[{"id":247,"date":"2026-07-21T17:10:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T17:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/?p=247"},"modified":"2026-07-22T14:48:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T14:48:05","slug":"dr-jessica-larose-receives-wisdm-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/2026\/07\/21\/dr-jessica-larose-receives-wisdm-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Jessica LaRose receives WISDM award"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jessica LaRose, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, received the School of Public Health’s 2026 Professional Achievement Award at VCU’s Women in Science, Dentistry, and Medicine<\/a> Annual Leadership Conference this April. This award honors her achievements in leadership, scholarship, and mentorship in service to her department and the School of Public Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. LaRose came to VCU’s School of Medicine as assistant professor in 2012 and has been a full member of Massey\u2019s Cancer Prevention and Control program since 2014. She is a clinical psychologist with a specialization in behavioral and preventive medicine and dual training in pediatric and adult populations. Broadly, her program of research focuses on two areas: 1) understanding the interplay of behavioral, psychological, social, and environmental drivers of chronic disease risk, and 2) applying these findings to the development of novel and sustainable interventions to promote physical and psychological health among underserved populations. Dr. LaRose is an internationally recognized scholar with formal training and expertise in community-engaged research and the design and conduct of behavioral clinical trials. Her methodological expertise spans the translational continuum from early phase efficacy testing to implementation in community contexts; in addition, she is known for her work specific to recruitment and retention of underserved populations in behavioral trials, and the use of digital tools to enhance the reach and sustainability of behavioral interventions. Dr. LaRose\u2019s program of research has been continuously funded since 2007\u2014currently, she is PI or MPI on four NIH-funded studies and serves as MPI of the NCI-funded VA-ACCERT Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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School of Public Health Dean Dr. Monica Swahn and Dr. Jessica LaRose<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Dr. LaRose is also deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists and practitioners\u2014over the last decade alone she has mentored over 40 individuals, including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career faculty\u2014all but one of whom are women and more than half of whom are from underrepresented backgrounds. Her contributions to mentorship have been recognized by several awards, including Outstanding Mentor of the Year<\/em> in the Massey Cancer Prevention and Control program in 2023 and the Outstanding Mentor Award<\/em> for the Young Adult SIG of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity in 2024. Prior to transitioning to her role as chair, she also developed and taught doctoral level courses in intervention development and implementation, community-engaged intervention design and methods, research methods, and grant writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I am incredibly appreciative of the way Dr. LaRose adapted her mentorship approach to meet my evolving professional development needs as I moved from graduate students to early career faculty member. I am even more appreciative of the way Dr. LaRose has not changed her level of respect toward me throughout that transition; I have always felt genuinely valued, included, and encouraged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Autumn Lanoye, Ph.D., L.C.P.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Autumn Lanoye, Ph.D., has worked with LaRose since the latter first came to VCU in 2012. Beginning as a graduate research assistant in LaRose\u2019s lab, she is now a department colleague and co-investigator. Lanoye emphasizes the importance of having a mentor who connects on both a professional and human level. \u201cDr. LaRose has really helped me to reflect on the Venn diagram between my personal values and the values of academia as an institution,\u201d says Lanoye. \u201cIt feels really validating to have a mentor who understands that \u2018academic\u2019 is only one element of my identity. On top of that, consciously recognizing and appreciating when I am engaging in work that exists in the area of overlap has helped me to feel fulfilled and less likely to burn out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karly Casanave-Phillips, Ph.D., has worked with LaRose since 2023, first as a postdoctoral fellow and currently as senior research scientist for LaRose’s OPT for Health Lab<\/a>. Her appreciation for her mentor\u2019s support is clear: \u201cDespite being the busiest person I know, [LaRose] always prioritizes her mentees and our growth, never failing to remind us that we are humans first and professionals second. She genuinely wants to support us in pursuing our dreams, no matter what they may look like.