Last week, the Office of the Provost announced two VCU School of Pharmacy faculty members as 2026 recipients of VCU's National/International Recognition Awards (NIRA) and the Excellence in Pedagogical Innovation Awards (EPIA). The honors recognize faculty members who embody the university's commitment to excellence and bring vision, rigor and heart to their work, shaping lives and advancing knowledge in ways that reach far beyond VCU.

Karolina Aberg, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutics and co-director of the Center for Biomarker Research and Precision Medicine, has been named a 2026 National/International Recognition Award (NIRA) scholar, and Cait Gibson, Pharm.D., M.Ed., an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science, has been named a 2026 Pedagogical Excellence and Innovation Award (PEIA) recipient.

"Dr. Aberg and Dr. Gibson have made significant and outstanding contributions to our school’s phenomenal track record in research and teaching," said Dean K.C. Ogbonna, Pharm.D., M.S.H.A. "We are thrilled to see their work, which elevates our students’ learning experience and pioneers discoveries that advance health for all, recognized at the university level."

Aberg earns National/International Recognition Award (NIRA)

Now in its fourth year, the NIRA recognizes VCU faculty who have earned significant national or international recognition in their academic fields. Recipients are chosen based on their demonstrated excellence, as recommended by their deans.

Leading to this recognition, Aberg’s research focuses on the epigenomic and transcriptomic basis of the development of psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, depression, autism spectrum disorder and addiction. Her team has pioneered analyses of methylome-wide profiles using sequencing based technology and is developing novel technology for analyzing extracellular vesicles that transfer from the brain to the bloodstream. Her work has identified biomarker targets for disease prediction and early detection of psychiatric phenotypes.

Since joining VCU in 2008, first as a postdoctoral fellow and later as a faculty member, she has contributed to securing over $26 millions in external research funding to VCU, including $9.5 millions as PI or multi-PI.

Aberg was promoted to professor in 2022, her expertise is frequently called upon by the National Institute of Health's study sections, she has served as a co-director of the VCU Genomics Core and has mentored many trainees ranging from the undergraduates to junior faculty members.

Aberg joins an elite group of NIRA honorees from the School of Pharmacy: Qingguo Xu, Ph.D., from the Department of Pharmaceutics and Yana Cen, Ph.D., Shijun Zhang, Ph.D., and Yan Zhang, Ph.D., from the Department of Medicinal Chemistry.

Gibson earns Pedagogical Excellence and Innovation Award (PEIA)

Established last year, the Pedagogical Excellence and Innovation Award (PEIA) honors faculty whose teaching ignites curiosity, fosters deep learning and transforms the lives of students. These honorees are shaping the future of education at VCU, often leading with creativity, compassion and a deep understanding of how students learn.

Gibson, who also serves as the school’s director of international programs, has been recognized nationally for her scholarly approach to teaching. In 2024, she earned the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy’s Emerging Teaching Scholar Award, one of four pharmacy educators that year to receive the award nationwide in recognition of academic pharmacy faculty who demonstrate excellence in scholarly teaching and advance the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning within health science education.

Her AACP recognition stemmed from her incorporation of active learning techniques, her publications and presentations and the other recognitions she has received, both at VCU and beyond, including a national American College of Clinical Pharmacy Practice and Research Networks Teaching and Mentoring Award in 2023. In addition, Gibson earned the school's Bertha Rolfe Teacher of the Year Award in 2025.

Her involvement with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy at the national level, including her leadership as chair-elect of the ACCP Cardiology PRN, has provided new avenues for mentorship among pharmacists specializing in cardiology.

She has led the push to broaden the horizon for our students through new collaborations, working closely with partners at Taipei Medical University and the Dominican Republic, as well as alumni, including Arzu Moosvi, Pharm.D. (P’20), who has established a travel award to encourage students’ interest in global health by supporting their travel to the International Pharmaceutical Federation World Congress.

The university will celebrate our faculty at a reception on Oct. 27. Congratulations to Drs. Aberg and Gibson on these well-deserved recognitions!

Read more about these awards in this article on VCU News.