Areas of Research
Areas of Basic Laboratory Research
Below are several areas of Basic Laboratory Research that VCU School of Medicine supports.
Strengths are in behavioral and molecular studies of central nervous system agonists and antagonists of receptors for cannabinoids, opiates, nicotine, and alcohol as well as the identification of genes involved in addiction.
Ph.D. and Master's degrees are awarded in Pharmacology and Toxicology, and Human and Molecular Genetics. An Institutional Training Grant supports pre- and postdoctoral students doing research in this area. Basic research is conducted in the Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies, an NIH Center that is part of the Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies. Investigators are located primarily in the following Departments:
Strengths are in immediate hypersensitivity, mast cell biology, tumor immunology, T cell biology and cytokine signaling.
The Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology award advanced degrees to students doing research in this area. An Institutional Training Grant supports predoctoral students. Faculty are in the following Departments:
Strengths are in therapy of hematologic malignancies, cell signaling, cell response to radiation, epigenetic control of hematologic processes, cancer immunology and cancer genomics.
The faculty performing research in this area are members of the Massey Cancer Center and most have their laboratories in the new Goodwin Research Building. Two Institutional Training Grants support pre– and postdoctoral students doing research in this area. Students who work with these investigators can get degrees in the following Departments:
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Human and Molecular Genetics
- Medical Physics
In addition to the Departments listed above that grant Ph.D. degrees, faculty have their primary appointments in the following Departments:
- Internal Medicine
- Radiation Oncology
- Surgery
- Pathology
A formal interdisciplinary training program, called MBG, has been created for advanced degree students that merges coursework from various graduate programs and has its own seminars and journal clubs. The coordinator is Gail Christie, Ph.D. [E-mail]: christie@vcu.edu. Participating Departments include:
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Human and Molecular Genetics
- Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Anatomy and Neurobiology
- Physiology and Biophysics
Students can pursue advanced degrees in any of these six disciplines.
Strengths are in cell signaling in cancer and bacterial cells and, in particular, in the role of lipids in cell signaling.
Students doing research in this area can get Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in:
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Physiology and Biophysics
An Institutional Training Grant supports postdoctoral students doing research in this area. In addition to the Departments above, faculty doing research in this area are also in the following Departments:
Strengths include the entire nervous system, enteric ion channels, hepatic and gut cholesterol metabolism and hepatic steatosis. An Institutional Training Grant supports postdoctoral students. Advanced degrees are awarded in:
- Physiology and Biophysics
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Faculty performing research in this area are also in the Department of:
Strengths in this area include glial cell biology, neural plasticity and circuits, traumatic brain injury, substances of abuse, cellular and genetic basis of behavior and neurological disease, and neurodegeneration.
A Ph.D. degree in neuroscience is awarded in this discipline. The Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Anatomy and Neurobiology have Institutional Training Grants (T32) that supports pre-doctoral students. The integrated program is directed by John W. Bigbee, Ph.D., and involves faculty from the following departments:
- Anatomy and Neurobiology
- Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Psychiatry
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Human and Molecular Genetics
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Physiology and Biophysics
In addition to getting a Ph.D. in neuroscience, students can get a master’s or Ph.D. degree in:
Strengths are in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases, staphylococcal infections, vaccine development and evaluation, microbial genomics and the resistance of pathogens to antiinfective agents.
Students can obtain Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. An Institutional Training Grant (T32) supports both predoctoral and postdoctoral students. Faculty doing research in this area are in the following Departments:
Strengths include the molecualar basis of preeclampsia, regulation of steroidgenesis, the genetic basis of polycystic ovary syndrome, mechanisms of fetal membrane rupture, the molecular basis of sperm motility and folliculogenesis. Advanced degrees are awarded in:
Faculty doing research in this area are also in the Departments of:
Areas of Clinical and Translational Research
Below are the areas of clinical and translational research supported by VCU School of Medicine
CCTR is an incubator for all clinical research to be performed in the five schools on the MCV Campus. VCU has received an NIH Planning Grant to develop the Center and formulate curricula for advanced degrees (both Master's and Ph.D.) in Clinical and Translational Research.
Clinical Research Programs in the School of Medicine include:
- Biostatistics: Investigators in the Department of Biostatistics collaborate with clinical researchers in other departments on clinical trial design, statistical analysis of trial data and bioinformatics.
- Cancer: Investigators in the Massey Cancer Center study new treatments for cancer as well as conduct outcomes and behavioral research in cancer patients. Therapeutic trials include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, vaccine therapy or gene therapy alone or combined with other treatment modalities including bone marrow transplantation, surgery, or radiation therapy. In addition, investigators study new ways to deliver radiation therapy and minimize damage to normal tissue.
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolic Disease: Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Divisions of Endocrinology and Gastroenterology. Investigators study patients with interlinked conditions: Type II diabetes, the metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, polycystic ovary disease and hepatic steatosis.
- Hepatitis C and HIV-Hepatitis C Coinfection: Department of Internal Medicine, Divisions of Gastroenterology and Infectious Disease. NIH–funded clinical trials are directed at therapy for these infections.
- HIV/AIDS: HIV-infected patients participate in clinical trials for new therapy or therapeutic regimes. This is coordinated by the HIV/AIDS Center through clinical trial grants from industry and the NIH [PDF].