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. LaRose is a standing member of the LCBH study section at NIH, serves on several editorial boards, and is also actively engaged in service at all levels at VCU, including the department, the School of Public Health, and the university. She served as interim department chair from 2022-2025, leading the transition of what was then the Department of Health Behavior and Policy within the School of Medicine to the current Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences within the new School of Public Health. Consistent with her training and expertise, her leadership style as chair is grounded in a servant leadership approach\u2014drawing from strengths-based models and prioritizing active listening, engagement, and cultivating a climate where all department members can thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jessica LaRose, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, received the School of Public Health’s 2026 Professional Achievement Award at VCU’s Women in Science, Dentistry, and Medicine Annual Leadership Conference this April. This award honors her achievements in leadership, scholarship, and mentorship in service to her department and the School […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1899,"featured_media":248,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1899"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":269,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247\/revisions\/269"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":242,"date":"2026-07-01T13:15:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T13:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/?p=242"},"modified":"2026-07-01T13:15:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T13:15:47","slug":"dra-dina-garcia-awarded-tenure-and-promotion-to-associate-professor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/2026\/07\/01\/dra-dina-garcia-awarded-tenure-and-promotion-to-associate-professor\/","title":{"rendered":"Dra. Dina Garc\u00eda Awarded Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During this year\u2019s promotion and tenure cycle, Dina Garc\u00eda, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed.<\/a>, was promoted to associate professor with tenure.\u00a0Garc\u00eda joined the\u00a0Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences<\/a>\u00a0in 2018 as an assistant professor.\u00a0In this role, she directs the Kalpulli Research Group and teaches graduate courses on community-based participatory research, health disparities, and social justice. In 2024, she was also appointed Graduate Program Director for the Social and Behavioral Sciences doctoral program, where she oversees admissions, student success, faculty engagement, and curriculum implementation and evaluation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dra. Garc\u00eda’s independent research program examines the social and structural drivers of oral health inequities, with the goal of developing and implementing community-grounded efforts targeting different causal pathways. Her emerging scholarship of teaching and learning explores how health sciences students are trained in health equity and racial justice. At VCU, she serves as the faculty advisor for the student chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos\/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) and as a research mentor in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program and the Commonwealth Scholars Program. Dra. Garc\u00eda is an American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education faculty fellow and deputy editor for the\u00a0Teaching and Learning in Medicine<\/em>\u00a0international journal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During this year\u2019s promotion and tenure cycle, Dina Garc\u00eda, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., was promoted to associate professor with tenure.\u00a0Garc\u00eda joined the\u00a0Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences\u00a0in 2018 as an assistant professor.\u00a0In this role, she directs the Kalpulli Research Group and teaches graduate courses on community-based participatory research, health disparities, and social justice. In 2024, she […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1899,"featured_media":16,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1899"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":245,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242\/revisions\/245"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":233,"date":"2026-06-10T13:34:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T13:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/?p=233"},"modified":"2026-06-10T13:34:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T13:34:25","slug":"virginia-public-health-summit-on-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/sbs\/2026\/06\/10\/virginia-public-health-summit-on-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Public Health Summit on Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On June 2nd, members of SBS joined public health experts and community members from across Virginia to discuss how public health collaboration and coordination can help to improve cancer prevention, screening, and care. Katherine Y. Tossas, Ph.D., M.S., assistant professor and director of Catchment Area Data Analytics at Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center helped launch this annual summit four years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presenters at the summit included Marcie Wright, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor and associate director of VCU’s Center on Health Advancement, and Arnethea Sutton, affiliate faculty and assistant director of Community Outreach and Engagement at Massey. Doctoral scholar Farnese Motto, M.S.P.H. presented at the poster session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Arnethea Sutton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Dr. Marcie Wright<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Dr. Katherine Y. Tossas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Farnese Motto, M.S.P.H., and Emily Edwards, M.P.H.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Read the full summit recap on Massey’s News Center here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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