News

Ivelina Metcheva, Ph.D., assistant vice president for innovation at VCU TechTransfer and Ventures; Lauren Siff, M.D., representing the winning team SurgicalED VR; and Brent Fagg, assistant director for innovation at VCU TechTransfer and Ventures, at the VCU Startup Accelerator’s first Pitch Day competition. (VCU TechTransfer and Ventures)

Virtual-reality surgical trainer earns top spot in first Pitch Day event for VCU faculty entrepreneurs

May 29, 2024

Urogynecology team led by Lauren Siff is among the inaugural cohort of the Startup Accelerator, which propels campus innovation toward commercial markets.

Sandro da Rocha, Ph.D., (right) who will serve as the inaugural director of the new B.S. in pharmaceutical sciences program, and his students inspect a medication as part of quality assurance testing in a lab at VCU School of Pharmacy. (Mary Kate Brogan/VCU School of Pharmacy)

VCU will offer a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences that can help address medication shortages

May 9, 2024

Amid the nationwide need for skilled workers and Virginia’s growing life sciences industry, the VCU School of Pharmacy program will enroll its first undergraduate class this fall.

Mohammed AlAwadh said his scientific journey at VCU “has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m profoundly grateful for it.” (Thomas Kojcsich, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Class of 2024: Mohammed AlAwadh delves into the intricacies of drug development

April 24, 2024

After graduation, he will return to Saudi Arabia as a professor, teaching others the techniques he has learned at VCU.

VCU now has a total of 22 top-50 graduate program rankings from U.S. News & World Report. (Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

VCU receives 10 updated top-50 rankings from U.S. News & World Report, including two in the top 10

April 9, 2024

The latest graduate program rankings from the publication place the School of Pharmacy and the School of Education among the top 25 schools in their categories in the country.

Camille Schrier’s impact “on health care and women in STEM is nothing short of incredible,” according to K.C. Ogbonna, Pharm.D., dean of the School of Pharmacy. (Photo by Rick Myers)

Class of 2024: Former Miss America Camille Schrier adding a new title: Doctor of Pharmacy

April 2, 2024

She credits the VCU School of Pharmacy for crucial support before, during and after her reign, and she continues to promote STEM to young people.

Left to right: Burnside Watstein Award recipients Emmin Bickford, an alum and a counselor with The Properties of Light; Aaliyah Freeman, Caroline Perez and AJ Jain, representing the Triangle Club at VCU; Tre Straughter, administrative support coordinator with University Student Commons; and Carol Schall, Ph.D., associate professor in the VCU School of Education. (Thomas Kojcsich, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Recipients of 2024 Burnside Watstein Awards demonstrate service to LGBTQIA+ community and VCU

March 29, 2024

From marriage equality to pharmacy work, the honorees have championed diversity and inclusion.

Youzhong Guo, Ph.D., an associate professor in the VCU School of Pharmacy, said “better research tools, such as CHEAPS, can help us understand the structure and active mechanisms of many human membrane proteins.” (File photo)

Chemical designed by pharmacy professor launches as tool for cholesterol research and future drug discovery

March 14, 2024

Youzhong Guo, Ph.D., and his team developed the chemical CHEAPS as part of ongoing research on membrane proteins as drug targets.

Thirteen staff members earned honors at this year’s Staff Senate Awards. Among the recipients, Camille Coy (second from right) said, “It’s wonderful to know that the work I do is seen and valued and that people have a positive experience because of the effort that I’m putting in.” (Thomas Kojcsich, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

VCU Staff Senate Awards recognize service to students, patients, colleagues and community

March 13, 2024

This year’s honorees reflect broad and deep impacts on the academic and medical campuses.

Nineteen VCU health sciences departments and schools ranked in the top 50 for NIH funding among public institutions, according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. (File photo)

19 VCU health sciences departments and schools ranked in top 50 for NIH funding for public institutions

March 11, 2024

New rankings for biomedical research reflect the university’s growth as a national leader in science and medicine.

Roudabeh Moazeni-Ph.D.,VCU College of Engineering; Xuewei Wang, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Chemistry; Brent Fagg, senior licensing associate, and Ivelina Metcheva, Ph.D., assistant vice president for innovation, both with VCU TechTransfer and Ventures; Rodney Davis, VCU translational research fellow, Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering; P. Srirama Rao, Ph.D., vice president for research and innovation; L. Franklin Bost, professor emeritus in biomedical engineering innovation and development at the VCU Institute for Engineering and Medicine; Chandra Briggman, Activation Capital president and CEO. Seated: Gerard Eldering, entrepreneur-in-residence, and Magdalena Morgan, Ph.D., director of licensing, both with VCU TechTransfer and Ventures.

VCU’s new Startup Accelerator will propel university research that has market potential

March 6, 2024

Program to ‘fast-track’ emerging companies reflects how innovation and entrepreneurship are growing as VCU sets funding records.