Featured News
Every day College of Health Professions students, alumni, faculty and staff do extraordinary things. Read more about our latest achievements below.
From rural roots to statewide advocacy: One undergraduate’s path in radiation sciences
Three years ago, Sonny Patterson Jr. arrived at Virginia Commonwealth University from the small, rural community of Stuarts Draft, Va., bringing with him a strong work ethic, interest in health care and sense of purpose.
Rethinking how future lab technicians connect what they learn
In the VCU Medical Laboratory Sciences program, innovation goes beyond the lab into how students are mastering the material. Through a growing focus on the scholarship of learning, faculty are studying, testing and refining new ways to teach complex science – ensuring students don’t just absorb information, but truly understand and apply it.
Annual Prest Lecture hosts Rev. Dr. Anastasia Holman from the Indiana University Health System
In April, the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Health Professions Patient Counseling Department held its annual Prest Lecture, with Rev. Dr. Anastasia Holman, director of Chaplaincy Education for the Indiana University (IU) Health System, as the guest lecturer.
VCU Physical Therapy shines at APTA Combined Sections Meeting in Anaheim
Faculty, students and alumni from VCU’s Department of Physical Therapy left the 2026 American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting in Anaheim feeling energized, connected and proud of the program’s growing national impact.
Technologists obtain bachelor’s degrees through online program
Returning to school can feel like a lofty proposition, especially for full-time health care professionals already balancing work, family and finances. Through its degree completion program, VCU’s Department of Radiation Sciences offers registered technologists a flexible, fully online pathway to complete their bachelor’s degrees in clinical radiation sciences without stepping away from their careers.
Delivering pediatric PT through a trauma-informed lens
After graduating from Georgia State University with an art history degree, Rachel Burch Belcher found herself at a crossroads. She had planned to pursue museum education but, after being waitlisted for graduate school, took a job as a nanny. The role brought her into the life of a young child with significant developmental delays, a turning point she didn’t yet recognize.
Symposium reimagines how to bring research into communities
When researchers gather for a conference, the format is often familiar: presentations, brief Q&As and hurried conversations over coffee. But at Virginia Commonwealth University, Waganesh “Waggy” Zeleke is intentionally disrupting that model.
Stop Saying These 12 Things About Aging—Especially to Yourself
Every time Tracey Gendron gives a talk about aging, at least one well-intentioned person approaches her afterwards and offers up the same line: “I’m 70, but I feel 50.” (Time Magazine)
College of Health Professions Class of 2026 is largest class to date
The Virginia Commonwealth University College of Health Professions recently held its spring commencement ceremony at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The event honored nearly 300 students, one of the largest graduating classes ever for the college.
Chris Reading ‘85 pushes for physical therapy’s place in the healthcare system
Forty years into a career that began in the clinic, Chris Reading is helping shape the future of physical therapy at the national level. A 1985 graduate of VCU’s physical therapy program, Reading spent nearly two decades in clinical practice in the Richmond region before moving into executive leadership.
Contact Malorie Burkett at mgburkett@vcu.edu or (804) 828-7247.