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Tag: Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU names two vice presidents

Matthew A. Conrad and Karah L. Gunther will become vice presidents starting May 1 at Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Health System, the university announced Wednesday.

Conrad has been named vice president for government and external relations for VCU and VCU Health System, a promotion from his previous position as executive director of government and board relations. Gunther has been named vice president of external affairs and health policy for the health system, VCU’s health sciences schools and college- and health-related research centers. She was previously executive director of government relations and health policy.

Before joining VCU in 2013, Conrad served as deputy chief of staff and deputy counselor to Gov. Bob McDonnell and also was deputy secretary of agriculture and forestry. He holds degrees from James Madison University and the former George Mason University School of Law (now Antonin Scalia Law School), and Conrad also served in the Virginia attorney general’s office and as a special assistant to the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Gunther joined VCU in 2011 as senior health policy analyst for the university’s Office of Health Innovation, and previously served as director of Bon Secours Richmond Health System’s coordination of care department. Gunther, who has degrees from the University of Virginia, VCU and the Washington & Lee University School of Law, also was a health care attorney at Hancock, Daniel, Johnson & Nagle PC.

Graduation plans vary across Virginia universities

RICHMOND, Va. — College graduations will still look different due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but more Virginia universities are returning to in-person ceremonies.

Graduations will be held online, in person or a hybrid format. Gov. Ralph Northam announced last month preliminary guidance for graduation events, which continues to be updated.

“The acceleration of the vaccine program and the decrease in new COVID-19 cases make it safer to ease restrictions on activities like in-person graduations,” Northam stated in March.

Graduation events for K-12 schools and colleges will operate under two sets of guidelines, depending on the date. Graduation events held outdoors before May 15 will be capped at 5,000 people or 30% of the venue capacity, whichever is less. Graduation events held indoors may have up to 500 people, or 30% of the venue capacity, whichever is less.

More people can attend graduations held on or after May 15. The governor’s orders allow an increase to 50% of venue capacity or 5,000 people at outdoor graduations. Indoor events cannot exceed either 50% venue capacity or 1,000 persons.

Attendees must wear masks and follow other guidelines and safety protocols to ensure social distancing.

Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond will hold a university-wide commencement ceremony online on May 15, according to a statement the university released last month. Individual departments can decide whether to hold in-person graduation.

VCU College of Humanities and Sciences will hold three in-person graduation ceremonies outdoors on May 15. The ceremonies will be held rain or shine on an outdoor field used for sports. Guests are not allowed to attend, but the ceremonies will be livestreamed.

Britney Simmons, a senior VCU mass communications major graduating in May, has concerns about attending an in-person event.

“I’d prefer that graduation is online,” Simmons stated in a text message. “I’m still uncomfortable with large gatherings and wouldn’t feel comfortable with me or any of my family attending and putting their health at risk.”

Federal health agencies called for a pause of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine this month due to reports of blood clots in some individuals who received it. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration panel late last week recommended restarting the J&J vaccinations, with an added warning about the risk of rare blood clots.

“The university really put its hope in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and that lots of students would be vaccinated by commencement,” said Tim Bajkiewicz, an associate professor of broadcast journalism at VCU and communications director for the VCU chapter of American Association of University Professors. “Because of the pause that the CDC put on that vaccine, it really kind of blew a huge hole in those plans.”

Students and faculty originally scheduled to receive the one-dose J&J shot had to temporarily shift to a new timetable with the incremental, two-dose shots that could make it harder for everyone to receive a vaccine by graduation.

VCU spokesman Michael Porter did not respond to multiple requests for comment about any possible problems the university might encounter from that pause of the J&J vaccine.

“The ceremonies are already super stripped down,” Bajkiewicz said. “But still over this whole thing is a pronounced risk of getting COVID-19.”

Virginia Tech in Blacksburg will have 16 in-person commencement ceremonies by college from May 10 to May 16 at Lane Stadium, the university’s football stadium. Graduating students are required to register and students are allowed to invite up to four guests.

Virginia Tech will also hold a virtual commencement ceremony on May 14.

