatment, mice with sickle cell performed similarly to healthy controls on measures of mechanical sensitivity and grip strength, two well-established indicators of chronic pain. When treatment stopped, those improvements gradually disappeared, suggesting the therapy works by continually addressing an underlying biological process rather than by permanently altering the disease itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as significant as the findings themselves is what they may reveal about the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grey and his colleagues propose that chronic anemia in sickle cell disease causes blood vessels in the brain to remain abnormally dilated. Those enlarged vessels may compress the tiny fluid-filled channels surrounding them, called perivascular spaces, preventing cerebrospinal fluid from washing away metabolic waste through the brain’s glymphatic system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The resulting buildup of inflammatory molecules could help explain why many patients experience chronic pain, cognitive decline and neurological complications that cannot be fully explained by blocked blood vessels alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We think we’ve uncovered a major mechanism of pain in sickle cell disease,” Grey said. “We’re not curing it, and we\u2019re not changing the red blood cells. What we’re trying to do is interrupt the brain’s pathological response to the disease.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grey was encouraged by how well the noninvasive approach worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Light and sound \u2014 nothing invasive, no drugs \u2014 essentially normalized these animals,” he said. “It outperformed every pharmacological treatment we’ve given these mice and can be administered with inexpensive, widely available equipment.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From discovery to commercialization<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The study also strengthens Grey\u2019s commercialization efforts underway through VCU TechTransfer and Ventures<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomasine Isler, a licensing manager who works closely with Grey on technologies with commercialization potential, said the study provides the evidence that potential industry partners have been waiting to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The findings in the sickle cell research start to show that there is a concept here that is backed by data and science,” Isler said. “Now we can demonstrate that there’s published evidence supporting the technology that we hope to someday commercialize.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grey’s team has also secured additional funding from the Children’s Hospital Research Institute to investigate the effects of 40 Hz therapy in premature infants, another neurologically at-risk patient population. The next phases of research will test whether impaired glymphatic function can be directly measured in sickle cell disease, determine exactly how 40 Hz stimulation restores normal brain physiology and begin expanding this work to human sickle cell disease patients at VCU Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The treatment could also potentially treat respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea and other conditions where chronically low blood oxygen causes blood vessels to stay dilated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, Grey sees the work as one piece of VCU’s broader effort to understand and treat sickle cell disease. “We already have therapies that target blood cells,” he said. “What I hope this becomes is the missing link in sickle cell disease treatment. If we can pair existing therapies with something that protects the brain, maybe we can completely normalize these patient’s lives.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VCU places the ethical treatment of animals as a primary responsibility and the founding principal of its Animal Care and Use Program. Overseeing this program campuswide, ACUP ensures humane and appropriate animal care and use by providing for the animals’ husbandry and veterinary care, and monitoring their use by all VCU animal users. The policy is<\/em> available here<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Originally posted on VCU News: https:\/\/news.vcu.edu\/article\/vcu-study-suggests-brain-waste-clearance-may-relieve-sickle-cell-disease-pain<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Findings point to treatment of unexplored mechanism behind debilitating disease symptoms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2033,"featured_media":1963,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1206,1151,1166],"class_list":["post-1962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bme","tag-casey-grey","tag-hm","tag-vcu-techtransfer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2033"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1962"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1962\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1964,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1962\/revisions\/1964"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1959,"date":"2026-11-11T17:42:37","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T17:42:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/?p=1959"},"modified":"2026-11-11T17:42:39","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T17:42:39","slug":"meet-the-faculty-hossam-abdellatif-department-of-mechanical-and-nuclear-engineering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/2026\/11\/11\/meet-the-faculty-hossam-abdellatif-department-of-mechanical-and-nuclear-engineering\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Faculty: Hossam Abdellatif, Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hossam Abdellatif, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, Assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, joins the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) College of Engineering from Kansas State University. In this Q&A series, we get to know faculty who recently joined VCU Engineering. Dr.Abdellatif shares his thoughts on why he joined VCU, his research, teaching and what he enjoys doing outside the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What attracted you to the VCU College of Engineering?