Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences

VCU Alumni’s 10 Under 10 awards program recognizes the noteworthy and distinctive achievements made by alumni who earned their first VCU degree (undergraduate, graduate or professional) within the past 10 years.  Assistant professor, Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions Kristal Lyn Brown, Ph.D. (Ph.D.’20), discovered her path studying health disparities in obesity treatment when […]

Savannah Reitzel, Ph.D. candidate in the Social and Behavioral Sciences program, was recently awarded a 2023 National Institute of Justice Graduate Research Fellowship. Her project, titled “THRIVE: Transformative Health and Reproductive Information for Incarcerated Women’s Empowerment,” seeks to promote health equity for incarcerated women in the US. The complicated healthcare system and the absence of […]

Nixon Arauz received the accolade for the dissertation competition. Nixon Arauz, a doctoral candidate in the Social and Behavioral Sciences program with VCU’s Department of Health Behavior and Policy, has been accorded honorable mention status in the 2023 Ford Foundation Fellowship Programs competition, administered by the Fellowships National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Ford […]

The V Foundation for Cancer Research announces the first class of “A Grant of Her Own: The Women Scientists Innovation Award for Cancer Research.” By: Mykala Healy Cary, NC (June 27, 2023) – The V Foundation for Cancer Research, a premier cancer research charity, proudly announces the first recipients of A Grant of Her Own: The Women […]

First Year Student Success course offers a step forward for Latinx newcomers at VCU After a successful debut this past fall, ¡Adelante! helps build skills and a sense of community during their adjustment to college. As a first-generation Latina student, Dianne Aguilar-Zurita wanted guidance on how to navigate college. In her freshman year at Virginia […]

VCU announces new School of Population Health By Danielle Pierce Virginia Commonwealth University announced today the creation of a dedicated School of Population Health, the 15th school or college belonging to its academic enterprise. “VCU is here to make a profound difference in the lives of people everywhere,” said Michael Rao, Ph.D., president of VCU […]

By Quin Elliott Vanessa Sheppard, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Population and Public Health Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the VP for Health Sciences and former HBP chair, has been named the American Cancer Society’s Researcher of the Year. This prestigious award recognizes her outstanding contributions to cancer research, advocacy, and policy, as well […]

Jessica LaRose, Ph.D., M.S. will be stepping in as the interim chair of HBP We are pleased to announce that Dr. Jessica LaRose has been selected to serve as Interim Department Chair. Dr. LaRose is a tenured associate professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Policy and formerly a Blick Scholar in the School […]

Vanessa Sheppard Ph.D. will be stepping away to take on a new role within the university Dr. Vanessa Sheppard will be stepping away from her role as HBP Department Chair after being selected as the Associate Vice President for Population and Public Health Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the VP for Health Sciences. Dr. […]

While much of the health research around men who have sex with men (MSM) involves HIV, these communities are at increased risk for other health problems including certain types of cancer, substance use and mental health issues. A new scoping review by VCU School of Medicine and Massey Cancer Center researchers finds that a specific […]