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Annual Report 2025-26

This is a text-only version of the 2025-26 VCU School of Public Health annual report. If you'd like to review our report with full graphics and color, view the flipbook version or download the PDF version.

From the Dean

Dear members of the VCU and public health communities:

This past year — our third as a School of Public Health — was one of significant growth and progress. We named two permanent department chairs, appointed a director of the Center on Society and Health, launched the Office of Medicaid Research, expanded our M.P.H. program, and set the stage for our forthcoming Bachelor of Science in Public Health. 

In addition to building this foundation, our faculty, staff, students, and alumni continue to impress with their passion and dedication to public health and their communities. Faculty received national acknowledgement for their research, staff were recognized for their service to our students and the University, and our Biostatistics program remains in the top 50 graduate programs according to the U.S. News and World Report. You can see we have a lot to be proud of.

We continue to expand our impact within the public health community by showcasing research and providing hands-on learning opportunities for our students. We hosted our first Public Health Student Showcase in April, and more than 20 members of our School attended and presented at the APHA Annual Meeting in November. 

In the pages that follow, we expand upon these points of pride. I invite you to explore our favorite moments from the last year in education, research, and community, and help us imagine what’s possible in the years to come.

Warmly,

Monica Swahn, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Dean, School of Public Health
Charles W. & Evelyn F. Thomas Endowed Professor, Epidemiology
Virginia Commonwealth University

About VCU Public Health

The VCU School of Public Health brings together nationally recognized faculty and passionate students to address the most pressing public health issues of the day. Through research, collaboration, education and policy, we envision a better world: Every person. Every community. Healthy.

Vision

Every person. Every community. Healthy.

Mission

To generate evidence-based solutions, translate them into public health practice, and educate future leaders who advance health locally and globally.

By the numbers:

  • 2 Centers and offices
  • 4 Departments
  • 6 Academic programs
  • 250 Faculty, staff and students

Departments

Department of Biostatistics

Interim Chair: Robert Perera, Ph.D.

Mission

Improving human health through methodological research, graduate education, and collaboration with health sciences researchers on biostatistical methods and applications.

Programs

  • Ph.D. in Biostatistics
  • Master’s in Biostatistics
  • Biostatistics Graduate Certificate in Genomics Data Science

Current students: 23 Ph.D. and 8 M.S. students

Highlights

Each year, the Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) highlights schools, departments, and organizations in their Thought Leadership Film Series. In 2025, the Department of Biostatistics at the VCU School of Public Health was included in that exclusive series. Watch it here.

BASS XXXII

The Biopharmaceutical Applied Statistics Symposium (BASS), founded in 1993 by VCU alumnus Karl E. Peace, Ph.D., Fellow of the American Statistical Association, provides both a forum for pharmaceutical and medical researchers and regulators to share timely information concerning the application of biostatistics in pharmaceutical environments; and funding to support graduate studies in Biostatistics.

In November 2025, three faculty and three students attended the annual symposium to share their research.

By the Numbers

  • #49 Best Biostatistics Graduate Programs, U.S. News & World Report
  • 68 publications by current students or recent graduates (2026)
  • 79 articles authored or co-authored by faculty members

Department of Epidemiology

Chair: Samar El Khoudary, Ph.D., M.P.H., F.A.H.A.

Mission

To provide outstanding epidemiology and public health training, conduct innovative research, and engage in impactful service.

Program: Ph.D. in Epidemiology

Current students: 10 Ph.D. students

Highlights

In September 2025, Samar R. El Khoudary, Ph.D., was appointed chair of the Department of Epidemiology. El Khoudary arrived from the University of Pittsburgh and is a globally recognized cardiovascular and women’s health epidemiologist whose research focuses on the menopause transition and cardiovascular disease. Get to know her and her vision for the Department here.

VCU Center on Society & Health

Founded in 2007, the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University 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.

In 2025, Derek Chapman, Ph.D., was appointed its director. Chapman, a professor of epidemiology, leads a diverse interdisciplinary team that conducts user-oriented research directed at delivering actionable and policy-relevant findings in accessible formats like the nationally known life expectancy maps and the Virginia Wellbeing Dashboard, launched in 2024. Chapman also brings extensive experience computing small-area population health metrics—including life expectancy and premature mortality—for cities and counties across the United States.

Department of Health Policy

Interim Chair: Peter Cunningham, Ph.D.