Sarah Hajzus, a senior industrial and systems engineering major at Virginia Tech, said she would prefer to have graduation in person.

“Small, in-person [graduation], if we were to do it by major I feel like that would be ideal,” Hajzus said.

The University of Virginia in Charlottesville will hold its commencement outdoors on May 21 to May 23 for the class of 2021. Students will walk the lawn and process to Scott Stadium, where each student can have two guests. The class of 2020 will also get a chance to walk and attend a special ceremony, according to U.Va. President Jim Ryan.

Other Virginia universities will hold spring graduation completely online. George Mason University released a statement that its spring commencement will be held virtually. The ceremony is set for Friday, May 14 at 2 p.m.

VCU students and employees are not required, but encouraged, to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Over 43% of the state’s population had received at least one-dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

“It is really sad that I won’t be able to have an in-person graduation since I looked forward to having one all four years, but I think everyone’s health is more important than a graduation ceremony,” Simmons stated.

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.

Central Va. pharma hub strategic plan released

On Tuesday, the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering announced its strategy to turn Central Virginia into an advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing, research and development hub.

The strategic plan aims to foster business and job growth in the Richmond-Petersburg area while also expanding access to medicines. The creation of the plan was funded by a $100,000 planning grant from the state’s GO Virginia economic development initiative and a $100,000 matching grant from university, regional companies and economic development organizations. More than 50 individuals from dozens of organizations across the region participated in the yearlong strategic planning process. The recommendations were presented to GO Virginia’s regional council on March 31.

In May 2020, Richmond-based Phlow Corp. was awarded a $354 million, four-year federal contract from the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to produce the essential medications using advanced manufacturing processes from the Medicines for All Institute based at VCU’s College of Engineering. The effort is an attempt to secure the U.S. drug supply chain through the manufacturing, supplying and stockpiling of active pharmaceutical ingredients for essential medicines.

Phlow is also in a partnership with Utah-based pharmaceutical manufacturer Civica Inc., which plans to invest $124.5 million to establish its North American manufacturing headquarters operation in Petersburg, creating 186 jobs and manufacturing injectable medicines for the treatment of COVID-19. A nonprofit generic drug company, Civica was established in 2018 by a group of U.S. health systems and philanthropic organizations to address chronic generic drug shortages and related price spikes. More than 50 health systems are Civica members.

In Petersburg, Phlow, Civica and a coalition of hospital systems have begun construction of multimillion dollar advanced manufacturing facilities collocated with AMPAC Fine Chemicals. AMPAC is supplying Phlow with active pharmaceutical ingredients for the manufacturing of essential medicines for a national strategic reserve.

To further developments like these, VCU’s Department of Engineering released recommendations that include:

  • Forming a new regional advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing council to coordinate action toward growing the cluster, with membership from higher education, private businesses and government.
  • Moving to satisfy the current demand for lab space throughout the region and put in place long-term solutions.
  • Working with the Community College Workforce Alliance, John Tyler Community College, Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing to create new, comprehensive training programs for advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing technicians in order to support the efforts of Phlow, AMPAC and Civica .
  • Seeking strategic-level federal support for investments to develop a translational research and development center and a national center of excellence for continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Developing an advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing hub in Richmond and Petersburg “will create thousands of high-paying jobs, providing a magnet for talent and investment that will establish the region as a globally recognized leader in advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing,” said Frank Gupton, CEO of the Medicines for All Institute and co-founder of Phlow, in a statement.

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VCU Health distribution facility sells for $8M

A Henrico County property fully leased by VCU Health was purchased by an undisclosed investment group for $8.075 million on April 7.

Located at 3008 Mechanicsville Turnpike, the 89,931-square-foot property houses nonpharmaceutical medical supplies and equipment for VCU Health. Since mid-February, the property, a former Pepsi distribution facility, has served as Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority’s supply chain logistics headquarters and primary distribution facility for its regional health care operations.

Will Bradley and Mark Williford of Colliers International represented the seller, Charlotte, North Carolina-based real estate private equity firm SilverCap Partners.