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The VCU College of Engineering attracted me because of its strong combination of academic excellence, interdisciplinary research, innovation and commitment to student success. I was especially drawn to VCU\u2019s collaborative environment, where engineering faculty can work across traditional disciplinary boundaries and translate fundamental research into solutions with practical societal impact. Virginia Commonwealth University\u2019s diverse and highly motivated student population was another important factor. I value the opportunity to educate students from different backgrounds and prepare them to contribute to the nuclear energy workforce. The college also provides an excellent environment for expanding nuclear engineering education and research through computational modeling, simulation, experiments and collaboration with national laboratories, government agencies, industry and other universities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the application of your Teaching and research? How are you planning to continue that work with VCU Engineering?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The goal of my teaching is to provide students with a rigorous and practical understanding of nuclear engineering while preparing them for careers in industry, national laboratories, regulatory agencies, government and graduate research. In courses like Nuclear Fuel Cycle, Nuclear Safeguards and Security, Nuclear power plants, and Topics in Nuclear Engineering, students examine reactor technology, nuclear-material production and management, material accountancy, physical protection, nonproliferation, radioactive-waste management, and the technical and institutional responsibilities associated with the peaceful use of nuclear energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At VCU Engineering, I plan to continue strengthening this educational mission by developing technically rigorous course content, realistic engineering case studies, computational exercises and interactive simulations. I want students to connect fundamental theory with the decisions that nuclear engineers must make in practice. I also intend to expand opportunities for project-based learning, undergraduate research, workforce development and interdisciplinary collaboration. These activities will help students develop technical competence, analytical judgment, professional responsibility and a strong nuclear safety and security culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My research strengthens my teaching. It focuses primarily on nuclear reactor thermal-hydraulics, particularly natural-circulation systems, passive safety, flow stability and advanced nuclear-fuel geometries. Natural circulation uses buoyancy forces, rather than electrically driven pumps, to circulate coolant and remove heat. It is an important component of passive safety systems in current reactors, small modular reactors and several Generation IV reactor concepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A major objective of this research is to develop experimentally validated mathematical and computational methods for predicting the steady-state behavior, transient response and stability of natural-circulation systems. This work examines thermal-hydraulic oscillations, transport delays, nonlinear flow behavior and the coupling among buoyancy, friction, heat transfer and fluid inertia. Reliable prediction of these phenomena is important for decay-heat removal and for maintaining adequate safety margins during normal operation, anticipated transients and accident conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am also investigating innovative fuel-bundle geometries, including advanced noncylindrical and helical fuel concepts. These studies examine how geometry influences coolant mixing, heat-transfer enhancement, pressure loss, flow distribution, thermal margins and flow-induced instabilities. The broader objective is to identify fuel and coolant-channel designs that can improve reactor performance while maintaining robust and demonstrable safety characteristics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I plan to continue this research at VCU through an integrated program combining reduced-order analytical models, high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics, system-level simulations, uncertainty analysis and carefully designed experiments. This work will create meaningful research experiences for students while supporting my central teaching mission. It will also provide current technical examples that can be brought directly into the classroom and connect students with national laboratories, reactor developers, regulatory organizations and academic collaborators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you hope to accomplish during your first five years at VCU?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My first priority will be to contribute to excellence in teaching by strengthening undergraduate and graduate instruction in nuclear engineering, thermal-hydraulics and reactor safety. I hope to develop engaging courses that connect fundamental principles with practical engineering challenges through computational simulations, experimental activities and design projects. My teaching goals also include fostering an inclusive learning environment, strengthening students\u2019 analytical and problem-solving skills, and helping them critically evaluate engineering models, assumptions, and uncertainties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building on this educational foundation, I aim to establish a nationally recognized research and education program in nuclear thermal-hydraulics, passive safety, natural-circulation stability and advanced reactor technology. My principal objectives are to build a productive research group, secure sustained external funding, publish high-impact research and develop strong collaborations with national