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A ‘North Star’ for others
It’s been a few months since Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center was added to an elite, national list of comprehensive cancer centers, but the excitement around the June announcement continues. “It definitely is a huge deal,” says the center’s director, Dr. Robert A. Winn. “This is something we’ve chased for the better part […]
Health Care 2023: DR. MARLON LEVY
Levy was appointed to lead the VCU Health System last year on an interim basis, having served as chief medical officer of the VCU Medical Center and director of the Hume-Lee Transplant Center. He replaced Dr. Art Kellermann, who resigned in November 2022. In the past year, VCU Health’s Massey Cancer Center was designated a […]
Education 2023: MICHAEL RAO
In his 14th year at VCU, Rao has had a year of ups and downs. VCU opened its $125 million STEM building in April, and in May it announced an $18 million donation from Washington, D.C.-based real estate analytics company CoStar Group to build an academic building for arts and innovation. However, VCU Health made […]
June 2023 Top Five Stories
The top five most-read daily news stories on VirginiaBusiness.com from April 15 to May 14 included the news that Richmond was likely to keep its Minor League Baseball team, even though its new stadium wouldn’t be ready until spring 2026, a year later than originally planned. 1 | Richmond City Council approves Diamond […]
VCU Health paid $72.9M to back out of development
VCU Health paid nearly $73 million to back out of a $325 million development deal earlier this year, according to Dr. Marlon Levy, CEO of the health system and Virginia Commonwealth University’s interim senior vice president for health sciences. The project, known as the Clay Street Project, included plans for a medical office tower and […]
Paying it forward
In the last year, Virginia philanthropists continued making generous donations toward health care research, while others maintained their longstanding support of art museums. Leading the pack were two nine-figure donations for medical research. In February 2022, Dr. Todd Stravitz, who built his expertise researching and treating liver disease, donated $104 million to Virginia Commonwealth Universi[...]
VCU names medical school dean
Dr. Arturo P. Saavedra will be the next dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and executive vice president for medical affairs at VCU Health, the university announced Monday. His appointment is effective April 15. Saavedra is currently chair of the University of Virginia’s dermatology department and interim CEO of the U.Va. Physicians […]
VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital names next president
Virginia Commonwealth University Health Community Memorial Hospital in Mecklenburg County announced Thursday that Sheldon Barr will be its next president, effective Dec. 11. Barr will be the first woman to lead the South Hill hospital in its 68-year history. “I am excited to deliver on VCU Health’s mission to preserve and restore health for all […]
Massey Center, VCU Health hire cancer exec
Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and VCU Health announced Tuesday that Dr. Paula M. Fracasso, formerly of the University of Virginia, is now the cancer center’s deputy director and senior vice president of the health system’s cancer service line. An oncologist, former pharmaceutical executive and medical school professor, Fracasso joined VCU and the Massey […]
Running on empty
First, doctors say they’re sorry for calling. Dr. Allison Cotton, a psychiatrist in Reno, Nevada, co-founded the national Physician Support Line in March 2020 to provide peer mental health support to physicians. She says their impulse to apologize shows the need for the service. “They’re apologizing for using a resource which is literally created for […]
Gift of a lifetime
For Dr. Todd Stravitz, February was an opportune time to make the largest gift in the history of Virginia Commonwealth University — a $104 million donation to support liver research. The retired medical director of VCU Health’s Hume-Lee Transplant Center, Stravitz is an heir to the Boar’s Head Provisions Co. Inc. fortune. His mother, Barbara […]
The gift givers
While 2020 represented a significant year for philanthropic shifts toward social and racial justice causes, 2021 and early 2022 have seen a return to traditional giving, with many of Virginia’s largest donations benefiting universities, medical research and the arts. Donations to Virginia institutions — topped by a $104 million gift in February from Dr. […]
