VCU Department of Health Policy

09/02/2026

Check out this amazing upcoming seminar from our colleagues at VCU Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences!

This year, we are launching a new seminar series, which we hope will grow to be a key element of the SBS identity and a way to share knowledge within our department community and beyond.

We're thrilled to announce that our very first seminar speaker will be Nandi Marshall, DrPH, MPH, CHES, CLC, CDE, CPH, current president of the American Public Health Association! She will be joining us on September 17th and we'll be hosting her talk on the Monroe Park campus at the University Student Commons.

RSVP to attend the in-person event here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfg1dYS3TPSbqZ3Yvp4mdX0nCvYGL5pMPfCGg1Q6uTAhL9_MQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=107426269286964978723

Or register to attend virtually via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/qt1vi9uDR_e1pFOI6_az0A

08/26/2026

Last week, Department of Health Policy MD/Ph.D. candidate Sarah Marks successfully defended her dissertation, which is entitled "Road to Recovery: Medicaid, Social Drivers, and Substance Use after Critical Illness." Dr. Marks will now return to medical school to finish the clinical portion of her MD/PhD training here at VCU. Congratulations Dr. Marks!

08/24/2026

The National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded MODRN EQUIP initiative, a partnership co-lead by the VCU Office of Medicaid Evaluation, published a commentary co-authored by individuals with lived opioid use disorder experience. The commentary discusses how this multistate research collaborative is collecting patient experiences with opioid use disorder treatment to guide a new generation of claims-based substance use treatment quality measurement that incorporates patient voices. Learn more here:

08/17/2026

Two scholars who traveled to VCU from the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan to study medicine and public health completed VCU-Bolashak International Scholarship Program this summer. Directed by Health Policy Associate Professor Askar Chukmaitov, Ph.D., the program has hosted 21 Kazakh scholars since it began in 2012, and expects four more to arrive at VCU this fall.

Two scholars who traveled to study at VCU from the far-off Central Asian country of Kazakhstan completed the VCU-Bolashak International Scholarship Program this summer. Dr. Ainash Khissamitova worked with the VCU Department of Otolaryngology, receiving mentorship from Dr. Rajanya S. Petersson, M.D.,...

08/10/2026

Congratulations to Health Policy Assistant Professor Erin Britton, Ph.D., who received an award from the VCU Quest Fund for her project, “Eliciting Patient Preferences for Artificial Intelligence in Primary Care.” Way to go, Dr. Britton!

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

08/03/2026

07/15/2026

A delegation including Health Policy Associate Professor Askar Chukmaitov and School of Public Health Dean Monica Swahn journeyed to Kazakhstan in May to expand opportunities for scholarly collaborations and learning exchanges. The visit proved very fruitful and energizing for all involved.

In May, Monica Swahn, Ph.D., M.P.h., dean of the VCU School of Public Health; Askar Chukmaitov, Ph.D., associate professor of Health Policy and director of the VCU Bolashak International Scholarship Program; and Jose G. Trevino, M.D., FACS, professor of Surgical Oncology led a delegation from VCU to...

06/10/2026

Huge congratulations to Dr. Shillpa Naavaal on earning her Ph.D. in Health Policy from the VCU School of Public Health. This achievement not only reflects her dedication to improving population health but also highlights the high caliber of scholarship fostered at VCU. We look forward to the continued impact she will make in improving the oral health of populations here and beyond.