laboratories, industry, government agencies and academic partners. I also plan to establish computational and experimental capabilities that support research on passive heat-removal systems and innovative fuel assemblies while providing students with meaningful research experiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An important part of this effort will be expanding simulation-based education through interactive reactor-system and thermal-hydraulic simulations that support university courses, workforce development and operator training, alongside accessible demonstrations for K\u201312 outreach. Central to these goals is mentoring a diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students and helping them become technically capable, safety-conscious and ethically responsible nuclear engineers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of five years, I would like to see my students contributing successfully in industry, national laboratories, regulatory organizations and graduate research, while my teaching, research, and service help strengthen VCU\u2019s presence in nuclear engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you get into your field of research?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I was drawn to nuclear engineering because it brings together fundamental physics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, numerical analysis and systems engineering to address one of society\u2019s most important challenges: producing large quantities of reliable, low-carbon energy while protecting people and the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within nuclear engineering, I became especially interested in thermal-hydraulics of advanced nuclear reactors because it connects mathematical theory directly to reactor safety. Natural circulation is particularly fascinating because a system that appears mechanically simple can exhibit highly complex behavior. Its response is governed by the nonlinear coupling among buoyancy, heat transfer, friction, fluid inertia and transport phenomena. Understanding that behavior requires both rigorous analysis and sound physical judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My interest in teaching developed alongside my research. I found that explaining a difficult concept clearly often leads to a deeper understanding of the underlying science. Teaching also provides an opportunity to prepare the next generation of nuclear professionals and to reinforce the technical competence, safety culture, ethical responsibility and attention to detail that the field requires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How would you describe your teaching style, and what can students expect when they step into your classroom?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I would describe my teaching style as rigorous, structured, interactive and strongly connected to engineering practice. I begin with the governing physical principles and develop the mathematical formulation carefully, including the assumptions, boundary conditions and limitations of each model. I then connect the equations to realistic nuclear-engineering systems, operational data, safety analyses and current reactor technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students can expect to do more than memorize equations. I ask them to explain what the equations mean physically, determine whether an answer is reasonable, identify the assumptions behind a calculation and evaluate how uncertainty affects an engineering decision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on the course, students may work with computational models, reactor simulations, technical literature, safeguards scenarios, material-balance calculations or case studies involving nuclear safety and security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also encourage questions and active participation. My goal is to maintain high technical expectations while providing students with the guidance and feedback needed to meet them. I want students to leave the classroom with analytical confidence, intellectual curiosity and an understanding that nuclear engineering requires both technical excellence and professional responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you enjoy most about your field and about working with students?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What I enjoy most about nuclear engineering is the connection between fundamental science and engineering decisions that directly affect energy security, public safety and environmental protection. Even well-established reactor concepts present challenging questions involving coupled physical processes, nonlinear feedback and uncertainty. I find it especially rewarding to investigate these interactions and translate that understanding into more reliable predictions, safer designs and improved reactor performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working with students is equally rewarding because I can see them grow from learning fundamental concepts to exercising independent engineering judgment. I particularly enjoy the moment when a student connects theory, computation and physical intuition not only to solve a problem, but also to question assumptions and assess whether the result makes physical sense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mentoring is also a reciprocal process: students bring fresh perspectives, and their questions often sharpen my own thinking and open new research directions. Helping them develop the confidence, curiosity and sense of responsibility to contribute to the field is one of the most meaningful aspects of my work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides your academic work, what is something you’re passionate about or like to do in your free time?