Mission

To advance better, more equitable health policies through multidisciplinary research, education, training, and service. Advanced quantitative and mixed methods employed by collaborative teams help us to identify causes, develop real-world solutions, and provide critical training experiences to prepare our students and postdoctoral fellows to become the next generation of thought leaders. We partner with policymakers and other community, national, and global stakeholders to conduct research that matters by informing policy decisions that improve health and promote equity.

Program: Ph.D. in Healthcare Policy and Research

Current students: 13 Ph.D. students

Highlights

  • Class of 2026: Gati Wambura extends her reach as a ‘global health citizen’
    With her Ph.D. from the Department of Health Policy, she builds on her Kenyan roots and her experience on other continents.
    Read more here.
  • Class of 2025: Dani Montoya embraces public health and perseverance
    In her VCU doctoral program, she reflected her Hispanic heritage; in life, she worked through her ADHD.
    Read more here.

VCU Office of Medicaid Evaluation

The Office of Medicaid Evaluation was launched on July 1, 2025, under the direction of Andrew Barnes, Ph.D., professor of health policy. The center’s research will help policymakers address issues related to health care access, quality, and cost for members of Medicaid. Since 2016, a team of VCU researchers has worked closely with the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services to evaluate policy and program changes in treating substance use disorder, using managed care to provide long-term services, expanding the breadth and duration of coverage for Medicaid populations, and supporting maternal and child health initiatives.

Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Chair: Jessica LaRose, Ph.D., F.S.B.M.

Mission

We strive for optimal health for all people via research, education, and service, with community engagement at the heart of all we do. Our work spans the translational continuum within public health, focusing on understanding and transforming the systemic, structural, social, and behavioral factors that affect health to promote well-being for all.

Program: Ph.D. in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Current students: 13 Ph.D. students

Highlights

In August 2025, Jessica LaRose, Ph.D., F.S.B.M., was appointed chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. LaRose has served as the interim chair since 2023, when the then Department of Health Behavior and Policy was split into the Departments of Health Policy and Social and Behavioral Sciences. LaRose is an internationally recognized behavioral trialist whose program of research focuses on the design and implementation of interventions to promote physical and psychological health across the lifespan.

Read the full announcement and more about LaRose’s leadership here.

By the Numbers

  • 58 articles authored or co-authored by faculty members
  • 37 extramurally funded research projects
  • 2 NIH-funded grants awarded to SBS trainees
  • 5 in-house clinical trials

Education

We are educating and launching public health leaders, preparing the next generation of professionals, innovators and advocates for the world and communities they will serve. This work happens in and outside of the classroom.

While our school is new, public health education at VCU is not. VCU has been training public health professionals since 1917. The Department of Biostatistics was founded in 1958, and we launched our M.P.H. program in 1996. Our education footprint in the region is bigger than our three years, and we’ve learned a lot about student success, workforce readiness and research engagement in that time.

We’re bringing new programs to our School!

This past year, we launched an online version of our M.P.H. program, debuting in the spring with seven students. We now offer five concentrations, adding health communication and health policy to our existing three options: applied public health, cancer control and prevention science and epidemiology. In Summer 2026, we began offering all five as microcredentials for current students and nondegree-seeking students who want to expand their public health knowledge.

Expanding Education

While we anticipate a launch of our BSPH in fall 2027, we are getting a head start on engaging undergraduate students in public health research and education. New this fall, students could enroll in one of two minors:

  • A minor in Public Health is ideal for students studying clinical radiation science, dental hygiene, pharmaceutical science, psychology, sociology, urban and regional studies, or if one is simply curious about how public health impacts the world around them.
  • Offered in collaboration with VCUarts, the minor in Public Health and the Arts is designed for students with an interest in careers at the intersection of health, nonprofits, public agencies and creative organizations. It takes a creative approach to confront and address real-world challenges in community health. The minor includes hands-on experience working directly in the Richmond community through internships and applied projects with real-world outcomes.

Global Impact

VCU solidifies its global health initiative with expansion of Bolashak Program

The VCU-Bolashak International Scholarship Program is a Kazakhstan government-funded initiative that supports advanced training of professionals abroad to build national capacity in key sectors, including public health and medicine. VCU is one of the selected institutions hosting these scholars for clinical and research training.

The program began in 2012 and has hosted 21 scholars in the years since. Seven scholars participated in 2025, and a graduation ceremony was held in January. Three more joined the program in early 2026. Meet the scholars here.

