Moving Forward Together: Women’s History Month 2025 – Dr. Jessica LaRose
In keeping with the theme of this year’s Women’s History Month, this series highlights the importance and impact of mentoring partnerships between department faculty and their mentees.
Jessica LaRose, Ph.D. wears many hats in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences – she is a prolific scholar and scientist, conducting multiple behavioral clinical trials in her OPT for Health Lab and transforming cancer control research with the VA-ACCERT Center; she is a leader, having served as Interim Department Chair since 2022; but, perhaps most central in importance to her is her role as mentor. Since coming to VCU in 2012, she has mentored over 30 individuals including doctoral students, MPH students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career faculty, most of whom were women. She is committed to fostering the next generation of scientists and works closely with each mentee to develop a personalized approach tailored to their strengths and goals.
I always tell people how impactful it is to work with Dr. LaRose and witness her leadership. She is highly respected, hardworking, and consistently stays true to herself and her values, encouraging us to do the same.
-Karly Casanave-Phillips, Ph.D., M.A.
Karly Casanave-Phillips, Ph.D. has worked with LaRose as a postdoctoral fellow since 2023. During this time, she has worked to develop her personal research interests and earned a place in Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Cancer Prevention and Control and Cancer Health Engagement (CPC-CHE) T32 fellowship. Her appreciation for her mentor’s support is clear: “Despite being the busiest person I know, [Dr. LaRose] always prioritizes her mentees and our growth, never failing to remind us that we are humans first and professionals second. She genuinely wants to support us in pursuing our dreams, no matter what they may look like.”
LaRose is dedicated to authentic community engagement and partnership in her research. Her Wellness Engagement (WE) Initiative in Petersburg in cooperation with Dr. Maghboeba Mosavel was a grassroots effort to reduce obesity and increase physical activity and healthy eating among residents. Her example serves as an inspiration to her mentees, who want to make a positive impact in the communities they serve. “Some of the most important lessons I’ve learned from Dr. LaRose include how to center our participants in our research, thoughtfully considering how our work will impact them, how we can advocate for them, and how to create a true partnership with them,” says Casanave-Phillips.
I am incredibly appreciative of the way Dr. LaRose adapted her mentorship approach to meet my evolving professional development needs as I moved from graduate student to early career faculty member. I am even more appreciative of the way Dr. LaRose has not changed her level of respect toward me throughout that transition: I have always felt genuinely valued, included, and encouraged.
-Autumn Lanoye, Ph.D., L.C.P.
Autumn Lanoye, Ph.D. has worked with LaRose since the latter first came to VCU in 2012. Beginning as a graduate research assistant in LaRose’s lab, she is now a colleague and co-investigator. Lanoye emphasizes the importance of having a mentor who connects on both a professional and human level. “Dr. LaRose has really helped me to reflect on the Venn diagram between my personal values and the values of academia as an institution,” says Lanoye. “It feels really validating to have a mentor who understands that ‘academic’ is only one element of my identity. On top of that, consciously recognizing and appreciating when I am engaging in work that exists in the area of overlap has helped me to feel fulfilled and less likely to burn out.”
Kristal Lyn Brown, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., now an assistant professor at Drexel University, also began working with LaRose as a graduate research assistant. Over a 5-year period, she worked on LaRose’s assessment and intervention teams, and also assisted with the REACH trial, a project centered on lifestyle interventions for emerging adults. Brown’s current independent research remains focused on young adults, particularly young women. She recalls how LaRose encouraged her to remain steadfast in her research interests and goals when others expressed that her dissertation project was too ambitious. “Dr. LaRose responded to me by saying ‘no, this is exactly what you should be doing for a dissertation.’” Brown’s scholarly rigor paid off – she secured a postdoctoral fellowship at John’s Hopkins University following her graduation from VCU.
Brown shares that her time working with LaRose helped her to develop a strong sense of how she wanted to conduct her own research. “She inspired me by leading by example – she modeled what it meant to be an impactful yet ethical researcher,” says Brown. “She also helped me grow as a scholar by encouraging me to stay true to my work and my values.” These lessons continue to help Brown guide her decision making when it comes to her independent research.
From the start, she created a mentorship experience that allowed me to comfortably share my thoughts, concerns, insecurities, and excitements knowing her response will always be thoughtful, encouraging, and sincere. I appreciate her clear expectations of me while reassuring me that I am actively achieving my goals despite self-doubts that may creep in.
-Chloé Jones, Ph.D., M.S.
Another of LaRose’s postdoctoral mentees, Chloé Jones, Ph.D., began her fellowship last year. In that time, she has expanded the vision of her own research, focusing on behavioral interventions to improve cardiometabolic health in young Black women. The two are currently at work on development of a mobile app for resistance exercise training that will eventually be integrated into a behavioral intervention for this targeted population. “With our shared passion for this work, it is a very exciting time for me in research,” says Jones. It’s not only LaRose’s research style and expertise that inspires, Jones, however, but her interpersonal strengths. “Dr. LaRose does an amazing job at balancing a professional and personal relationship,” she says. “She’s the type of mentor that makes meetings enjoyable.”
Ultimately, LaRose leads and inspires her mentees by example. Her dedication to her work is consistent and unflagging, and she always seeks excellence. “I am encouraged to work at my highest level of potential because she demonstrates that she is doing the same every day,” says Lanoye.
Categories Faculty News, Staff News