Virginia Commonwealth University
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Virginia Commonwealth University
The VCU C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research accelerates the science that promotes healthy communities. It provides the commonwealth with infrastructure and resources that promote interdisciplinary human health research. As the first federally funded clinical and translational research center in Virginia, the Wright Center fosters research collaborations across the state and accelerates the translation of scientific discoveries to patient care. 
September 16, 2021Three Virginia Commonwealth University researchers were awarded funding that will support the expansion of their health research and translation of that research into improved care for patients. Wendy Bottinor, M.D., and Mathula Thangarajh, M.D., Ph.D., both from the VCU School of Medicine, and Jiong Li, Ph.D., from the VCU School of Pharmacy, are VCU’s 2021 KL2 scholars. The KL2 Mentored Career
August 27, 2021Virginia Commonwealth University is launching a study of the impact of COVID-19 on twins to try to determine why some people experience symptoms much longer than others. The Twin 360 project, which began this week, will help researchers understand the genetic and environmental factors for why some people experience lasting symptoms after contracting COVID-19. And the research will inform possible
August 25, 2021A brain cancer diagnosis is a devastating one to hear. There’s no cure or remission, only levels of stability and estimations of time. Many patients with cancer struggle with mental health and maintaining quality of life, and psychological services or therapy is a standard part of holistic cancer treatment. But patients with brain cancer often aren’t offered that element of care. “Patients with
August 24, 2021More than a decade ago, the VCU Wright Center inaugurated its first class of KL2 Scholars, a cohort of talented junior faculty members looking to advance the world’s knowledge of health through clinical and translational research. Since then, 14 researchers have enjoyed the mentorship, protected research time and general support of their research careers that KL2 Program affords them. Funded by
-Virginia Commonwealth UniversityThis inaugural, regional virtual research symposium hosted by the VCU Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research in collaboration with Eastern Virginia Medical School and Virginia State University will focus on the biology of inflammasomes and the therapeutic potential of inhibiting the inflammasome in diseases. The inflammasome is a macromolecular structure that is central to the
August 12, 2021Zakia McKensey struggled to find doctors who would treat her. The Richmond native came out to her mother at 16 years old and was kicked out of the house. She found a family in the LGBTQIA+ community, but health care for transgender people like herself was almost nonexistant, and patients were subjected to frequent discrimination. “There were no plastic surgeons who wanted to see me. There were no
-Virginia Commonwealth UniversityJoin two CTSA Program hubs and two NCI-designated cancer centers for a community and academic dialogue of trust and trustworthiness in research. Co-hosted by the VCU Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, the Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute, the VCU Massey Cancer Center and the Duke Cancer Institute. Keynote speaker: Rueben Warren, Ph.D., Tuskegee University
July 14, 2021Emergency departments across the United States experienced a surge in opioid overdose cases during the pandemic. Now, a program at VCU Health aims to help those patients receive the treatment they need after they leave the emergency department. The new VCU Health Virtual Bridge Clinic creates a direct link between the emergency department and treatment programs for patients with opioid use
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityThe Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry (MATR) is an organization of twins and their families who are willing to consider taking part in twin-based, health-related research. The MATR welcomes twins of any age, ethnicity, and zygosity (identical or fraternal), as well as higher order multiples such as triplets, quadruplets and quintuplets.
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-Virginia Commonwealth UniversityThe Wright Center’s Health Equity Series is a quarterly exploration and community discussion of health disparities with collaborating partners locally, in Virginia and nationwide. Join expert guests as they present on the latest research, listen to attendees and plan a way forward – through community-engaged research and increased awareness for all. You're invited to participate this August, as
VCU Wright Center: COVID-19 survivor and ACTIV-1 trials participant looks forward to traveling again
July 06, 2021When Linda Thompson retired from the Virginia Department of Transportation in 2019, she started a new job the next day — getting fit. “My new job was going to American Family Fitness and getting in the pool and doing water aerobics,” said Thompson, 72. “I was really in bad shape when I retired. So it was time for me to take care of Linda.” Thompson lost 60 pounds over the next year. The exercise
June 28, 2021As marijuana decriminalization and legalization laws inch across the country state by state, health care providers are seeing more women use the drug during pregnancy. According to a 2019 national study, the rate of marijuana use during pregnancy doubled between 2002 and 2017 — to about 7%. “There’s this popular belief that cannabis is relatively safe,” said Nancy Jallo, Ph.D., an associate
June 24, 2021COVID-19 has widened the life expectancy gap across racial groups and between the U.S. and peer countries. U.S. life expectancy decreased by 1.87 years between 2018 and 2020, a drop not seen since World War II, according to new research from Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Colorado Boulder and the Urban Institute. The numbers are even worse for people of color. On average
May 20, 2021Paul “Pee-J” Beverly doesn’t remember being airlifted to VCU Health from Lexington, Va., last fall. In fact, he doesn’t remember much of his COVID-19 experience at all. But his girlfriend, Angela Griffin, does. “It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever been through,” she said. “Not being able to see him, barely being able to talk to him. And knowing it was touch and go. They pretty much
