Faculty, staff honored with annual awards at spring graduation
Each year, the VCU School of Public Health and its departments recognize outstanding teaching and service with awards for its faculty and staff. Here are the awardees for 2024-2025.
Departmental Teachers of the Year
Awardees are chosen by the current students in each program. Teachers are recognized for their mentorship, guidance and teaching style throughout the academic year.
Department of Biostatistics: Robert Perera, Ph.D.
Robert Perera, Ph.D., is an associate professor and the interim chair of the Department of Biostatistics. Perera joined the Department in 2013. He serves as affiliate faculty in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, is a member of the Center for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering, and the Biostatistical Shared Resource at the Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center.
As evident in his leadership and teaching, Perera recognizes students are the department’s core and is dedicated to providing a supportive and enriching learning environment. This year, he taught Structural Equation Modeling and he served as a thesis and academic advisor.
He’s described as a very effective and supportive teacher, and one who understands things from the student’s perspective. His approach and teaching style have left a profound impact on his students.
Department of Epidemiology: Elizabeth Prom-Wormley, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Elizabeth Prom-Wormley, Ph.D., M.P.H., is currently an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology She joined VCU’s (then) Division of Epidemiology in 2014. She has taught several courses, including Psychiatric Epidemiology, Public Health Genomics, Advanced Epidemiological Methods and Data Analysis, and many others.
Prom-Wormley currently serves as a co-advisor for one doctoral student and has successfully advised two others through graduation. She typically serves as advisor to three to five M.P.H. students at a time and has served as committee member for many other doctoral and M.P.H. students. Her students rave about her infectious enthusiasm, her seamless and expert blending of disparate disciplines, and her evidence-backed range of knowledge. Her colleagues appreciate her excitement and energy, and her team-oriented, selfless approach has helped the Department successfully transition from divisional status to what it is today.
Department of Health Policy: Lauryn Walker, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Lauryn Walker, Ph.D., is an adjunct professor in the Department of Health Policy and a 2019 graduate of the Health Care Policy and Research program. Walker has led the professional development seminars for doctoral students for the past two years. She is also a guest lecturer for a number of classes in the program. Most notably, she has contributed to the new M.P.H. concentration in health policy by developing a new course called “Health Policy and Politics.” She will begin co-teaching this course in Spring 2026. Walker is currently Chief Strategy Officer for the Virginia Center for Health Innovation in Richmond and previously held positions at the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services and North Carolina Medicaid.
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences: Sharyn Dougherty, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Sharyn Dougherty, Ph.D., M.P.H. is an adjunct instructor and a graduate of the Social and Behavioral Sciences doctoral program. In her first year of teaching, Dougherty led two core courses central to the program curriculum: Theoretical Foundations of Social and Behavioral Health and Program Evaluation. Her approach to teaching reflects the mission of the department by fostering deep engagement with the structural and behavioral drivers of health. Through accessible, well-designed instruction, she empowered students to critically analyze public health systems and interventions—advancing their capacity to have transformational, real-world impact in communities.
Students praised Dougherty not only for her clear and engaging delivery of complex content, but also for the supportive classroom environment she created. She routinely begins class with group check-ins, recognizing students’ humanity while building a space of trust and care. Her teaching reflects the value of collaboration, encouraging dialogue, shared learning, and co-construction of knowledge.
School of Public Health Awards
Teacher of the Year: Juan Lu, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H.
Juan Lu, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., is a professor in the Department of Epidemiology. Lu joined the department in 2010 and has taught a wide range of courses, including Intermediate Epidemiologic Methods, Advanced Epidemiologic Data Analysis, Analysis of Health Datasets, Clinical Trials, Pragmatic Clinical Trials, and Adaptive Clinical Trials, among many others.
Lu plays a significant role as a mentor, currently advising two doctoral students and previously advised eight doctoral graduates. In the past year alone, she served as the primary mentor for eight M.P.H. students and continues to serve on many other master’s and doctoral advisory committees. Her service to the academic community includes her role as Graduate Program Director for Epidemiology, a role she has held since 2018, as well as GPD for the M.P.H. training program.
Lu embodies the idea of service, teaching courses when others cannot, providing help where it is most needed, and making all efforts to ensure our students receive the best educational experience possible.
Staff of the Year: Katherine Peterman, M.P.H.
Katherine Peterman, M.P.H., is the M.P.H. Education Administrator for the School of Public Health. In her role, she has demonstrated exceptional leadership and dedication in advancing student services and engagement across the School. Her commitment is evident through her proactive and timely efforts to support the transition of the M.P.H. program’s administration into the Dean’s Office, introducing new course formats, adding concentrations, shifting to a professional advising model, and redesigning the capstone experience to better meet the needs of both students and faculty.
Katherine has played a pivotal role in organizing the School’s graduation ceremonies and its orientation activities. Her broader service includes representing VCU in the Student Affairs Section of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) and acting as a VCU Staff Senate representative. On top of all that, Katherine is currently pursuing a Master of Educational Leadership at VCU, further expanding her expertise in student support and resource integration.
Join us in celebrating our amazing faculty and staff at the School of Public Health. We couldn’t do it without you!
Categories Awards, Department news