VCU Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences

05/27/2026

On Friday, June 5th Dr. Vanessa B. Sheppard will host For Her With Love, an event focused on breast cancer survivorship and research. The event is presented in partnership with the VCU Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Old Dominion University's Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences, to be held at ODU's Waitzer Hall in Norfolk, Va.

Watch Dr. Sheppard's event preview below, and register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeo9qqjfREFyaoHck2v08GbtGS1wtQ-0-ubnSvNOc7yg8O8JA/viewform

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIDAEWW9s9I

Following a successful inaugural event last fall at Richmond's Vale...

05/21/2026

Last week, Dr. Katherine Tossas was honored with an award for Excellence in Community Engaged Research by VCU's Division of Community Engagement. Read more about her work here:

VCU’s Division of Community Engagement held a ceremony honoring nominees for outstanding work in community engagement on Thursday, May 14th. Award categories included faculty, students, and community partners. SBS assistant professor Katherine Y. Tossas, PhD, MS was honored with the Excellence in ...

05/18/2026

Last week our PhD scholars enjoyed some quality time with SBS chair Dr. Jessica LaRose. As the spring semester comes to an end, the group took a lunch break to discuss the PhD program, scholar experiences, and ideas for next year. We're already looking forward to the fall!

05/13/2026

Newly published: Dr. Kristina Tatum led a study on GLP-1 usage among breast cancer patients, finding a possible link between use of the drug and improved outcomes.

Read more here:

New research published today in JAMA Network Open offers illuminating evidence suggesting there is a positive association between GLP-1 agonists—drugs commonly used to treat obesity and diabetes—and better outcomes among breast cancer patients.

05/08/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Dr. Fariha Tariq who received her PhD in Social and Behavioral Sciences at today's commencement ceremony! Dr. Tariq is pictured here with dissertation committee members Drs. Robert Perera and Jessica LaRose, and doctoral program colleagues, Malik Phillips, Farnese Motto, and Tolu Kolawole. Way to go Dr. Tariq! 👏

05/08/2026

🎓 It's that time again! Join us at 1pm live from Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden as we celebrate our graduates at the 3rd VCU School of Public Health Commencement!
https://sph.vcu.edu/specialevents/

05/07/2026

¡Felicidades! 🎉 Dina Garcia, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed. has been promoted to associate professor with tenure! We are so grateful every day for her commitment to advancing public health, her dedicated support of our scholars, and her inspiring leadership as Graduate Program Director.

05/05/2026

Congratulations to Samuel Sijuade, MPH, who won the Community Engagement Hero award at last week's VCU School of Public Health student showcase! Samuel's poster was entitled "Enhancing Organizational Capacity Through Community-Based Participatory Research: A Field Experience with Cancer LINC"

Samuel's project is the result of his work in our Community-Based Participatory Research course, led by Dina García, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., which gives scholars hands-on experience working with community partners.

04/23/2026

This week we're at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in Chicago, IL! ✈️ This afternoon's poster session featured work by PhD candidate Tolu Kolawole and associate professor Dr. Sunny Jung Kim.

04/21/2026

Today is ! Please consider making a gift to the Social and Behavioral Sciences fund to help support our scholars as they pursue opportunities in the classroom and beyond.
https://give.vcu.edu/campaigns/59591/donations/new?designation_id=690830179ee04c7382009c682a6a347c

04/09/2026

We are so incredibly proud of Dra. Dina García who was honored with the VCU Graduate Faculty Mentoring Award for early career faculty at yesterday's State of the Research Address. Thank you, Dra. García for your leadership of our graduate program and outstanding mentorship!