In May 2026, VCU met with the Bolashak Center leadership and agreed to designate Kazakhstan as one of the priority countries for expanding and strengthening VCU Global Health Partnerships, building on a nearly 30-year partnership. Read more about the visit to Kazakhstan here.

Student Showcase

In April 2026, VCU Public Health hosted its first student showcase — a space for all students to share their research posters. Twenty-five students participated in the heavily attended event, which included members of the VCU and Richmond community. Nine students were recognized for their presentations, research impact, and more.

Best Oral Presentation
Emma Wagner, M.P.H. student with an Epidemiology concentration
Investigating Climate Change as a Driver for Black-Legged Tick Hotspot Dynamics in Virginia

Best Visual Presentation
Samuel Soon, Ph.D. student in Biostatistics 
Parameter Estimation and Influence Analysis in Matrix-Variate Skew Model

Public Health Values Award
Janet Nguyen, M.P.H. student with an Epidemiology concentration
Examining Socioeconomic Effect Modification in the Association Between Depression and Drug Use Disorder in the United States

Community Engagement Hero
Samuel Sijuade, Ph.D. student in Social & Behavioral Sciences
Enhancing Organizational Capacity Through Community-Based Participatory Research: A Field Experience with CancerLINC

Data Czar Award
Oliver Hurst, Ph.D. student in Biostatistics
Power Analysis of Longitudinal Data with Time-Dependent Covariates: A Simulation Study

Outstanding Undergraduate Poster
Aditya Badhrayan and Amulya Chowdhory, Office for Medicaid Evaluation
Understanding Patient Experiences as Indicators of Quality in Medicaid OUD Treatment

Outstanding MPH Poster
Arooj Abidi, M.P.H. student with a Cancer Prevention & Control Science concentration
Identifying Structural Drivers of Colorectal Cancer Screening and Diagnosis Disparities Across Virginia

Outstanding Doctoral Poster
Li Liu, Ph.D. student in Biostatistics 
TITE-LOCRM12: A Local Continual Reassessment Method for Drug Combination Optimization Based on Late-Onset Toxicity and Efficacy Outcomes

People’s Choice Award
Anu Charbe, Ph.D. student in Epidemiology 
Family Structure Index (FSI) and Suicidal Ideation Among U.S. Adults NHANES 2021-2023

Research

As a top 50 public research institution, we aim to produce cutting-edge research and move it into practice and policy. We foster interdisciplinary and translational research collaborations that drive real change in our communities locally and globally.

By the numbers

  • $10M total research expenditures
  • 65 total awards
  • 110 collaborative awards

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. James Burch, Ph.D., a (recently retired) professor in VCU’s School of Public Health, and William Walker, M.D., a professor in VCU’s School of Medicine, are leading a study to address this problem head-on.

A four-year study, announced in 2024 and 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.

Military service members face an especially high risk of concussion from blasts or other service-related injuries, which makes finding a solution an urgent issue for military readiness and long-term health.
Read more here.

From A.I. to Wearables: VCU’s Wright Center awards four NIH-funded grants to accelerate medical research

In May 2026, The C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research announced the awarding of $100,000 to four interdisciplinary research projects at VCU. The goal is to create generalizable solutions that can be applied across many different fields of medicine to make the journey from laboratory discovery to patient care faster and more efficient.

Three of the six awardees are faculty at the School of Public Health:

  • Ekaterina Smirnova, Ph.D., associate professor of biostatistics, is working with Juan Pablo Arab, M.D., an associate professor of medicine. 
    Project: “Wearable biosensors for accurate detection of alcohol use in patients with alcohol-associated liver disease”
  • Na Bo, Ph.D., assistant professor of biostatistics (above)
    Project: “Advancing Precision Medicine: Novel Statistical and AI Methods to Characterize Treatment Heterogeneity in Survival Data”
  • Erin L. Britton, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of health policy
    Project: “Building a Virginia APCD Training Platform for a Data-Proficient Research Workforce”

Read more here.

Primary care shortage affects 44% of Virginia’s neighborhoods and almost 3.8 million residents, new VCU study finds

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 VCU, including lead author Hannah Shadowen, Ph.D., an M.D.-Ph.D. student at VCU’s School of Medicine and School of Public Health.

Using anonymized health care claims data, the research team found that 44% of census tracts in the state lacked adequate access to primary care services, affecting nearly 3.8 million Virginians. The findings, published in the Annals of Family Medicine, could help inform workforce interventions in targeting neighborhoods most in need of expanded primary care access.

