VCU launches the Office of Medicaid Evaluation
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 […]
Class of 2025: Dani Montoya embraces public health and perseverance
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 […]
Examining The Effects of Expanding The Medicaid Adult Dental Benefit
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 […]
Alumni Spotlight: Heather Saunders, Ph.D. ’21
Heather Saunders, Ph.D. ’21, is an alum of the Healthcare Policy and Research Program within the Department of Health Policy. She’s currently working as a Senior Research Manager for KFF, a non-partisan non-profit organization that conducts its own research, polling, and public health information campaigns. Saunders has an extensive research background, dating back to well […]
Vimbai Dihwa recognized for excellence with Black History in the Making award
On Tuesday, February 25, Vimbai Dihwa, a Ph.D. student, received the Black History in the Making award from VCU’s Department of African American Studies. The award, established in 1983 by Daryl Dance, Ph.D. to honor the achievements of African American students, has recognized over 550 students since then, with 62 more added this week. Dihwa, a student […]
New Year, New MPH Concentration
Applications are now open for the VCU School of Public Health’s Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) in Health Policy. By Hannah Wente, originally published at VCU School Of Public Health Blog This fall, students in the School of Public Health’s M.P.H. program will have the chance to choose a new concentration – health policy. The […]
Considering the neighborhood context: The relationship between food and housing insecurity and healthcare use among Virginia Medicaid expansion members
For a new article published by Health Services Research, several VCU Department of Health Policy faculty members, students, and alums collaborated with other faculty from the VCU School Of Public Health and several officials from the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) to examine the relationships between healthcare use and food and housing insecurity […]
