VCU Institute for Women's Health

School of Medicine

September 2025 Newsletter

Upcoming IWH Research Development Group Meetings

  • Perinatal Health Research Development Group Meeting: September 10, 2025 at 9:00am
  • Female Athlete Research Development Group Meeting: September 10, 2025 at 11:00am
  • Nutrition and Women’s Health Research Development Meeting: September 25, 2025 at 10:00am
  • Addiction and Women’s Health Research Development Meeting: TBD
  • Intimate Partner Violence & Sexual Assault Research Development Group Meeting: October 24, 2025 at 10:00am 

To be added to the list for any of the Research Development Groups or to suggest a new group, please contact molly.hyer@vcuhealth.org

News from IWH leadership and affiliate faculty

  • Welcome to the IWH Leadership Team
    • Jessie Oldham, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and former BIRCWH Scholar, has joined the IWH leadership team as the new Director of Communications. 
    • Samar El-Khoudary, PhD, Professor and Chair in the Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, has joined the IWH leadership team as the new Director of Public Health Initiatives. 
  • Awards and Recognitions
    • Susan Kornstein, MD, Executive Director of the Institute for Women’s Health, was recently honored with the MCV Foundation’s distinguished Jerome F. Strauss III Award on June 16th. Dr. Kornstein was also honored with the VCU Distinguished Service Award at the 43rd Annual VCU Faculty Convocation last month. 
    • Gretchen Neigh, PhD, Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Anatomy, and Director of Translational Research for the Institute for Women’s Health, will receive the Women in Science, Dentistry, and Medicine Professional Achievement Award at the 27th Annual Faculty Excellence Awards on September 17th. 
    • Lisa Ellis, M.D., MACP, Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Election is a lifelong honor, signifying a lasting commitment to professionalism, leadership, scholarship, research and community service.
  • Awarded Grants and Publications
    • Jessie Oldham, PhD, was awarded an R01 through NINDS examining psychophysiological deficits in adolescents following concussion and the relationship with subsequent musculoskeletal injury. This is the first R01 for PM&R/CERSE. 
    • Arnethea Sutton, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences published a recent article in Cancer Medicine that examined breast cancer survivors’ perceptions of heart health during active treatment and associations with race. 
    • Alex Krist, MD, MPH, professor in VCU Family Medicine, has had multiple works highlighted in the media in recent weeks. These media stories include a groundbreaking blood test to detect cancer, as well as a recent article on the shortage of primary care physicians in Virginia.  

Upcoming Events

  • The Military Women’s Health Webinar Series: “Musculoskeletal and Bone Health”, presented by NIH and Uniformed Services University, will be on September 11th from 3:00-4:00pm. Please register for the event ahead of time. 
  • NIH Women’s Health Research Roundtable: “Reaching Rural Women: Implications for Research on Pregnancy” will be held on September 25th from 3:00-4:00pm. Please register for the event ahead of time. 
  • VCU Wright Center Research Day: October 9, 2025 from 9:00am-3:00pm in the Larrick Student Center. The registration deadline is September 30th. 
  • Commonwealth of Virginia Cancer Research Conference: November 14-15. Abstracts are due October 1st. 

Funding Opportunities

  • VCU Translational Science Pilot Grants
    • Application deadline 11/1/25
    • $25,000 for one-year to support innovative research that investigates ways to make clinical and translational research faster, more efficient, and more impactful. 
    • Contact Dr. Pamela Dillon (pmdillon@vcu.edu) with any questions. 
  • Stephen I. Katz Early Stage Investigator Research Project Grants (newly reinstated by NIH)
    • Innovative projects that represent a change in research direction for early stage investigators (no preliminary data allowed)
    • Budgets are not limited but need to reflect the needs of the project
    • 5-year study

Recruitment Corner

  • Are you looking to recruit participants for active studies? We will be advertising ongoing studies in future IWH newsletters. Please fill out the Recruitment Corner Form if you are interested in having your study included in the newsletter.

IWH Training Survey

  • Please complete this survey to help us gather data on training and mentoring activities of IWH Affiliate Faculty. Contact Dr. Heather Jones (hjones7@vcu.edu) with any questions. 

Do you have exciting news to share? We want to hear from you! Please share any recent career developments (grants, publications, promotions, media stories) using the Newsletter Submission Form. We will feature these highlights in the next IWH newsletter. 

We are bringing back the featured IWH Affiliate Faculty of the Month. Help us celebrate excellence by nominating standout faculty. Use the Newsletter Submission Form, and be sure to include 1-2 sentences highlighting their impact, achievements, or what makes their work stand out. 

 

To subscribe to the newsletter and join the IWH Listserv, email Kellyn Moody at Kellyn.Moody@vcuhealth.org.