Two current and one former School of Medicine faculty members receive prestigious awards at annual Faculty Convocation

On Wednesday, September 6, 2023, Virginia Commonwealth University recognized two current and one former School of Medicine faculty members for their accomplishments during the 41st annual Faculty Convocation. Held at the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, the ceremony celebrated both excellence and commitment across five VCU schools, including the brand-new School of Population Health.  

Michael Rao, Ph.D., president of VCU, addressed the auditorium filled with friends, family members and colleagues before school deans presented the awards. Rao cited VCU’s “empathetic culture” built by the faculty as the “critical foundation of this institution,” describing VCU as a “rare institution that combines a major academic medical center that really does the kinds of things at the tertiary level that literally saves people's lives.” 

“This has become a model of a public research university that is truly engaging the public in ways that otherwise would not be possible,” Rao said.

Anika L. Hines, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Department of Health Behavior and Policy

Outstanding Early Career Faculty Award 

As head the Equity in Cardiovascular Health Outcomes Lab, Anika L. Hines, Ph.D., M.P.H., works with student mentees to understand how chronic stress related to features of one’s physical environment can lead to inequitable health disparities for marginalized patient populations. Hines has received multiple awards for excellence in both research and teaching, including the VCU School of Medicine Blick Scholar designation and the Association of Black Cardiologists COVID-19 Innovation Award.  

“Stress is around, it’s always going to be around, and the sooner we get a handle on it, how we can decompress, I think the better off we will all be in terms of our health outcomes,” Hines said. “Through VCU and VCU’s commitment to its broader Richmond community, we have the opportunity to learn the lived experiences of varying types of people.” 

Hines, who was an assistant professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Policy, is now at the new VCU School of Population Health.

Michael F. Miles, M.D., Ph.D. 

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology 

University Award of Excellence 

Michael F. Miles, M.D., Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, found medicine as a way to apply his interest in science to help people. Through his research on functional genomics, Miles looks at why some people are more vulnerable to becoming addicted to alcohol than others by studying underlying genetic risk factors and gene expression in individuals with alcohol use disorder. In 2010, Miles co-founded the VCU Alcohol Research Center, one of 23 national alcohol research centers funded by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and recently, he served as president of the Research Society on Alcoholism. Throughout his career, Miles has published more than 210 papers and abstracts contributing to the knowledge base of his field.  

“I was looking for a place that would allow me to have more interactions with my colleagues and also importantly, to mentor students.” Miles said. “And VCU really offered that to me.”

Curtis N. Sessler, M.D.

Department of Internal Medicine 

Distinguished Service Award 

Curtis N. Sessler, M.D., associate chair for faculty development in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine, served as medical director of the medical respiratory ICU for 30 years and as medical director of critical care for 27 years. After three decades at VCU School of Medicine, Sessler said that what motivates him is “the people,” and finds working in collaboration with others as the most exciting part of his career. One example he cites is in the medical respiratory ICU, where physicians work alongside nurses, pharmacists, therapists of different sorts and the patients and their families.  

“I can think of no other institution that does a better job caring for critically ill patients,” Sessler said. “So, it’s been an honor for me to be part of VCU.”