Commitment to community, a positive culture, inclusive excellence & belonging, and championing one another, were among some of the most celebrated themes described by Amy Darragh, Ph.D., dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Health Professions, during a reflection of her first 100 days in the role.

Since joining VCU last August, Darragh has met with students, faculty, staff, alumni, VCU Health partners, university leaders and other stakeholders through listening sessions, meetings, and college-wide gatherings in an effort to learn more about the CHP community and understand how the community describes its strengths and opportunities. 

As a result of these interactions, Darragh has gathered feedback to better understand the college’s strengths, which include community & culture, the college’s growing infrastructure, teaching & learning, research, and the CHP people. 

“I loved hearing over and over again in every session that our strength is our people,” said Darragh. “There has been a lot happening with rapid changes and uncertainty facing higher education. While we do not know what the future holds, I know that we are a respectful, resilient team with a diverse pool of talent and expertise, and a firm commitment to cohesion and to each other.”

Darragh also complimented the centralization of services taking place in human resources, finance and research, noting that these areas received tremendous positive feedback. Communications, marketing, and IT expertise also received praise during the CHP listening sessions.

A number of opportunities also emerged from her conversations, such as proactive growth management; organizational effectiveness; collaboration, celebration, inclusion; research support & infrastructure; students, teaching, learning; and communication.

As part of proactive growth management, a collaborative effort to update the college’s comprehensive strategic plan will begin this spring. Darragh emphasized the importance of ensuring the right supports are in place to support our teaching, research, and outreach endeavors, and that strategic planning is the way to manage this.

“Growth can mean expanding enrollment, research, support services, and other areas, but if we don't have a plan for sufficient support and processes, then we run the risk of having imbalances in our workload and inefficiencies,” she said. “If there is this enthusiasm I'm hearing for new programs, more students, more research, expanding our community engagement and community outreach portfolio, then I believe it all comes down to strategic planning.”

With regard to organizational effectiveness, Darragh emphasized the growth and successes of CHP, and that assessing our current structures, processes and systems will ensure we are able to support the success of CHP staff, faculty, and students. Organization effectiveness also includes factors supporting a positive work environment, such as clarity of promotion and tenure processes; staff professional development; and remote work policies, and new initiatives like continuing education and community outreach.

When it comes to collaboration, celebration, and inclusion, Darragh says there is a resounding desire for interdisciplinary teams to break down silos between departments and bring ideas together. This was a consistent theme across faculty, staff, and particularly students, who want to connect between departments and learn more about CHP programs and the research taking place throughout CHP.

A major priority expressed by faculty, staff and the research and fiscal teams is expanding the CHP infrastructure. Darragh says there is a desire for the college to capitalize on collaboration in education and in research and to amplify the work taking place in interprofessional education, student research, team science and educational research. She celebrated the expansion of research week, including the launch of the CHP Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Summit, the first research summit dedicated to educational research in CHP history.

Recognizing the extensive teaching and learning taking place at CHP, Darragh praised the college for its compassion for students, who are the heart of the college. From meeting student needs, such as food insecurity, mental health wellness, academic progression and retention, to delivering high quality and innovative academic programs, the college is ensuring its students can achieve their educational goals.

“You are so dedicated to our learners and your support of our students is pervasive and wonderful to see,” said Darragh. “Thank you for all you do, and for your efforts in helping CHP innovate and thrive.”

And lastly, Darragh expressed her excitement about increasing communications regarding CHP achievements, especially to external audiences and across VCU. Another upcoming initiative will involve the college working with VCU Health and the five other health sciences schools, including Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health, to amplify the collective reputation as the most comprehensive health sciences campus in the region.

“We have more programs, colleges and schools available than anybody else, and we need to shout that out,” said Darragh. “We need to make sure that the region and the nation understand the impact of our health sciences campus.”

Darragh said she is excited about moving forward together to achieve the college’s overarching goal of developing leaders and health care professionals serving organizations, communities and individuals and who embody a commitment to serving all people with the highest quality and excellence.

To learn more about the VCU College of Health Professions, visit our website.

By Malorie Burkett
VCU College of Health Professions

Feb. 13, 2025