School of Public Health

Few treatments currently exist for people suffering from long-lasting effects of a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), also known as a concussion. A four-year study, funded by the Department of Defense (DOD), tests how a treatment called Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Biofeedback may help service members suffering from long-term symptoms after a mTBI relative to the usual care that these patients receive.

A film crew visited the university in late June to meet with faculty and students, highlighting the department’s methodological research and collaboration with VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The Center on Society and Health (CSH) is an academic research center that studies the health implications of social factors—such as education, income, neighborhood and community environmental conditions, and public policy. The VCU School of Public Health is proud to announce Derek Chapman, Ph.D., will lead the Center on Society and Health as director. Chapman […]

With an undergraduate degree in health, physical education and exercise science, Jocelyn Espinoza planned to continue her health science education, but wasn't sure where. As a certified nursing assistant she gained first-hand experience of the barriers that prevented folks from accessing health care and living healthier lives and pivoted to public health.

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. LaRose served as interim chair since 2022.

In the spring 2026, the VCU School of Public Health will offer an accredited, fully online Master of Public Health program. The asynchronous, online program offers maximum flexibility for students while experiencing the same curriculum to help them develop the analytic and critical reasoning skills to improve public health.

To help our new (and returning) students feel more at ease and make the most of the year ahead, we asked students and SOPH community members to share their best advice. A strong theme emerged: be unafraid.

Monica Swahn, Ph.D. shares her reflections from her first month as Dean of the School of Public Health, including lessons learned from the ASPPH Leadership Retreat in July.

By Olivia Trani Rural communities are particularly hard-hit, and the research could point to workforce initiatives. Nearly half of Virginia’s neighborhoods don’t have enough nearby primary care physicians for their residents, with rural communities being hit hardest by workforce shortages, according to a new study led by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University.  Using anonymized health […]

In May, the Science of Community Outreach and Engagement Alliance held its second annual conference in Oakland, California, to share best practices, increase community capacity, and train future leaders.