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Outside my academic work, I value spending time with my family, doing sports, exploring new places and learning about different cultures and histories. I am also passionate about making science and engineering accessible to broader audiences. I enjoy developing visual and interactive ways to explain complex technical concepts, particularly for students and younger learners who may be encountering nuclear science for the first time. I believe that clear public communication is important for building an informed understanding of nuclear technology and its potential contribution to a sustainable energy future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How are you liking Richmond so far? Have you discovered something in particular you enjoy, a place or an event?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I have enjoyed Richmond very much so far. It offers an appealing combination of history, culture, diversity, natural beauty and a strong sense of community. I particularly appreciate the James River and the accessibility of outdoor spaces near the city. Richmond\u2019s museums, historic neighborhoods, cultural events and growing food scene also make it an interesting place to explore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What has impressed me most is that Richmond feels both active and welcoming. It provides the opportunities and energy of a major city while retaining a strong local identity. I look forward to continuing to discover the city and becoming more involved in both the VCU community and the wider Richmond community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Hossam Abdellatif joins VCU Engineering as an assistant professor, bringing expertise in nuclear thermal-hydraulics, passive safety, and natural-circulation systems to educate the next generation of nuclear engineers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1829,"featured_media":1960,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1145,1152],"class_list":["post-1959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mne","tag-new-faculty","tag-smee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1829"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1959"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1961,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1959\/revisions\/1961"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1956,"date":"2026-11-10T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/?p=1956"},"modified":"2026-11-09T19:26:22","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T19:26:22","slug":"national-institutes-of-health-support-vcu-research-on-bone-loss-linked-to-spaceflight-and-aging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/2026\/11\/10\/national-institutes-of-health-support-vcu-research-on-bone-loss-linked-to-spaceflight-and-aging\/","title":{"rendered":"National Institutes of Health support VCU research on bone loss linked to spaceflight and aging"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Nya Farmer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With support from a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), students and postdocs at Virginia Commonwealth University\u2019s (VCU) College of Engineering will take part in research on genetic factors that may influence bone loss associated with spaceflight, disuse and aging. Henry Donahue, Ph.D.,<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, will serve as principal investigator. The research team also includes Joshua Cohen, M.D.,<\/strong><\/a> a research associate professor in the department, and Charles Farber, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA common theory that has come out of NASA studies of space travel is that space travel accelerates aging,\u201d Donahue said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undergraduate students will work with graduate students and postdoctoral researchers on experiments assessing bone structure and function, utilizing micro-CT imaging, bioinformatics and tests of bone strength. The hands-on experience will introduce students to research with potential applications in health care and spaceflight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur hope is that identifying the mechanisms underlying disuse-induced bone loss will suggest therapeutic targets for space travel-induced and aging-induced bone loss, since all three of these conditions, disuse, space travel and aging, result in similar bone loss,\u201d Donahue said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a leg-casting model in genetically diverse mice, researchers will study how genetic differences influence bone loss in response to disuse. Students will help analyze micro-CT images of bone structure and how this is influenced by genetic background. The team hopes to identify genes that may protect against bone loss or worsen it, potentially revealing targets for future treatments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe hope in completing this study we’ll be able to identify genes that either protect against disuse-induced bone loss or make disuse-induced bone loss worse,\u201d Donahue said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings may also be relevant to low-gravity environments. Donahue said researchers have theorized that space travel may accelerate aging. This project focuses on bone, where spaceflight-related bone loss shares similarities with age-related and disuse-related bone loss. The results could inform future efforts to protect astronauts\u2019 bone health and contribute more broadly to research on prevention and treatments that help preserve mobility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Department of Biomedical Engineering provides undergraduate<\/a> and graduate<\/a> students with the opportunity to perform real-world research<\/a> as soon as they enroll. From delving into the intricacies of cell migration in cancer research to exploring tissue engineering in menisci, tendons and ligaments, our students pursue a diverse range of cutting-edge research topics. Browse videos and recent news from the Department of Biomedical Engineering<\/a> to discover how the College of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University prepares the next generation of scientists and engineers for the challenges of the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VCU researchers received a $3M NIH grant to study the genetic factors of disuse-induced bone loss, comparing spaceflight and aging to discover new treatments for preserving astronaut and patient