“Primary care physicians are the foundation of any health care system, with the ability to provide care across the spectrum of people’s lives,” said Shadowen. “Not only do they help treat acute medical problems, they also play an important role in helping patients manage chronic health issues like diabetes and hypertension.”
Read more here.

Community

VCU is one of 80 public R1 universities that has earned the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. Through authentic community-engaged research, leveraging existing data, and place-based interventions, we co-create solutions that rebuild trust in public health and measurably improve well-being.

M.P.H. student’s hands-on experience unleashes public health potential

With an undergraduate degree in health, physical education and exercise science, Jocelyn Espinoza, M.P.H., planned to pursue a degree in nursing next. However, her time as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) provided first-hand experience of the barriers that prevented folks from accessing health care and living healthier lives. As a Mexican-American, Espinoza found herself translating for Hispanic and Latino patients who had trouble accessing resources and communicating with their providers. This experience triggered a reassessment of her goals and how she wanted to impact the world of health. Her search led her to VCU’s School of Public Health.

Espinoza’s experience researching career options and getting to know the community she hopes to serve led her to the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health’s This is Public Health! Ambassador program. As an Ambassador, she aimed to spread awareness of what public health is and how it is a great path for people like her who didn’t already know what was possible.

“For me personally, I want to spread more awareness about community-based program development and what it means.”
Read more here.

Public health students team up with VPHA for Legislative Advocacy Day

The collaboration between the Virginia Public Health Association (VPHA) and VCU’s Public Health Student Association (PHSA) last fall, when Grant Frazier, M.P.H., PHSA’s Health Policy Liaison, connected with VPHA’s Ben Barber to explore ways students could engage in current policy efforts. The result: a day of public health advocacy at the Virginia General Assembly. VPHA provided the technical support and structure students needed to move from interest to action. Students gained valuable hands-on insight into how to turn research into policy. 

For many participants, the experience was transformative. Some had never been inside the General Assembly Building or spoken directly with a policymaker. Sonia Riaz, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. student, said the day deepened her commitment to sustained involvement in health policy, noting that clinicians and public health professionals must help shape the upstream policies that determine health outcomes. 
Read more here.

Community, connection at the center of National Public Health Week 2026

Observed each April, National Public Health Week recognizes the field’s role in improving health, preventing disease, and strengthening communities. At VCU, the PHSA organized daily events to highlight the various specialties and impact of public health and our community.

From groundbreaking global research to speed mentoring and a powerful story of resilience and public commitment, the impact was felt across the School and community. PHSA wrapped the week with the community service event at the Stockton Community Garden, translating discussion into action as students planted seedlings in support of healthier, more sustainable urban green space in Richmond. 

The event also reinforced a broader principle that ran throughout the week: public health is not confined to policy or program design. It is enacted through everyday practices that strengthen the conditions in which communities live and thrive.

National Public Health Week 2026 at VCU School of Public Health demonstrated the breadth of public health as both a field of study and a mode of practice, and all the events positioned students not as observers of public health but as emerging participants in its work.
Read more here.

Virginia Public Health Summit on Cancer returns for a fourth year

In early June, faculty and students joined public health experts and community members from across Virginia to discuss how public health collaboration can help to improve cancer prevention, screening, and care. Katherine Y. Tossas, Ph.D., M.S., assistant professor of social and behavioral sciences, director of Catchment Area Data Analytics and assistant director of global oncology at Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, was pivotal to the inception of this annual conference four years ago and continues to play a key role.

Presenters at the summit included Marcie Wright, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor of social and behavioral sciences and associate director of VCU’s Center on Health Advancement, and Arnethea Sutton, affiliate SBS faculty and assistant director of Community Outreach and Engagement at Massey. SBS Ph.D. student Farnese Motto, M.S.P.H., and alum Emily Edwards, M.P.H., (M.P.H.’25) presented at the poster session.

Alum and former adjunct faculty Lauryn Walker, Ph.D. (HCPR ‘19), M.P.H., the deputy secretary of health and human services in Virginia, spoke on behalf of the Office of the Governor, championing the meeting’s mission and stating that public health experts from different districts are responsible for helping move the needle for policy and action statewide.
Read more here.

 

Awards & Recognition

We aim to build a thriving school and cultivate leadership at every level, empowering students, faculty, staff and partners as change agents. We are thrilled to showcase the faculty, staff, and students who are already excelling in their field and are recognized for the work they have contributed over the last year. These awards include internal recognition both at the school- and university-levels and those of external associations.