- Liver Transplantation: Living donor and hepatocyte transplantation studies are conducted by investigators in the Departments of Surgery and Internal Medicine.
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Investigators in the Department of Psychiatry and the Mood Disorders Institute (MDI) perform clinical trials that help patients cope with mood and anxiety disorders and also deal with women's mental health issues.
- Parkinson's Disease: Combining research, education and outreach, the VCU Parkinson's Disease Center provides a coordinated approach for developing strategies that combat neurodegenerative diseases and movement disorders. The highly integrated, multidisciplinary center brings together neurologists, neuropsychologists and physical therapists to move groundbreaking research from novel approaches in the laboratory to clinical trials, translating discoveries into real-world treatments. The center's diagnostic and therapeutic program also provides clinical diagnosis and care for Parkinson's and related movement disorder patients, while offering training opportunities for physician and patient communities.
- Public Health: The departments that constitute the public health disciplines include Epidemiology and Community Health, Health Behavior & Policy and Biostatistics. Epidemiology and Community Health is within the Department of Family Practice and sponsors both a Masters of Public Health (M.P.H.) and Ph.D. degree. The Department of Health Behavior & Policy awards Ph.D. degrees in Social & Behavioral Sciences and Healthcare Policy & Research. The Department of Biostatistics awards a Ph.D. degree.
- Schizophrenia: Investigators in the Virginia Center for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics (VIPBG) study the epidemiology and genetic basis of schizophrenia using databases collected from large population groups and the MATR.
- Status Epilepticus: Investigators in the Department of Neurology coordinate multicenter epilepsy trials and data collection.
- Substance Abuse: Investigators in the Departments of Psychiatry, Pharmacology and Toxicology, the Virginia Center for Psychiatris and Behavioral Genetics (VIPBG), and the Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies study the epidemiology, prevention and treatment of addiction to drugs and alcohol.
- Twin Studies: The Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry (MATR) is a unique resource coordinated by investigators in the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics that collects and maintains an extensive twin database.
- VCU Reanimation Engineering and Shock (VCURES): Investigators in the Departments of Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology, Surgery and Physiology conduct studies on the treatment of shock and the use of blood substitutes.
- Virginia Ambulatory Care Outcomes Research Network (ACORN): The Department of Family Practice operates a statewide, practice–based research network with the mission of collecting longitudinal data on the health status of primary care patients and on the effectiveness and quality of the care they receive.
- Center for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering (CERSE): The VCU Center for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering (VCU-CERSE) brings together researchers, clinicians, rehabilitation specialists and academicians from the VCU Schools of Medicine, Allied Health, Education and Engineering, as well as the Hunter Holmes Veterans Administration Medical Center and the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services to promote research, education, physical medicine and rehabilitation services and clinical care for America’s veterans, children and adults with disabilities.
The Institute for Women's Health sponsors multidisciplinary research into women's health and sex/gender issues and has received federal funding to support these studies. The following are examples of the research supported by these grants:
- A Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH)grant provides funds to junior faculty to perform research on sex and gender-related factors.
- The Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities has three full and two pilot projects that focus on research topics in African-American women including the genetics of premature rupture of the membranes and the relationship of premature birth to periodontal disease.
- A U54 grant on Association and Linkage Studies in Polycystic Ovary Disease.
Postdoctoral Research
Postdoctoral scholars are an essential component of the research program at Virginia Commonwealth University. The Office of Postdoctoral Services (OPS) was established in the summer of 2007 in recognition of the important role postdoctoral scholars fulfill within the university.
The goal of the OPS is to support postdoctoral training at VCU by:
- serving as a liaison between postdoctoral scholars, faculty, administrators and staff on campus;
- providing resources and information to facilitate the recruitment, employment, mentoring and career development of postdoctoral scholars; and
- assuring that faculty and postdoctoral scholars are aware of university policies, procedures and benefits for postdoctoral scholars.
For more detailed information see VCU’s Office of Postdoctoral Services.
Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award
The VCU Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award is a unique three-year postdoctoral program designed to train fellows in biomedical research and in teaching. IRACDA is funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences, and combines a traditional mentored postdoctoral research experience with an opportunity to develop teaching skills through formal pedagogic training and mentored assignments at minority-serving institutions. The program facilitates the progress of postdoctoral candidates toward research and teaching careers in academia. Other goals are to provide a resource to motivate the next generation of scientists at minority-serving institutions, and to promote linkages between research-intensive institutions and minority-serving institutions that can lead to further collaborations in research and teaching.
Eligible applicants must hold a Ph.D. or M.D. and must complete the degree before starting the program. IRACDA trainees must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents or non-citizen nationals. Proof of citizenship status or resident status will be required before the start of the program.
Interested applicants should visit the Center on Health Disparities' website for the IRACDA program for more information and submitting an application.
Applicants should submit their curriculum vitae, a statement of career goals, graduate transcripts and three letters of reference. Applications open on November 15. The priority deadline is April 1, but applications will be accepted at any time. A successful candidate must demonstrate an interest in teaching, excellence in research and an interest in increasing diversity in the biomedical sciences workforce.
IRACDA fellows will have a research mentor at VCU and a teaching mentor at a partner university: Virginia Union University, Virginia State University or Elizabeth City State University.
For questions or inquiries, please contact COHDTraining@vcu.edu