mobility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2033,"featured_media":1957,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,165,15],"tags":[10,1151,38,1164,1174],"class_list":["post-1956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bme","category-faculty-awards","category-grants","tag-grants","tag-hm","tag-henry-j-donahue","tag-josh-cohen","tag-research-grant"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2033"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1956"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1958,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1956\/revisions\/1958"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1943,"date":"2026-11-09T15:54:34","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T15:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/?p=1943"},"modified":"2026-11-09T15:54:36","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T15:54:36","slug":"longtime-vcu-college-of-engineering-faculty-and-staff-reflect-on-the-institutions-30-year-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/2026\/11\/09\/longtime-vcu-college-of-engineering-faculty-and-staff-reflect-on-the-institutions-30-year-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Longtime VCU College of Engineering faculty and staff reflect on the institution\u2019s 30-year history"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Celebrating 30 years of engineering education, the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Engineering formed in 1996 from an unmet demand for creative thinkers capable of working the engineering problems facing industry and the greater Richmond area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With no buildings or classrooms and no faculty, Henry A. McGee, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, VCU Engineering\u2019s first dean, set his mission to recruit faculty, staff and students who understood the importance of graduating ready-to-work engineers that could hit the ground running once hired. More than 100 students took a chance on the new institution, which centered heavily on hands-on learning and public-private partnerships to help students understand and address the ever-changing needs of businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the VCU College of Engineering, longtime faculty and staff reflect on the yearly years, and how things have changed at VCU and within Richmond.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Anil Chatterji<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Director of Information Technology
Joined 1996<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen VCU Engineering first formed, we were small enough that, when anyone had a birthday, everyone fit into a single conference room. There were maybe eight or ten of us, but then we started growing fairly rapidly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200aI think there was a lot of excitement at that point in time. We had a strong sense of direction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two things were very striking then: One was that we were going to be supported by local business, and the other was that we were going to be training engineers to meet the needs of these local business supporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before joining the engineering school in 1996, I worked as director of computing for the \u200aacademic schools on the VCU medical campus. There were many researchers in the health fields who wanted to collaborate with true engineering faculty. They’ve got this idea. They want somebody to make a reality of it, actually design a device or instrument that could help patients. They needed to go to other universities to look for collaborators. I so regretted that VCU did not have an engineering school back then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Alen Docef, Ph.D.<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Associate Professor and Associate Chair
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Joined 2000<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSomething I really liked at VCU Engineering would evolve into what is now the Capstone Design Expo. It started in electrical engineering around the spring of 2000 or 2001. Dr. Iyer had become our new department chair and brought the idea from his previous institution. The event was hosted in the West Hall atrium and in a couple of the classrooms for electrical engineering students. I thought that was great because it was open to everybody, the public, parents, people living close to VCU. I’m glad that it was adopted by all, by the other departments and the college as a whole. I think Capstone has become really valuable and we get a lot out of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s an appreciation for everybody who is different at VCU. It\u2019s the idea that everyone can contribute in their own way with their specific skills and qualities. I\u2019ve always liked that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The College of Engineering has been supportive to me on a personal level too. Soon after being hired, I needed back surgery. It was a VCU Health colleague who I was working with on a research project that became my doctor and performed the surgery. Faculty, staff and students at VCU Engineering all did what they could to help me after the procedure and assist my recovery. I felt very welcome at VCU because of that. I was still new at the engineering school, so that was nice.”<\/p>\n\n\n

