OPT for Health Lab

This summer, we were thrilled to welcome incoming MD-PhD student Maeve Salm, who spent three weeks with us in her lab rotation before beginning her M1 year this fall. Maeve holds a master’s degree in global health from Duke University, and, following her graduate program, worked in the Duke Center for Global Mental Health as a […]

While aerobic exercise is commonly endorsed as a way to prevent cardiovascular disease, resistance training is less-widely promoted. A recent article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology underscores the benefits of including resistance training along with aerobics in exercise regimens for women in order to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). […]

Vivian Hunter, senior clinical research coordinator, has been with the lab since June of 2025. After completing her bachelor’s degree in psychology at VCU in 2021, Vivian imagined that she would go on to attend medical school. She entered the healthcare field working as a medical scribe in an emergency department near her hometown of […]

Jessica LaRose, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, received the School of Public Health’s 2026 Professional Achievement Award at VCU’s Women in Science, Dentistry, and Medicine Annual Leadership Conference this April. This award honors her achievements in leadership, scholarship, and mentorship in service to her department and the School […]

On June 6, we hosted a community block party in Petersburg as the final community-based data dissemination event for the WE Project 2.0. The WE Project 2.0, led by Drs. Maghboeba Mosavel and Jessica LaRose, was part of a ongoing partnership in Petersburg focused on health and wellness built over the last decade. The goal […]

OPT for Health director and associate director Drs. Jessica LaRose and Autumn Lanoye attended the 47th annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in Chicago, IL April 22nd-25th. Dr. Lanoye presented a research spotlight entitled “Moving Beyond BMI: Waist Circumference and Body Fat as Risk Indicators in Behavioral Obesity Treatment,” co-authored by Drs. Karly […]

On March 4th we held the first event of many wrapping up Wellness Engagement Petersburg (or “WE”). WE, led by MPIs Drs. Maghboeba Mosavel and Jessica LaRose, was a study grounded in a decade of community-based participatory research in partnership with residents and community partners in Petersburg, VA. As part of this NIDDK-funded trial, investigators […]

On March 21st the OPT for Health team attended and presented at the Closing the Gap Summit, a full-day event focused on practical ways to lower cancer risk and empower community members with tools for prevention. The day included research presentations and community testimonials, as well as a cooking demonstration focused on nutritional eating provided […]

The POWER Project is part of the NCI-funded VA-ACCERT Center. On March 2nd, the OPT for Health team spent the day at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA to launch work on the POWER Project, a community-engaged research project to address social drivers of cancer disparities among residents of income-based housing in Virginia. Dr. Jessica […]