SOM students, faculty distinguish themselves in research
Look no further than the most recent Stanford rankings, where a new listing of the world’s most-cited scientists includes 11 VCU faculty who rank in the top 50 in their fields. Seven of them are from the School of Medicine!
Dear students,
Our research enterprise continues to grow and so does our reputation.
Look no further than the most recent Stanford rankings, where a new listing of the world’s most-cited scientists includes 11 VCU faculty who rank in the top 50 in their fields. Seven of them are from the School of Medicine!
Our faculty also have a profound impact on our students. In fact, 14 research abstracts submitted by School of Medicine students have qualified for semifinals in the AMA Research Challenge Poster Symposium! Of note, SOM ranked fourth among medical schools in the number of submissions (188) submitted for the competition.
Below is a list of the students whose abstracts will be featured at the AMA Research Challenge Poster Showcase on Nov. 7-9:
- Raveena Joshi, M2
- Suhas Rao Velichala, M2
- Megana Kasavaraju, M3
- Russell Simmers, M4
- Luke Johnson, M2
- Sri Vibhaav Bankuru, M3
- Brandon Tran, M4
- Konstantinos Oikonomou, M2
- Ethan Crawford, M2
- Brigitte Lieu, M2
- Nicole Lulkin, M2
- Alexis Swift, M3
- Aadi Sharma, M2
- Allen Shieh, M4
Six of our qualifiers previously participated in the Dean’s Summer Research Fellowship, underscoring the value and lasting impact of the relationships our students form with faculty. So, it’s no surprise we are well-represented in the most recent Stanford University rankings identifying the most influential scholars and scientists worldwide – the top 2% in their fields.
Three faculty members were ranked in the top 1,000 of all researchers, across all disciplines worldwide, based on activity from the previous year: Arun Sanyal, M.D., internal medicine (259); Kenneth Kendler, M.D., psychiatry (352); and Jasmohan Bajaj, M.D, internal medicine (848). Based on full-career research, Kendler (69), Sanyal (615) and the School of Medicine’s Russell Barkley, Ph.D., psychiatry (714) placed among the top 1,000.
Additionally, four more School of Medicine faculty – W. Greg Miller, Ph.D., pathology; Ashraf S. Gorgey, Ph.D., physical medicine and rehabilitation; Steven H. Woolf, M.D.; family medicine; and the late Lindon Eaves, Ph.D., D.Sc., human and molecular genetics – ranked in the top 50 in their fields in the 2024 listing.
The rankings are drawn from 223,252 scientists from 22 scientific fields and 174 disciplines and are compiled by Stanford University and the analytics firm Elsevier.
From our distinguished faculty to our high-achieving students and dedicated staff, I remain exceedingly proud and privileged to be your dean. Let’s continue to pursue excellence every day — pushing the frontiers of medical knowledge to tackle the hard questions. Training the next generation to find the answers that translate into cutting edge and compassionate clinical care. And bringing hope — and health — to our community.
With appreciation,
Arturo P. Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D.
Dean, VCU School of Medicine
Executive vice president for medical affairs, VCU Health System
