Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Va.

VCU Health Sciences
Woman in wheelchair getting help

Centers, institutes and special programs

Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases Research Award Fund
Virginia Center on Aging administers the Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases Research Award Fund, which provides seed money to stimulate innovative research into biomedical and psychosocial aspects of dementia, including cell biology, caregiving and animal modeling.
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Center for Clinical and Translation Research
Building on a heritage of established strengths in clinical and translational research, VCU has established the Center for Clinical and Translational Research to enhance research infrastructure and promote collaboration.
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Center for Drug Studies
The Center for Drug Studies of the VCU School of Pharmacy specializes in “Phase I” clinical studies for the development of new drugs and new drug delivery systems.
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Center on Health Disparities
The Center on Health Disparities at VCU is committed to the elimination of disparities in health outcomes and the improvement of health care. Although the center primarily focuses on underrepresented populations in the greater Richmond area, its work impacts health policy and public policy throughout the commonwealth of Virginia.
The overall goal of the center is to develop the capacity of faculty, staff, students and community partners to identify the causes of health disparities and to develop interventions to eliminate them. The center is managed by a medical director, administrative director and program administrator.
The creation of the center demonstrates VCU’s commitment to safeguarding the health of “all” citizens living in Central Virginia.
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Clinical Research Center for Peridontal Diseases
The CRCPD studies periodontal (gum) diseases, with emphasis on a group of diseases in teenagers and young adults called early-onset periodontitis.
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Commonwealth Autism Service
The mission of the Commonwealth Autism Service is to provide leadership in the implementation of a statewide system of services to maximize the potential and quality of life of each Virginian with autism across the lifespan.
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General Clinical Research Center
The General Clinical Research Center supports clinical investigation into the pathophysiology of human disease, and the testing of new methods of diagnosis and treatment of disease.
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Harold F.Young Neurosurgical Center
The creation of the Harold F. Young Neurosurgical Center provides an opportunity for the Department of Neurosurgery to address an ever-changing medical environment and restructure itself to create a unified approach to delivering quality neurosurgical care in Virginia.
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HIV/AIDS Center
The VCU HIV/AIDS Center is one of several multidisciplinary centers created as part of the 1993 Strategic Plan for the university and is administered through the VCU Office of the Vice President for Health Sciences.
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Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies
At the Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, we seek to explore the complex problems of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs through a multidisciplinary program of research and training.
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Institute for Structural Biology and Drug Discovery
VCU offers an interdisciplinary course of graduate study leading to a Ph.D. degree for students with interests in the broad area of structural biology. The emphasis of this curriculum is on mastery of methods for the analysis of biomolecular structures and the application of these methods to solve problems of biological importance.
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Institute for Women’s Health
The Institute for Women’s Health National Center of Excellence is designed to provide patients, providers, health professionals, researchers and community partners with easy access to information that will answer questions and provide resources, activities and initiatives aimed at improving women’s health care across the lifespan.
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Massey Cancer Center
In 1974, the VCU Massey Cancer Center earned a prestigious designation from the National Cancer Institute based on our world-class research programs, and we have retained that designation ever since.
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Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry
The Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry is a population-based registry of 37,000-plus twins of all ages who were born in or live in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
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Molecular Imaging Center
TheVCU Molecular Imaging Centerprovides a comprehensive resource available to empower basic, translational and clinical research through the application of imaging.
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Mood Disorders Institute
The VCU Mood Disorders Institute was founded in 1992, by Susan G. Kornstein, M.D., and James McCullough, Ph.D., Since then, MDI has been the site of more than 50 industry and government-sponsored clinical trials, studying several forms of mood and anxiety disorders, as well as women’s mental health concerns.
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Obesity Surgery Center
The VCU Surgical Weight Loss Center is a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence designated by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery and the Surgical Review Corporation.
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Pauley Heart Center
The Pauley Heart Center’s mission is to practice the highest quality, cost-effective cardiovascular care in a comprehensive, innovative environment, which is individualized and sensitive to a diverse population; enhance scientific knowledge and care through creative and pioneering investigation; and provide comprehensive education and training to students and all professionals with enthusiasm and respect.
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The Philips Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology
The mission of The Philips Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology is to serve VCU and the commonwealth as a center of educational and research excellence focused on infectious, neoplastic and genetic diseases of the oral cavity, head and neck.
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VCU Reanimation Engineering Shock Center
Dedicated to the ongoing study and development of technologies for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease state known as shock.
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Virginia Addiction Technology Transfer Center
The Mid-Atlantic Addiction Technology Transfer Center serves to improve the quality of addiction treatment and recovery services within its region by facilitating alliances among policymakers, treatment agencies, clinicians, consumers and other stakeholders and connecting them to the latest research and information through technology transfer activities.
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Virginia Center on Aging
The Virginia Center on Aging, located at the VCU Medical Center, was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1978 (Chapter 170 of the Acts of 1978, Code of Virginia 23-50.15) to “be an interdisciplinary study, research, information and resource facility for the Commonwealth of Virginia utilizing the full capabilities of faculty, staff, libraries, laboratories and clinics for the benefit of older Virginians and the expansion of knowledge pertaining to the aged and to the aging process.” It is the only such center in Virginia.
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Virginia Geriatric Education Center
The Virginia Geriatric Education Center was established in the Department of Gerontology on Oct. 1, 1985. The center is an interdisciplinary effort involving cooperation of all health-related professional schools: Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy; the schools of Social Work and Education; and the College of Humanities and Sciences. The major focus is to promote education in geriatrics/gerontological health care.
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Williamson Institute for Health Studies
The mission of the institute is to provide postgraduate leadership development opportunities through national and international educational programs.
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