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.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sonography director donates lab to inspire students
VCU alum Yonella Demars leaves a legacy at a place where future sonographers can learn to excel at their craft. (VCU Health News)
Contact Malorie Burkett at mgburkett@vcu.edu or (804) 828-7247.