May 18, 2021Tyrah Vann worked in health care for seven years and holds a Master’s degree in public health. She knew about the health disparities for women of color during pregnancy, birth and post-birth. “However, I still fell victim to it,” she said. “Twice.” Her first baby spent two days in intensive care after Vann’s extreme pre-birth pain was ignored. And Vann still experiences health issues that could’ve
-Virginia Commonwealth UniversityAfter the last year facing a global pandemic of a novel virus, it’s never been clearer that clinical trials save and improve lives. Thanks to clinical trials, we now have vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 and hope for a better tomorrow. Join a virtual discussion with VCU Wright Center leader and hepatologist Arun Sanyal and VCU Massey Cancer Center medical oncologist Sarah Gordon. Gordon leads
April 30, 2021Seventeen-year-old Josly Pierre-Louis would be surprised to know what her 2021 self is up to. A singer, actor, dancer and musician, Pierre-Louis spent her early life planning for a career on the stage. “I auditioned for a performing arts program in North Carolina,” she said. “I put all my eggs in that basket. I said, ‘That's the school I'm going to.’” But, when she didn’t get in, Pierre-Louis
April 27, 2021The hormone prolactin has long been understood to play a vital role in breast growth and development and the production of milk during pregnancy. But a pair of recent studies conducted at Virginia Commonwealth University finds strong evidence that prolactin also acts as a major contributor to breast cancer development and that the hormone could inform the creation of targeted drugs to treat
-Virginia Commonwealth UniversityJoin the VCU Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research's Discovery Dialogues seminar. Emerging Scholar Ashlee Loughan, Ph.D., VCU assistant professor of neurology, will present her research into mental health interventions for patients with a brain cancer diagnosis. Free and open to all.
April 26, 2021The loss of smell or taste for COVID-19 survivors who experience those symptoms frequently leads to depression, a loss of appetite and a decreased enjoyment of life, according to an ongoing Virginia Commonwealth University study. In the study of quality of life and safety for those with loss of smell or taste related to COVID-19, 43% of participants reported feeling depressed. Of the 322
April 26, 2021For Dennis Hopkinson, M.D., remote work took on a whole new meaning this past year. The Virginia Commonwealth University doctor and instructor is working on research projects from more than 7,000 miles away, leading marathon Zoom meetings and fielding messages from across the time difference in Kigali, Rwanda. The remote work allows Hopkinson to finish investigations into topics like sepsis and
-Virginia Commonwealth UniversityUnderstanding the connections between a mother’s health and that of her newborn is crucial for addressing maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. Speakers will discuss current maternal and child health research and Virginia initiatives that improve the health delivery system for mothers and their children. Kenesha Smith Barber, Ph.D., Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System coordinator
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is recruiting for the Director of the Human Research Protection Program position which is housed in the Office of the Vice President for Research & Innovation. This position is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the human subjects’ protection programs, directing and ensuring the University’s compliance with international, federal, state
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityMedical practitioners frequently identify clinical needs, new product ideas, and enhanced methodologies for improving diagnosis, treatment and patient care. Physicians, surgeons, nurses, engineers and others can benefit from learning about steps involved in translating their ideas and discoveries into clinical practice. In 2020 and 2021, the VCU Institute of Engineering and Medicine, the VCU-
April 09, 2021Every day, millions of people in health care, from oncologists to rehabilitation specialists to dentists, use the tools at their disposal to help patients get better. “And everyone runs into times when they say, what if?” said L. Franklin Bost, MBA. “What if I had something better? What if I could give someone better treatment? What if I could improve this patient’s health care, or many patients’
March 26, 2021How would you react if someone started a conversation by saying what was wrong with you and your family? Probably not well. And that’s exactly what health researchers often do, when they try to talk to community members, said Maghboeba Mosavel, Ph.D, an associate professor at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine’s Department of Health Behavior and Policy. “We go into communities
March 19, 2021Registered nurse Rachel Pryor had collected 2,000 COVID-19 antibody tests and 2,000 surveys. And she needed to know, in the early weeks of the pandemic, what they said about the risk of the novel coronavirus for health care providers. “The prevalence of antibodies in providers was one way for the health care system, and the community in general, to better understand the prevalence of COVID-19,”
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityThe VCU Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research provides professional development support to early career faculty. In 2020 and 2021 the center offered a three-part Community Engaged Research (CEnR) Seminar Series, allowing VCU junior faculty and researchers to receive training in CEnR – to help them apply the principles of CEnR to their own clinical and translational research. Now a
March 01, 2021Virginia Commonwealth University Wright Center Translational Scholar Caitlin Martin, M.D., MPH, joined one of her patients, Nichole Hollie, for a conversation about addiction treatment and recovery in February. Hollie sought care at VCU Health’s OB MOTIVATE Clinic, designed for women to address substance use disorders before, during and after pregnancy. Martin was her provider. “The care I