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Ashok Iyer, Ph.D.<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Joined 2000<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I first joined VCU Engineering, the uniqueness was that everybody knew everybody else. We were small and I’d like to think of it more like a collegial family. Anybody was willing to do whatever was needed to make things work for our students. It was a young program that was growing. Coming in as the chair of the electrical and computer engineering department, I had a clean slate to do whatever I wanted, like put together the first senior design showcase. It was only for electrical engineering, but you could call it Capstone version 0.01.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around 2003 or 2004 things really started growing, we added more research and graduate programs. The  electrical and computer engineering department  was recognized as the number one department in research funding per faculty member at VCU, including the medical campus. The awards ceremony was held at the Science Museum of Virginia, hosted by the VCU Office of Research. Our first graduate programs were an M.S. in engineering and a Ph.D. in engineering. There were no specialties back then, so most engineering graduate students took electrical engineering classes and vice versa. The School started to grow even more rapidly after computer science joined VCU Engineering a few years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those early years were very exciting. It’s almost like working at a startup, with faculty members who were willing to roll up their sleeves to get things done. They ordered furniture, built academic programs, hosted events, whatever needed to get done. Everybody wanted us to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Bob Klenke, Ph.D.<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Chair and Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Joined 1998<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe engineering school brought me onboard for my computer engineering experience to develop the 300 and 400 level computer engineering classes, VCU Engineering\u2019s first class were sophomores at the time. We also needed a computer lab too, so I helped order about 20 Sun workstations and those old-style CRT monitors to run the software needed for computer engineering work. Everyone pitched in, and I found myself unpacking boxes, installing the operating system, installing the individual software packages, everything to get things running for students to use. It was an adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every other year or so from the engineering school\u2019s opening, we hired another computer engineering faculty member, including Dr. Iyer who became department chair. We all worked to get the computer engineering program at VCU Engineering running and accredited by ABET.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had strong industry support from businesses like Qimonda, Dominion Semiconductor and Motorola because our coursework was geared toward graduating working engineers. The Virginia Microelectronics Center housed at VCU Engineering also played a role in that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our graduate and research programs began with the alumni of those first few graduated classes, asking them to come back to VCU Engineering to continue their education. Around that time is when I came into my own research specialty as a result of a colleague connecting me with people at NASA Langley. I would go on to work on autopilots and data payload systems for unmanned aerial vehicles. We were doing UAVs at VCU Engineering before anybody called them drones or DJI had developed those multi-rotor systems that have become popular.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Jennifer C. Rivers, Ed.D.<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Joined 1995<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I first got to VCU Engineering, it was before we had a building. We were in those houses on Franklin Street, and I ran up and down Franklin Street shuttling packages to faculty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a birthday party on my first day in engineering. Once a month, Dean McGee would have a big party for whoever celebrated that month. It was nice and really showed me we were all like family, everyone pulling together and trying to make this thing work. We were close and knew each other well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s what attracted me to come over and work at the College of Engineering. I liked the idea that this was the start of something great, something that never has been before. I went from being a student worker to full-time staff, and from one of the executive assistants to working in advising and then becoming an assistant dean. I have been very fortunate to be at a place that fully supported my career aspirations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember the bagel Wednesdays Career Services hosts today started with Dr. Mattauch, our second dean. He joined VCU from UVA and loved Bodo’s Bagels, so Bob brought them from Einstein’s Bagel every week. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to come together in fellowship, students, faculty, staff and enjoy each other\u2019s company. That was really one of the first touch points that we had to build that family atmosphere. Later on we had things like the Thanksgiving turkey fry and the Battle of Belvidere, where folks from East and West Hall would cook and people chose which building had the best food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been a wonderful experience at the College of Engineering. Looking back to 2000, we had our first graduation next to West Hall. The Institute for Engineering and Medicine wasn\u2019t built yet, and because of the size of the class, we were able to hold it out on the lawn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Jenilee Stanley-Shanks<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Director of Graduate Studies and Engagement