Faculty Awards

Department Teachers of the Year

  • Nolan Wages, Ph.D., professor of Biostatistics
  • Richard Brown, Ph.D., associate professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Erin Britton, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of Health Policy
  • James Burch, Ph.D., professor of Epidemiology (retired June 2026)

Faculty Kudos

  • Askar Chukmaitov, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.A.
  • Derek Chapman, Ph.D.
  • Dina Garcia, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed.
  • Juan Lu, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H.
  • Elizabeth Prom-Wormley, Ph.D., M.P.H.
  • Niloofar Ramezani, Ph.D.
  • Syliva Rozario, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.B.S.
  • Katherine Tossas, Ph.D., M.S.
  • Meghan Tipre, Dr.P.H.
  • Katia Smirnova, Ph.D.
  • Emily Zimmerman, Ph.D., M.S., M.P.H.

Staff Awards

The VCU Staff Senate Awards for Excellence are the premier university awards offered within VCU, for VCU/VCU Health staff members. The awards focus on VCU values and provide the deserved exposure and recognition of the hard work and extraordinary achievements of staff, which make VCU the great place it is today.

Three public health staff members were nominated and recognized at the annual award ceremony in March 2026.

  • Sabrina Janesick, M.A., nominee for the Benchmark Award for New Employee
  • Nerice Lochansky Luu, M.A., nominee for the Guiding Star Award for Career Achievement
  • Drew Necci, nominee for the Benchmark Award for New Employee

President’s Awards for Professional and Administrative Distinction

Since 2013, the Office of the President honors exceptional staff members within the VCU and VCU Health System community for outstanding performance, achievement and service excellence.

  • Muna Ali received the Danny Woodward President’s Service Excellence Award
  • Carrie Boyd received the President’s Outstanding Achievement Award

Staff Kudos

  • Muna Ali
  • Sabrina Janesick, M.A.
  • Nerice Lochansky Luu, M.A.
  • Annaka Meadows Grismer
  • Jillian Moore
  • Drew Necci
  • Kati Scharles, C.R.A.

Student Awards

Carter G. Woodson Awards for Academic Excellence 
Presented annually by the VCU Department of African American Studies, the Carter G. Woodson Awards recognize students from across the campus who have made an important contribution.

This year, three public health students were honored.

  • Brianna Marshall, M.P.H., first-year epidemiology Ph.D. student
  • Esse Foka Nzaha, M.P.H., epidemiology Ph.D. candidate, class of 2026
  • Akpene Tetteh, M.S., healthcare policy and research Ph.D. candidate, class of 2026

VCU Graduate School Dissertation Assistantship

Students can receive assistantships to cover finances while they complete and defend their dissertation. This year, two public health students received this award:

  • Rasha Alsaadawi, biostatistics Ph.D. candidate, class of 2026
  • Esse Foka Nzaha, M.P.H., epidemiology Ph.D. candidate, class of 2026

 

Alumni

We aim to educate and launch public health leaders, professionals, innovators and advocates. The success of our alumni illustrate that impact and inspires us to continue to align with workforce needs and align educational opportunities to the demands of today and the future. We are deeply grateful for the ways in which they give back to their community and our students, through teaching, mentoring, and providing scholarships.

Health policy in action

Alum Lauryn Walker, Ph.D. (HCPR’19), M.P.H., was appointed Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources by Governor Abigail Spanberger. Walker served as an adjunct professor for the Department of Health Policy from 2024 - 2026.

Michelle Laws, Ph.D., named VCU Alumni’s 2025 10 Under 10 awardee

Michelle Laws, Ph.D., a native of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is a dynamic teacher, scholar and public speaker known for her advocacy for social justice, human rights, persons with mental illness, and poor women and children. She earned her Ph.D. in social and behavioral sciences in 2016.

Her professional career includes serving at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services as the assistant director of consumer support services and community engagement and as the diversity, equity and inclusion chair. She was secretary of the department’s COVID response team, where she developed and implemented policies, directed funding to increase testing and vaccinations in North Carolina’s historically marginalized populations, and was the chief experience officer for the North Carolina Medical Society.

Inspired by the courageous women who came before her, she is a servant-leader. “Awards and recognition are nice, but being able to serve in positions that have allowed me to be a voice and advocate for those who have been devalued, discarded and disregarded are much grander aspirations,” she says.
Read more here.

