DHP Seeks To Fill Open Rank Faculty Position

The Department of Health Policy in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Public Health invites applications from health services researchers for a full-time 12-month, tenure-eligible, open rank faculty member. If you're interested in applying, you can find the application and the details by clicking here.

HCPR Virtual Open House A Great Success

The Healthcare Policy and Research Program within the Department of Health Policy held an open house for prospective Ph.D. students on Friday, November 8 over Zoom. Over a dozen prospective students attended, and after a presentation about the program from Education Administrator Nerice Lochansky Luu, the prospective students met with Dr. Cunningham, Dr. Chukmaitov, Dr. Barnes, and Dr. Snell in separate breakaway rooms. The session ended with a Q&A period, and prospective students left with a strong idea of the many positive educational aspects the HCPR program has to offer.

Healthcare Policy & Research Program Receives STEM Designated Code

Great news! As of mid-November 2024, the Department of Health Policy's Healthcare Policy & Research Ph.D. program has been reclassified by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) into a new Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 45.0102- Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods, which reflects the program's alignment with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. This change will bring about a variety of positive effects, which will offer significant benefits to all of our students, particularly international students. On November 19, Dr. Cunningham sent out a memo informing all students, faculty, and staff of the change, and the many benefits it offers. To read that memo in full, click here.

Dr. Barnes Represents the School of Public Health at the 2024 Rally for Medical Research

On Thursday, September 19, Department of Health Policy Professor Andrew Barnes, Ph. D, joined with several other VCU Health Sciences faculty and over 200 scientists and patient advocates to represent the VCU School of Public Health at the Rally For Medical Research on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Dr. Barnes met with Senator Kaine's office, Senator Warner's office, Congresswoman McClellan's office, and Congressman Wittman's office, asking them to, in his words, recommend at least $51.3 billion for the NIH's base program level for fiscal year 2025, or at least to fund NIH at the highest possible level. Dr. Barnes, who carried a sign that read "I rally for Medicaid policy research," did a great job advocating for our interests at the highest levels of government. He hopes next year we can bring some more representatives for VCU's Health Policy team, including some students! Sounds like a great idea to us. For a full recap of this event, click here.

Dr. Hines Receives Letter Of Commendation For Work on AHA/ACC Social Determinants of Health Data Standards

Department of Health Policy Assistant Professor Anika Hines, Ph.D., received a letter of commendation from Dr. Bruce Bray, who leads the AHA/ACC Joint Committee on Clinical Standards, thanking Dr. Hines for her contribution to the development and publication of the 2024 AHA/ACC Social Determinants of Health Data Standards Writing Committee. AHA/ACC data standards provide a common cardiovascular vocabulary for healthcare professionals to communicate effectively about clinical care, as well as to conduct clinical research involving observational studies, clinical trials, and data registries. "The volunteers chosen for this initiative provide expertise and leadership at a national level, service to the cardiology community at large, and their valuable time," Dr. Bray wrote. "This is an important example of exceptional academic citizenship that is highly valued. We are grateful for your support of Dr. Hines’s contribution and dedication to this important effort."

On Thursday, September 12, the Department of Health Policy got together at Kabana Rooftop for a long-overdue celebration of the Department's launch -- and an opportunity to enjoy each other's company in a lovely, picturesque setting. Faculty, staff, and students enjoyed drinks, refreshments, and a truly amazing view. It was a great way to kick off the fall semester.

Recent Department of Health Policy graduate Anita Kumar, Ph. D, presented a poster at this year's Virginia Public Health Association Conference, held at J. Sargeant Reynolds' Parham Road Campus September 19-20. The poster was entitled "Caring for Futures: Impact of Virginia's Expanded Medicaid Dental Program on Children's Oral Health."

"The study uses linked Medicaid enrollment and dental claims data for children and their mothers from FY 2011-2014 and 2019-2021 to investigate whether receiving oral health care during pregnancy, through the expansion of the Virginia Medicaid Dental Program for qualifying pregnant women, affects preventive oral healthcare services, specifically topical fluoride treatments, received by their children," Dr. Kumar explained. "The results indicate that the expansion of the Virginia Medicaid Dental Program for pregnant women appears to have a significantly positive effect on the preventive services, particularly fluoride treatments, received by their offspring."

