Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences

During this year’s National Postdoc Appreciation Week (Sept 15-19) we’re recognizing Karly Casanave-Phillips, Ph.D., M.A., and Chloé Jones, Ph.D., M.S., postdoctoral fellows and mentees of Jessica G. LaRose, Ph.D. Karly Casanave-Phillips, Ph.D., M.A. is a postdoctoral fellow in the Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC) T32. She earned her Ph.D. in Sport, […]

Dr. Hsinling Sonya Hung is retiring as of August 31, 2025. Dr. Hung joined VCU in 2016 as assistant professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences (then the Department of Health Behavior & Policy). During her time at VCU, she has collaborated as evaluator and co-investigator on a myriad of health promotion projects, including […]

LaRose has served as interim chair since November 2022, prior to the School’s founding. by Maggie Christ Jessica G. LaRose, Ph.D., F.S.B.M., has been named chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences as of August 1, 2025. She took on the role in an interim capacity, first as the Department of Health Behavior and Policy […]

During this year’s promotion and tenure cycle, Sunny Jung Kim, Ph.D., M.S., M.A., was promoted to associate professor with tenure. Kim joined the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences in 2018 as an assistant professor. She is also a member of the Cancer Prevention and Control research program at Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center. Kim’s scholarship focuses on translating communication, behavioral, and […]

It’s Spring Graduation season and we’re celebrating our most recent graduates from the School of Public Health. Stacie Lefeavers, Ph.D.’25, M.P.H.’20, R.N., recently defended her dissertation, earning her Ph.D. in social and behavioral sciences. In this video, Lefeavers shares the impact and findings from her research on intimate partner violence and sex trafficking on college […]

It’s Spring Graduation season and we’re celebrating our most recent graduates from the School of Public Health. Among them is Julie Russo, Ph.D.’25, M.P.H.’21. Russo chose VCU in part because she was drawn to the research of Kellie Carlyle, Ph.D., who became her advisor for both degrees. During her time at SOPH, she came to […]

Maghboeba Mosavel, Ph.D., the current head of VCU’s Division of Community Engagement is being promoted to vice provost, effective immediately, said Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D., VCU’s Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Dr. Mosavel has done an outstanding job of both reorganizing and energizing VCU’s Community Engagement team after it was moved into the Office of […]

Swahn comes to VCU from Kennesaw State University where she served as dean and professor of Wellstar College of Health and Human Services. By Mike Porter Virginia Commonwealth University today announced that Monica Swahn, Ph.D., has been named dean of the VCU School of Public Health, effective July 1, 2025. The Board of Visitors will officially consider […]

Every April, Cancer Control Month honors cancer survivors and those currently fighting cancer. This month of recognition focuses on cancer prevention and treatment as well as quality of life for those diagnosed with cancer and cancer survivors. Cancer Prevention and Control is a major area of research in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. […]

By Paul Brockwell Jr. Photos by Daniel Sangjib Min An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. What Benjamin Franklin first said centuries ago is a truth recognized for decades by faculty on the MCV Campus who knew there was a missing piece to VCU’s academic enterprise in health sciences: public health.  In […]