September 2026 Newsletter
Featured Research Development Group (RDG) of the Month 
This month we are highlighting our Nutrition and Women’s Health RDG! This group is co-chaired by Drs. Melanie Bean and Kelsey Hagan and is an interdisciplinary collective of researchers and clinicians dedicated to advancing the understanding of how nutrition influences physical and mental health in women across the lifespan.
- Members of the group are currently developing a transdisciplinary series of projects focused on the impact of GLP-1s on maternal child bonding during the postpartum period. This work will span pre-clinical, mechanistic models through clinical implementation.
If you are interested in joining the Nutrition and Women’s Health RDG, please reach out to Dr. Molly Hyer (Molly.Hyer@vcuhealth.org).
Upcoming Research Development Group Meetings
- Female Athlete RDG: October 7th from 11:00-12:00
- Addiction in Women RDG: October 16th from 2:00-3:00
Upcoming Events
- The National Academy of Medicine hosted a virtual workshop titled, “Reframing Midlife Women’s Health,” on September 15th. Two of our IWH faculty, Drs. Samar El Khoudary and Suzanne Makarem, were speakers at the event. Click here to access the recording..
News from IWH leadership and affiliate faculty
- Edmund Acevedo, PhD, Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, Sarah Jane Brubaker, PhD, Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, and Mary Helen Hackney, MD, Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, have been selected to receive VCU Distinguished Faculty Awards. Dr. Acevedo is being awarded the University Distinguished Service Award, Dr. Brubaker the Distinguished Teaching Award, and Dr. Hackney the University Outstanding Term Faculty Award.
- Four of our IWH faculty received National/International Recognition Awards (NIRAs):
- Heather Jones, PhD, Professor in the Department of Psychology
- Shillpa Naavaal, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry
- Lisa Shah, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor, Department of Adult Health and Nursing Systems
- Dipanker Bandyopadhyay, PhD, Professor, Department of Biostatistics
- Kellie Carlyle, PhD, Professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Ana Diallo, PhD, MPH, RN, Associate Professor in the Department of Adult Health and Nursing Systems, and collaborators were awarded VCU Convergence Awards. Dr. Carlyle received two awards, including “One Health, One Welfare: Meeting Community Mental Health Needs through the Human-Animal Bond,” and “Reimagining Health in the Age of AI: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Communication, Decision-Making, Ethics, and Care in Complex Systems.” Dr. Diallo was awarded for her project titled, “Designing a Clinical Workflow to Integrate Nutrition Insecurity Screening.”
- Christine Isaacs, MD, MBA, has been announced as the new Chair of the VCU School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, effective August 1st.
- Oxana Palesh, PhD, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Massey Cancer Center Chair in Cancer Research, was quoted in VCU News for her involvement in a recent multi-decade study of subsequent primary cancers and how cancer risks change over time across generations.
- Carolyn Hawley, PhD, Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Counseling, is one of the nation’s leading experts on gambling addiction and was featured in VCU News for work that has established Virginia as a national model for gambling health infrastructure. Dr. Hawley was featured in VCU’s Uncommon Heroes series.
Research Security Training (RST) Renewal Reminder
The VCU Division of Sponsored Programs would like to remind faculty that RST must be completed within 12 months prior to any NIH grant submissions. This is a federal compliance requirement for all Senior and Key Personnel. Applications cannot be submitted without a current RST certification.
- If your last RST training was taken over a year ago, you must complete an update before DSP submits your proposal in SPOT.
Recruitment Corner is Moving!
All ongoing research studies open to recruitment can now be found on the VCU Institute for Women’s Health website.
Are you looking to recruit participants for active studies? Please fill out the Research Study Recruitment Corner Form if you are interested in having your study included on the website.
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.
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To subscribe to the newsletter and join the IWH Listserv, email Kellyn Moody at Kellyn.Moody@vcuhealth.org.