Joined 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“My start at VCU Engineering was as executive coordinator for Dr. Boyan when she came from Georgia Tech to be the College of Engineering\u2019s new dean. There was a lot of momentum at that time and people were really excited around what we could build and create. Things were smaller and more streamlined then. We didn’t have quite as many faculty and staff. \u200aA big goal in the dean’s office was to make it feel like a place that was welcoming, so that people could come in, get coffee and chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the first things I worked on at the College of Engineering was the promotion and tenure process. Everything was still on paper then, so reports from the committees, departments and dean all went into a binder that was passed to the Provost\u2019s office. I\u2019d been with VCU for about a month, and walked a stack of these binders to Ginter House. But when I opened the door (it was very old) it literally fell off its hinges. It’s hanging on by the bottom hinge, so I’m trying to walk in and leave and I’m like, “Hi, where do I go with these binders? Also, I broke your front door.” Those were my early days at VCU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Battle of Belvidere was a really great event that brought everyone together in a cooking competition of West Hall vs East Hall. The Office of the Dean, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Chemical and Life Science Engineering were West Hall. The Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Computer Science were East Hall. Everyone volunteered to bring in a dish and we sold really cheap tickets that let students, faculty and staff attend. You\u2019d get to try one of everything in the room and vote for what you thought was best. The prize was bragging rights and an award that was a turkey made out of aluminum foil and cooking utensils. All the proceeds were donated to the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though we\u2019ve grown since then, we make sure our students don’t feel like  just a number. I know sometimes at big, public, state-kind of universities people aren’t really known as individuals. But even for our freshman, because of the dedicated advising within the college and having undergraduate program directors and graduate program directors, I think we know most students as individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We want to make sure we’re helping students in a personal way, rather than just, “Hi, stranger, please fill out this form to graduate.” You know? I think it\u2019s interesting that feeling has held true through the VCU College of Engineering\u2019s many years. It\u2019s a hard thing to maintain, but I think it\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Anita Taylor<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Executive Director for Corporate Development
Joined 2004<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I first came to VCU Engineering, Bob Mattauch was the dean. It was fascinating to watch Bob work with the students, he knew every student’s name, and he remembered  their parents’ names too. Bob took great pride in being able to go downstairs, talk to each student individually and ask them questions, like about their classes or updates on their family, because Bob was laser focused on building relationships and establishing a sense of community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my first roles at the college was with the Engineering Foundation. This is where I began developing relationships with current students and recent alumni. At that time, I managed both the alumni board and the parents board.  Some of my fondest memories were working with our alumni from the Class of 2000 to plan their five-year reunion, working with the senior classes to raise their Senior Gift and getting to know the families on the Parents Board.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, I have seen the College grow from 700 students to over 2,600 students.  Our student organizations have received national awards, we\u2019ve launched new programs and have developed a support structure that prepares our students to excel when they graduate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has truly been a pleasure working with our incredible faculty and staff, and supporting our students over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Gary Tepper, Ph.D.<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
Joined 199<\/strong>7<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost people associate me with mechanical engineering because I was the chair for 13 years, and I’m a mechanical engineering faculty member, but I actually started in chemical engineering. When I joined VCU as a brand new assistant professor, the mechanical engineering department didn\u2019t have a department chair. Not wanting to be the only faculty member there, I joined chemical engineering because they did have a department chair. I spent three or four years there. Back then, there were no engineering buildings, no classrooms, no laboratories, nothing. We were in a couple of brownstones over on Franklin Street. Biomedical engineering was actually our first department because it was part of the School of Medicine, so it just moved to be under us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Henry McGee, our first dean, was really good at selling the idea of VCU Engineering and having a clean slate to build an engineering school from scratch. I\u2019d gotten my Ph.D. at UC San Diego and my advisor was one of the founding faculty members at UC San Diego in the 1960\u2019s. I got the impression from my advisor that it was really valuable for him to be there at the start of something, and that might have been what attracted me to VCU Engineering too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henry had this idea that we were going to do interdisciplinary research without any boundaries between the departments. Everybody just does research and works with each other, so an electrical engineer can do research with a chemical engineer, and we just have all the research under the umbrella of a Ph.D. in engineering with no disciplines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s how the vision started, but over the years we learned you do need disciplines to attract students and sustain the college. Henry had the right idea. Multidisciplinary research drives the largest breakthroughs and receives lots of funding. The only difference is that, today, we do it through institutes and centers, so that you can have these large organizations where you have faculty from different departments under the umbrella of a center.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional interviews from the College of Engineering\u2019s 20th anniversary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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