Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences

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. Sunny Jung Kim, Ph.D. is an e-health communication scholar specializing in theory-based social technologies for health promotion and their impact on the social and psychological mechanisms of behavior […]

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. Maria Thomson, Ph.D. is a social and behavioral scientist with interdisciplinary training in anthropology and public and population health sciences. She is an experienced community-engaged researcher, having recently […]

by Madeline Reinsel 22 VCU Schools and Departments rank in the top 50 of the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research’s 2024 rankings Five of Virginia Commonwealth University’s health sciences schools and departments rank in the top 15 for National Institutes of Health research funding in their fields among public institutions, according to new rankings […]

School of Public Health experts review how interactive technology is supporting care for cancer and substance use – and issues that must be addressed. by Maggie Christ Virginia Commonwealth University researchers are examining how artificial intelligence can enhance public health. Sunny Jung Kim, Ph.D., assistant professor of social and behavioral sciences at VCU’s School of […]

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has been awarded a five-year, $9 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to establish a pioneering Cancer Control Equity Research Center. This initiative aims to enhance the dissemination and implementation of health promotion and cancer prevention services for individuals and families residing in Virginia’s Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-administered income-based […]

Fariha Tariq, PhD candidate in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, has received an F99 Transition Award from the National Cancer Institute for “An In-depth Examination of Psychological Distress in Black Breast Cancer Survivors.” Psychological distress is an important component of cancer care, and can adversely affect treatment compliance, quality of life, and survival. […]

Dr. Wright was honored at the 2024 Faculty Convocation on August 29th. Wright, an associate professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the School of Public Health, has earned a national reputation among the community of health disparity researchers and contributed to fostering and expanding VCU’s learning environment. She specializes in coalition […]

Dr. Brown will take over as President of the society at the International Conference on Communication in Healthcare to be held September 9th-13th. The International Association for Communication in Healthcare (EACH) is a professional society which promotes healthcare communication by providing resources and expertise for health communication education and encouraging networking between professionals. This September, […]

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia approves the name change as the school continues its accreditation process. By Maggie Christ Virginia Commonwealth University’s newest school will have a new name – the VCU School of Public Health – effective July 15. Last year, VCU brought together four departments – Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Policy, […]

On June 21st, members of the Chickahominy tribe and VCU researchers came together to celebrate the completion of the project. The Chickahominy TRUTH project was headed by Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences faculty members and Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers Dr. Katherine Y. Tossas and Dr. Maria Thomson. The project began when researchers were […]