VCU Graduate School honors two recent graduates with research awards

  • Jerry John Rawlings Mensah, M.P.H., won the 2024-2025 Outstanding Thesis Award in the Non-traditional Thesis/Capstone Project Award category for his capstone project titled: “Improving Prostate Cancer Screening: A Machine Learning Approach.” Mensah’s research was highlighted in VCU News’ Class of 2025 series.
  • Julie Russo, Ph.D., M.P.H., received the 2024-2025 Distinguished Dissertation Award in the Social Science, Business, and Education category for her dissertation titled, “Men’s Perceptions of Autonomous Reproductive Choices.” Russo was featured in our Graduate Spotlight series.

Philanthropy

Contributions to Public Health: Karl Peace, Ph.D.

A basement meetup may seem like an unlikely starting point for a career that would improve treatments for high cholesterol and stomach ulcers and help secure FDA approval of the first drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Yet, that is where Dr. Peace’s distinguished path began. His work as a biostatistician evaluating the safety and efficacy of breakthrough medications proved essential in bringing new therapies to patients. Dr. Peace entered the pharmaceutical industry, advancing through a series of increasingly senior positions at Burroughs Wellcome, A.H. Robbins, Smith Kline & French, GD Searle, and Parke-Davis/Warner-Lambert. At each stop, his biostatistical work shaped drugs that would become household names.

In 1998, he returned to teach at Georgia Southern. There, he discovered that the university had no biostatistics degree program and that the broader university system in Georgia had no school of public health at all. He set out to change that landscape by developing and growing a master’s program in biostatistics and founding a Center for Biostatistics.

  • Dr. Peace has continued to give back generously to educational institutions that shaped him and enabled his success. He created the endowed Biopharmaceutical Applied Statistics Scholarship Fund at the MCV Foundation. That fund now exceeds $1.4 million and, together with the Karl E. Peace Endowed Award for Excellence, has supported 67 students in biostatistics since 1996. Thirty-two of those students have earned their doctorates.
  • He also helped to create the W. Hans Carter Jr. Professorship in Biostatistics, which honors the faculty member he first met on the fateful run back in 1973. Dr. Peace also intends to endow a second professorship, this one in his own name.

In May 2026, Dr. Peace received the inaugural Distinguished Fellow of Public Health Award for his remarkable scientific achievement and contribution to public health knowledge, demonstrated leadership and service to the profession, including education and mentorship, pioneering efforts in health equity and social justice, and philanthropic contributions to the field and education. His son, the Honorable Chris Peace, accepted this award at our Spring 2026 Commencement. 
Read more here.

Creating Good Odds: Supporting Future Biostatisticians

“Anybody can make a presentation that you don’t understand,” Dr. Rockhold said. “It takes a skilled team to make one that everyone can understand — those are the essential skills.”

Dr. Rockhold’s early knack for math added up to a fulfilling career that bridges industry and academia. He began his doctoral studies in biostatistics at Johns Hopkins University, where he earned his master’s degree, but shifted to the MCV Campus to complete his Ph.D. after funding for JHU’s program was eliminated. He notes that this was when personal computers were a decade away and running complex problem sets meant handing over a box of punch cards to an operator and waiting hours for a printout of results.

Before completing his doctorate, Dr. Rockhold had seven job offers, and he believes that his VCU training prepared him for a challenging and rewarding career in senior research positions at pharmaceutical companies Lilly, Merck and GlaxoSmithKline, where he retired as chief safety officer and senior vice president of global clinical safety and pharmacovigilance. Today, he’s a full-time professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics at Duke University, where, in addition to his research in clinical trials, he mentors junior faculty and works to ensure the kind of environment and culture that enabled him to thrive in the field. 

“If you look at the biggest impacts made in cancer care and cardiovascular medicine, or during the pandemic,” Dr. Rockhold said, “they were all made through collaboration with statisticians working with clinicians and other health care providers to validate and answer questions through data and evidence.”

To help encourage that culture at VCU, he made a gift to create the Frank W. Rockhold, Ph.D., Fund for Excellence in Biostatistics Education and Collaboration at the VCU School of Public Health. Dr. Rockhold also included a gift through his estate plans to endow this fund to ensure that the department can continue developing these essential skills in students, providing them with professional development, and creating opportunities to hear from outside experts on how to consult.
Read more here.

To learn how you can invest in the future of public health across Virginia, click here. Your support provides experiential learning opportunities to prepare students for a variety of impactful careers and enable our faculty to further their interdisciplinary research, leading to meaningful change to the health of communities across Virginia and around the world.