Dr. Katherine Tossas Wins Community Engagement Award
VCU’s Division of Community Engagement held a ceremony honoring nominees for outstanding work in community engagement on Thursday, May 14th. Award categories included faculty, students, and community partners. SBS assistant professor Katherine Y. Tossas, PhD, MS was honored with the Excellence in Community Engaged Research award.
Excellence in Community Engaged Research
Katherine Y. Tossas, PhD, MS
Assistant Professor, School of Public Health; Director, Catchment Area Data Analytics, Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Nominated by Jessica LaRose
Dr. Katherine Y. Tossas describes her work as a form of ministry — grounded in the purpose mantra: “I am here to steward and, as needed, to translate community wisdom into biobehavioral evidence, so healing can reach where systems fail.” It is a philosophy that animates everything she does as a cancer epidemiologist, community partner, and mentor.
At Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, she founded the Office of Catchment Area Data Analytics and co-directs the Global Oncology Program. Her community-engaged research includes Project COALESCE, which expanded access to cancer screenings; the TRUTH Project, a culturally grounded partnership with the Chickahominy Tribe focused on water safety and cancer beliefs; and the emerging Virginia Native Nations Against Cancer Coalition, uniting all 11 of Virginia’s tribal nations around cancer prevention and advocacy. She also founded the Virginia Public Health Summit on Cancer, now in its fourth year.
Through her COQUÍ Lab — a tribute to her Puerto Rican heritage — she mentors the next generation of researchers committed to transforming evidence into equity.
“Community-engaged research is not just research for me. It’s really a ministry.”
“I feel thankful to be able to serve the communities that shaped me. My family is still a part of these communities, so this work is deeply personal.” — Dr. Katherine Y. Tossas
Read the full article featuring all the awardees by Alliannah Hamilton on the Division of Community Engagement blog here: https://blogs.vcu.edu/engagevcu/2026/05/15/celebrating-excellence-in-community-engagement-honoring-vcus-2025-2026-award-recipients/
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