As of January 1, 2024, Health Behavior and Policy will split into two separate departments

Dr. Peter Cunningham will serve as Interim Chair of the Department of Health Policy, and Dr. Jessica LaRose will continue as Interim Chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

New websites for each department will be launching in the new year. Please give both new departments a follow on social media!

School of Population Health Appointment:

Dr. Robert Perera has been appointed Director of Online Learning and Training.

Dr. Anika Hines was selected part of the inaugural class of VCU's National/International Recognition Award (NIRA) scholars. Read more.

Dr. Sunny Jung Kim received a Translational Science Pilot Award from the C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research for "Testing and identifying persuasive mHealth communications to support self-management of pain and quality of life in cancer survivors."

Presentations:

Stacie Lefeavers and Dr. Kellie Carlyle presented a talk titled "Facilitating a Higher Education Response to Exploitation on Campus: Exploring Exploitation and Sex Trafficking Among College Students" at the Spit for Science Research Meeting on 10/17/2023 as part of the IRBEH pilot fund recipient guest presentation series, Richmond, VA.

Kim, S. J., Clark, V., Hong, S., Lichtman, A. H., & Sheppard, V. B. (March, 2024). Discrepant perspectives on medical cannabis use among cancer survivors and cancer providers. Poster presentation at the 45th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions of the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM), Philadelphia, PA.

Kim, S. J., Clark, V, Hancock, J. T., Rawassizadeh, R., Liu, H., Taylor, E. A., & Sheppard, V. B. (November, 2023). Systematic Review of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Mediated Communication for Cancer Prevention/Control and Drug Addiction Treatment. Oral presentation in the Health Informatics Information Technology session at the 151st American Public Health Association (APHA)’s Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA.

Publications:

Sonia Riaz had a blog post featured by the Center for Global Development. Read here.

Bono RS, White AM, Hoetger C, Lipato T, Bickel WK, Cobb CO, Barnes AJ. Expanding on cross-price elasticity: Understanding tobacco product demand and substitution from the cross-price purchase task. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, in press.

Dr. Andrew Barnes was interviewed for an article in Very Well Health on disposable vapes. Read here.

Dr. Sunny Jung Kim was featured in a VCUNews article about a new NSF grant on vaccine research. Read here.

Guleer Shahab (pictured left) placed 1st in VCU Graduate School's 3 Minute Thesis Competition, winning a sponsorship to participate in the Conference of Southern Graduate School's Three Minute Thesis (3MT ®) Competition on March 13-15, 2024 in Greenville, South Carolina.

Gus White (pictured left) won the Sherman Master Memorial Scholarship Award for Best Overall Poster ("The Potential Role of Heated Tobacco Products as a Menthol Cigarette Substitute") at the 2023 Virginia Society of Addiction Medicine Annual Conference in Virginia Beach, VA.

Savannah Reitzel (pictured left) successfully proposed her dissertation and is now a doctoral candidate.

Sonia Riaz (pictured left) had a blog post featured by the Center for Global Development. Read here.

Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Gala October 14

From left to right: Dr. Maghboeba Mosavel, Dr. Arnethea Sutton, Dr. Sunny Kim, Dr. Michael Preston, Dr. Anika Hines, Dr. Vanessa Sheppard, Dr. Maria Thomson, Dr. Jessica LaRose, Dr. Katherine Tossas.

For Global Diversity Awareness Month we hosted an international potluck and had a great time sampling cuisine from around the world!

Dr. Carrie Miller (SBS '18) was appointed Assistant Professor of Research in VCU's Department of Family Medicine.

Dr. Tyler Braun (HCPR '18) joined the Panel of Health Advisers to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, which provides the office with expert knowledge of health care delivery and financing.

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. 

Dr. Brown (SBS '20) was honored at a ceremony on October 21st.

November 6th - December 16th

"Surviving and Thriving: AIDS, Politics and Culture," an Exhibit from the National Library of Medicine

Special Collections and Archives Reading Room of the Health Sciences Library

More info here.

Monday, November 27th 11:00 - 1:00pm:

2023 Holiday Open House hosted by President Rao

Register here.

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