Department of Health Policy

ati Wambura grew up in Kenya, spent time living in Thailand, earned her bachelor’s degree in the United States and completed her master’s in Britain. With her Ph.D. this spring from Virginia Commonwealth University, she will bring her global perspective to health policy and research that can transcend borders. “Coming back to the U.S. was […]

Andrew Barnes, Ph.D., professor of health policy, is the inaugural recipient of the VCU ARIA – Excellence in Research for Advancing Societal Well-being. VCU Annual Research Impact Awards (VCU-ARIA) recognize outstanding academic and scientific research achievements by faculty and postdoctoral fellows, celebrating discoveries, innovative research, and contributions to specific fields. These institutional awards are determined through […]

Community, mentorship, service and global health were the focus of NPHW 2026 at VCU School of Public Health, organized by the Public Health Student Association (PHSA). Observed each April, National Public Health Week recognizes the field’s role in improving health, preventing disease, and strengthening communities. At VCU, the PHSA organized daily events to highlight the various specialties […]

Healthcare Policy and Research Ph.D. student, Akpene Tetteh, M.S., passed away unexpectedly on February 12, 2026.  A native of Ghana and a truly exceptional student, Akpene Tetteh, M.S., was on track to complete her Ph.D. this summer, in an unprecedented three years. The Department of Health Policy and School of Public Health are heartbroken by the sudden […]

Health Policy students in the VCU Public Health Student Association partnered with Virginia Public Health Association to support public health legislation.  The VCU School of Public Health (SOPH) leveraged its proximity to the Virginia State Capitol this winter when Healthcare Policy and Research Ph.D. students and members of the VCU Public Health Student Association (PHSA) organized a joint Legislative Day with […]

Based in the School of Public Health, the center’s research will help policymakers address issues related to health care access, quality and cost for members of Medicaid. The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Public Health has established the Office of Medicaid Evaluation (OME) to more formally provide analysis and guidance on state and federal Medicaid programs. The OME officially […]

Growing up in Oxnard, California, Dani Montoya saw the social inequalities affecting her largely Mexican American community. She initially felt that becoming a doctor would be an ideal way to help others, but she ended up favoring data over diagnosis. “A lot of my people, good people in my life, recommended that I go into […]

Rural communities are particularly hard-hit, and the research could point to workforce initiatives. Nearly half of Virginia’s neighborhoods don’t have enough nearby primary care physicians for their residents, with rural communities being hit hardest by workforce shortages, according to a new study led by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University.  Using anonymized health care claims data, […]

By Austin Littrell, Medical Economics Nearly half of Virginia’s neighborhoods lack adequate access to primary care. That’s the conclusion of a new study published in the Annals of Family Medicine, which used all-payer claims data to map how and where patients in the state can reach a doctor within 30 minutes. Researchers found that 44% of […]

The Department of Health Policy recently prepared an evaluation report for the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) that examined the effects of the expanded Medicaid Adult Dental Benefit on Emergency Department utilization in Virginia hospitals for non-traumatic dental visits. Presented to DMAS in March 2025, the report was authored by Department of Health […]