VCU launches the Office of Medicaid Evaluation
The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Public Health has established the Office of Medicaid Evaluation to more formally provide analysis and guidance on state and federal Medicaid programs.
The opioid epidemic in Virginia: 2,000+ saved lives, $5.2B in possible savings
VCU Center on Society and Health and Virginia Department of Health refresh opioid cost website with locality-based map of the epidemic’s impact.
Marcie Wright, Ph.D., M.P.H., named interim associate dean for research
Marcie Wright, Ph.D., M.P.H., has been named interim associate dean for research at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Public Health, where she will provide strategic leadership to advance the School’s growing research enterprise.
VCU Public Health heads to APHA’s Annual Meeting
The VCU School of Public Health is proud to send more than 20 representatives to the APHA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., on November 2-5, 2025.
Niloofar Ramezani, Ph.D., receives the 2025 APHS Mid-Career Award
The Applied Public Health Statistics (APHS) Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA) has granted Niloofar Ramezani, Ph.D., the 2025 APHS Mid-Career Award.
Addressing brain injury: HERO Study offers hope for concussion sufferers
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.
Derek Chapman, Ph.D., named Director of VCU Center on Society and Health
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 […]
Jessica G. LaRose, Ph.D., appointed chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences
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.
VCU School of Public Health launches online M.P.H. program
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.
Primary care shortage affects 44% of Virginia’s neighborhoods and almost 3.8 million residents, new VCU study finds
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 […]
