Featured News

Every day College of Health Professions students, alumni, faculty and staff do extraordinary things. Read more about our latest achievements below.

Virginia Center on Aging receives boost in funding from the General Assembly

The Virginia Center of Aging has received a six-figure funding boost from the Virginia General Assembly to support one of its core initiatives. The state has allocated $300,000 per year for the next two years for the Virginia Memory Project (VMP), an epidemiological data set designed to assist patients with neurodegenerative conditions in entering a pathway to care while also providing training for providers, referral and support for caregivers.

The Virginia Memory Project logoThe Virginia Memory Project logo

Funding for Virginia Memory Project included in state budget

The funding will expand the VCU-led project’s efforts to improve access to services for people with neurodegenerative diseases and their caregivers. (VCU Health News)

An adult man sits at a table with an elder man with a cane. They appear to be discussing medical care.An adult man sits at a table with an elder man with a cane. They appear to be discussing medical care.

VCU geriatrics-themed escape room trains health sciences students

Teams representing multiple health professions decipher clues and devise post-hospital plans for an older adult who has endured one of aging’s biggest risks: suffering a fall. (VCU Health News)

Students navigate a geriatrics-themed escape room set up in VCU’s School of Nursing that mimics a home visit after a patient has been discharged from the hospital for a fall. (Contributed photo)Students navigate a geriatrics-themed escape room set up in VCU’s School of Nursing that mimics a home visit after a patient has been discharged from the hospital for a fall. (Contributed photo)

New regional simulation lab expands hands-on training in Southwest Virginia

This spring, the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon dedicated its new Regional Simulation Lab, the culmination of nearly two years of planning and fundraising to create the region’s most advanced clinical training environment.

Nickie Damico, chair of Nurse Anesthesia, Amy Darragh, dean of the College of Health Professions, with nurse an faculty Jodi Carlsen, Bev George-Gay and Crystal Hunnicutt standing in front of a balloon archNickie Damico, chair of Nurse Anesthesia, Amy Darragh, dean of the College of Health Professions, with nurse an faculty Jodi Carlsen, Bev George-Gay and Crystal Hunnicutt standing in front of a balloon arch

Clarke’s legacy lives on through new endowment

Long before virtual classrooms became commonplace and lecture recordings were just a click away, Gerald “Jerry” Clarke was quietly making distance education work.

Gerald ClarkeGerald Clarke

Insights into the impact of loan limits for nurse anesthesia students

Changes to student loan limits are concerning for students across the Commonwealth and the nation. Earlier this year, as part of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ the Department of Education proposed significant changes to loan limits and repayment programs that directly impact nursing students.

NRSA Sim RoomNRSA Sim Room

From concept to classroom

In January, the master’s program welcomed its first 10-student cohort. Now in their second semester, students are advancing from foundational coursework into increasingly complex simulation training while preparing for clinical rotations that will begin this fall.

Perfusion program director Keith Pelletier with students in perfusion simulation labPerfusion program director Keith Pelletier with students in perfusion simulation lab

Brenda Brown elected president of CHP Staff Advisory Council

Brenda Brown, program manager for the VCU Department of Patient Counseling, has been elected president of the College of Health Professions (CHP) Staff Advisory Council. The honor marks a leadership milestone for both the council and the department she has served for more than a decade.

Brenda BrownBrenda Brown

VCU fuels new and emerging research endeavors and cross-campus collaboration with 2026 Quest Fund awards

These competitive internal grants empower faculty to launch pilot studies, restart research programs and drive transdisciplinary discoveries.

A photo of VCU signage on campusA photo of VCU signage on campus

Finnegan-Hosey represents VCU at national poetry therapy conference

At the 2026 National Association for Poetry Therapy Conference in Chicago, presentations and panels weren’t the only agenda items. Therapists, psychologists and poets from across the country also connected through moments of shared writing, silence and reflection, affirming the healing power of the art form they had gathered to celebrate.

Leigh Finnegan-HoseyLeigh Finnegan-Hosey
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Contact Malorie Burkett at mgburkett@vcu.edu or (804) 828-7247.