VCU School of Medicine on the MCV Campus

09/04/2026

VCU senior Shady Habib first learned about the MedMentors @ MCV student interest group in an email he received in his university inbox. Just a few days later, he was on a Zoom call with M2 Hope Rhodes, ready to discuss his goals for the 2026-2027 medical school application cycle.

Senior Shady Habib and M2 Hope Rhodes are one of the duos matched by MedMentors, a medical student interest group dedicated to pairing current School of Medicine students with junior and senior VCU undergrads applying to U.S. medical schools. In one-on-one meetings, the mentors guide their undergrad mentees through the multi-step, year-long process of applying to medical school, a time the mentors are not too far removed from themselves.

“It can be such a hard time to navigate, and there is so much out there about what to do and what not to do,” Habib said. “MedMentors has been really useful in breaking down those barriers and has made me feel more comfortable throughout the application cycle.”

https://medschool.vcu.edu/news/student-life/paying-it-forward-medmentors/

09/02/2026

More than one in five U.S. adolescents have obesity, yet few receive the intensive treatment recommended by national guidelines.

A new $3.85 million, five-year NIH-funded clinical trial at VCU is working to change that. Led by Melanie K. Bean, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at VCU School of Medicine, the Virtual Housecalls study brings evidence-based obesity treatment directly to families through their pediatrician, using telehealth to reduce barriers like travel, missed work and missed school.

The study will explore whether this approach can make effective treatment more accessible to adolescents and their families.

Read more about the research and the team behind it via the VCU Wright Center blog:

Led by Melanie K. Bean, Ph.D.—co-lead of Resources and Services at VCU’s Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research—a $3.85M NIH trial is testing telehealth as a means to bring effective treatment for teen obesity into homes. This study leverages Wright Center expertise in its resea...

09/01/2026

VCU School of Medicine researcher Becca Martin, Ph.D., is working to understand why allergies develop and how we can treat them more effectively.

In this Q&A, Martin shares what we know about allergies, why Richmond is a challenging place for allergy sufferers and how her lab is working to develop new treatments.

Read the full story via the MCV Foundation:

VCU School of Medicine researcher Becca Martin, Ph.D., studies why our immune systems declare war on harmless things.

08/31/2026

Jean Wu, M.D., will never forget the reaction from her family doctor during an appointment when she was about 12 years old.

“I specifically remember my parents taking me to the doctor, who appeared visibly concerned, but uncertain what to do next,” Wu, now a third-year psychiatry resident here at VCU Health, said. “The response was essentially ‘You’re below where you’re supposed to be and you need to eat more.’ What were we supposed to do with that?”

While still in medical school herself, Wu created the Eating Disorders for Medical Professionals elective. Through the asynchronous online course, medical students learn the intricacies of the psychiatric conditions and how to achieve better outcomes for patients with eating disorders.

“There is so much shame and stigma associated with eating disorders that people often don’t tell their providers when they’re struggling,” Wu said. “Being a provider that a patient trusts and feels safe with can help open that door and get them the help they need."

08/28/2026

Happy National Bow Tie Day! 🎀

We’re celebrating with some of the best-dressed members of the VCU School of Medicine. From faculty and staff to students, these bow tie fans know how to pull off the look. 👔

08/27/2026

VCU announced the recipients of the 2026 Distinguished Faculty Awards, and we're proud to share that three School of Medicine faculty will be recognized for their tremendous contributions to the university. Please join us in congratulating:

Richard Sterling, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine
University Award of Excellence

Hermine Maes, Ph.D., Department of Cellular, Molecular and Genetic Medicine
University Distinguished Scholarship Award

Mary Helen Hackney, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine
University Outstanding Term Faculty Award

https://news.vcu.edu/article/vcu-honors-seven-with-2026-distinguished-faculty-awards

08/26/2026

Get to know our newest graduate students! 👋

We asked a few new students to share about what programs they are in and what they hope to do after graduation. Welcome to !

08/24/2026

M4 Ally Tegner presented her poster, “The Relationship Between Diagnostic Delay and Rates of Anxiety and Depression in Patients Living with ALS,” at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual conference in Chicago. While she plans to become a pediatrician, not a neurologist, she’s interested in the mental health of patients with chronic progressive diseases, such as ALS.

Since there isn’t a formal method for assessing patients’ mental health during their first visit, she decided to study how an ALS diagnosis can relate to depression.

“It’s a very mentally burdening disease to experience or have a loved one diagnosed with,” she said. “Is there somewhere early on in the initial visit that we could intervene in the mental health aspect that’s missing right now?”

Read more about Ally and her research via VCU News: https://news.vcu.edu/article/patient-founded-fund-helps-medical-student-showcase-her-als-research

08/21/2026

Medical school is busy, so sometimes you just need to put the books down and have a little fun.

That’s where student interest groups (SIGs) come in! From sports and wellness activities to working out, games and everything in between, SIGs give M.D. students a chance to unwind, hang out with friends and try something new. We asked a few students to tell us what their SIGs are all about. 🎥

What SIG should we feature next? Tell us in the comments!

08/20/2026

A multidisciplinary VCU research team is investigating the root causes of accelerated brain aging after receiving a multi-school CCTR Endowment Fund grant from the C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research.

The project, “Investigating Astrocytes as Agents of Accelerated Brain Aging from a Neurodevelopmental Perspective,” will explore how astrocytes contribute to neuroinflammation and brain aging, with the goal of identifying potential new treatment targets for dystrophinopathy and other neurodegenerative conditions.

The team includes School of Medicine faculty Mathula Thangarajh, M.D., Ph.D., and Tomasz Kordula, Ph.D., along with Preetam Ghosh, Ph.D., a professor in the VCU College of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science. Read more in VCU News:

Professors from the School of Medicine and College of Engineering are collaborating on work that could lead to new drug targets in dystrophinopathy and other neurodegenerative conditions.