Dr. Chloé Jones selected for VCU IRACDA
Chloé Jones, Ph.D., M.S. has been with the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences since 2024, when she began working as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Jessica LaRose’s OPT for Health lab. During her time at VCU she has lent her skills to the WE trial (MPIs LaRose, Mosavel), a grassroots, multilevel intervention for cardiometabolic health among Petersburg residents, and recently began working on the VA-ACCERT Center’s flagship project, POWER (Academic PI LaRose, Community PI Plent): a multilevel intervention designed to target social drivers of health to improve nutrition quality and physical activity among residents of income-based housing.
In addition to her work on these projects, Dr. Jones has been continuing to develop her independent program of research promoting resistance exercise as a method for preventing and/or mitigating cardiovascular disease among young Black women. She is currently conducting a qualitative study identifying factors that contribute to success for resistance exercise training in order to develop a mobile health app for this target population.
Last year, Dr. Jones worked diligently to submit multiple fellowship applications to support her work, and her efforts were rewarded as she was selected for two competitive awards: VCU’s Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) and the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Postdoctoral Fellowship. While the AHA fellowship is strictly focused on independent research development, IRACDA, funded by the National Institutes of Health, combines a traditional postdoctoral research experience with the development of teaching skills through formal pedagogic training and mentored placements at HBCUs (Historically Black College or Universities).
After some difficult deliberation, Dr. Jones chose to pursue the IRACDA rather than the AHA award in order to gain the training and hands-on experience in teaching that will advance her career path toward faculty positions. “It’s been difficult to have to choose because of all the hard work and anticipation it takes to write grants,” says Jones. What swayed her was the opportunity for complete pedagogical training. “Ultimately, the IRACDA provided training in how to build a class from the ground up – the foundations of structuring a class,” she explains. “In addition to that training you also get the hands-on experience of independently running your own classroom – to see it from start to finish.” She is most excited to build connections with students and to see firsthand (from the other side of the podium) the impact that effective teaching can have. Dr. Jones will be working with Virginia State University, the US’s first state-funded four-year university for Black Americans. “I’m excited to work with VSU,” says Jones, “as an underrepresented woman who has been at mostly PWIs [predominantly white institutions].”
The IRACDA will provide Dr. Jones with formal training and mentorship in teaching, while also allowing her to continue her development as an independent scholar under the mentorship of Dr. LaRose here at VCU. “I look forward to the next couple of years on the training fellowship and how it can elevate me for future faculty positions. I enjoy being able to continue my personal path and research projects with [Dr. LaRose’s] guidance.”
Categories Staff News