Recent Department of Health Policy graduate Hannah Shadowen, Ph.D, will have a paper published in a forthcoming issue of Health Services Research Journal. The paper, entitled "Social Needs and healthcare use among Virginia Medicaid Expansion members: Considering the neighborhood context," is one of the papers that made up Hannah's dissertation, which she defended successfully in March of 2024. The paper will be published in Health Services Research's upcoming special issue, "Medicare And Medicaid at 60." Hannah may have graduated from the Department of Health Policy, but she continues her medical studies at VCU as part of the MD/Ph.D program, and remains involved in a variety of projects currently in process around the department. And we're all very lucky to have her.

Sarah Collins successfully defended her dissertation, "A Multilevel, Mixed Methods Examination of Food Insecurity, Housing Instability, and Cardiovascular Health," on November 20. She officially graduates from the program next month, and her commencement will take place on December 14 at the Siegel Center.

Department of Health Policy Ph.D. candidate Vimbai Dihwa presented a poster at the American Public Health Association's Annual Meeting, held in Minneapolis October 27-30. The poster was titled "Digital health: Racial/ethnic differences in telehealth utilization and patient experiences among Medicaid members in Virginia," and was authored by Vimbai Dihwa, MBA; Sherline Pierre-Louis, MSHI; and Peter Cunningham, Ph.D. Traveling across half the United States to present some of the amazing work we're doing here in our department -- this is what we're all about! Great job, Vimbai.

Department of Health Policy Ph.D. student Oyin Ozobokeme presented a poster at the American Public Health Association's Annual Meeting, held in Minneapolis October 27-30. The poster was titled "Associations Between Education, Use of, and Knowledge About Skin-Lightening Products," and was authored by Oyin Ozobokeme and Morgan Snell, Ph.D. Way to represent, Oyin! We're so proud.

Dr. Salehian Lands New Position

Department of Health Policy post-doctoral fellow Shiva Salehian, Ph.D., who graduated from VCU's Healthcare Policy and Research program in 2022, has accepted a position with American Institute for Research as a Researcher. She will be working on evaluations of Medicaid programs. "AIR is a very good and reputable organization that does a lot of contract research for the federal government, so this is a great opportunity for Shiva," said Department of Health Policy chair Peter Cunningham, Ph.D. Let's all wish Shiva well as she advances in her career!

Our Alumni Spotlight Series Continues

Our monthly Alumni Spotlight articles have continued as fall semester has rolled along. In September, our focus was on Carrie Dolan, Ph.D. '17, who is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at The College of William & Mary. She is also the director of the Ignite research lab, which uses data and science to maximize the health of people in resource-limited settings around the globe, a fellow of the Explorers Club, and a veteran of the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, among many other things. To read Dr. Dolan's Alumni Spotlight profile, click here.

In October, we spoke to Deo Mujwara, Ph.D. '21, who is an associate with Analysis Group, a Boston-based firm that provides economic, financial and strategy consulting to law firms, corporations & government agencies. Dr. Mujwara became interested in health policy while studying for a Master's Degree in Economics. The work he did in cost effectiveness analysis while he was in the Healthcare Policy and Research program still heavily informs the work he does today. To read Dr. Mujwara's Alumni Spotlight profile, click here.

Our Alumni Spotlight for November features Steven Masiano Ph.D '18, who holds a dual appointment as an Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University and in the Department of Quantitative Health Sciences at the Cleveland Clinic. Getting his start in healthcare policy working for the Ministry of Health in his native Malawi, Dr. Masiano has consistently pursued the education and experience he needs in order to solve the persistent problems he sees in the world around him. In addition to his time at VCU, he's studied at Brandeis University in Boston, taken part in a Baylor College of Medicine post-doc program that gave him the opportunity to return to Malawi and work on HIV research, and made his way to Cleveland and his current dual appointment. Throughout, it’s been his commitment to utilizing quantitative analysis to improve health care in Malawi, the United States, and around the world that has motivated him to achieve and succeed in his career in health policy. To read Dr. Masiano's Alumni Spotlight profile, click here.