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Labor market recovery slowed during early February

Labor market recovery slowed during the week of Feb. 7 through Feb. 13, according to Virginia Commonwealth University and Arizona State University economists.

Between early January and early February, employment held constant at 68.6%, which is 5.2% lower than it was in February 2020, according to the Real-Time Population Survey conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University assistant professor Adam Blandin and Arizona State associate professor Alexander Bick.

“Since October, employment has stopped recovering and has actually declined,” Blandin said in a statement. “We saw a continuation of this trend in February. This suggests that the early rapid recovery was only a partial one, and many workers who were working prior to the pandemic are still struggling to find work.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in spring 2020, employment fell by 14%, a “historic loss for the economy, both in its size and speed,” Blandin said in a statement.

The Real-Time Population Survey closely follows the methodology of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey and covers the same time period, but is released two weeks earlier. The survey is conducted in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

The most recent Real-Time Population survey also showed that less than two-thirds of adults who were working right before the pandemic are still working for the same employer. However, workers have seen earnings recovery, with about half of workers earning the same amount that they were before the pandemic.

 

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Three Va. universities join Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute

Virginia Tech announced Thursday it has been named a managing member of the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII), an $111 million public-private partnership led by the University of Texas at San Antonio. George Mason University and Virginia Commonwealth University will also participate in the institute.

CyManII will enter into a five-year agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to lead 59 member institutions in the program, which is aimed at getting American manufacturers and supply chains to adopt cybersecure, energy-efficient methods as well as building a national program for education and workforce development.

“As a land-grant university, the membership reaffirms our commitment to serving the commonwealth of Virginia and beyond to meet digital and technology workforce needs,” Dan Sui, Virginia Tech vice president of research and innovation, said in a statement. “CyManII demonstrates stakeholder synergy that involves national labs, research universities and private companies.”

Virginia Tech mechanical engineering professor Chris Williams will coordinate and represent Virginia Tech with CyManII.

“We have already been working on strategies and technologies for mitigating and detecting the cyberattacks on 3D printing technologies,” Williams said in a statement. “Digital manufacturing is an integral part of our economy. There are so many different applications for cybersecurity and so many different threats. We have first laid the groundwork for identifying cyberthreats and vulnerabilities.”

 

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500K Virginians enrolled in Medicaid since 2019 expansion

The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) has announced that more than 500,000 Virginians have enrolled in health coverage since expanded Medicaid eligibility rules took effect in January 2019.

Virginia was the only state in nation to experience a reduction in its uninsured rate between 2018 and 2019, the first year of the expanded eligibility rules. The overall uninsured rate in the commonwealth declined from 12.3% to 11%. The reduction was more dramatic for Virginians ages 18-64 with incomes below 138% of the poverty line. That population segment saw its uninsured rate drop from 28.1% to 23%.

In a statement, DMAS said that Medicaid expansion was a critical support to Virginians during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, and that an additional 116,100 adults had enrolled since a state of emergency was declared in March 2020. Coverage protections in place during the pandemic have contributed to the growth in enrollment, the state agency said.

DMAS marked the milestone with the release of a new infographic developed by a multidisciplinary team of researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine. The infographic offers a preliminary view of the outcomes of Medicaid expansion related to health insurance coverage, access to care, utilization of primary care and racial disparities using data analyzed by the Department of Health Behavior and Policy, and the Department of Family Medicine and Population Health.

“Medicaid expansion is a powerful tool in our work to increase access to high-quality health coverage, and it has been an essential part of our commonwealth’s response to the COVID-19 health emergency,” said DMAS Director Karen Kimsey. “Our partners at VCU have provided us with an impressive look at the accomplishments we’ve experienced, as well as a roadmap for further addressing racial health disparities in 2021.”

Key findings of the VCU analysis include:

– Virginians who enrolled in Medicaid coverage reported a dramatic decrease in unmet medical and other health needs, including a 38 percentage point decline in unmet need for primary care and a 32 percentage point decline in unmet need for prescription medicines.
– A reduction from 47% to 33% in individuals using emergency rooms for basic health care after they enrolled in Medicaid.
– A 59% decline in the number of individuals paying off medical debt after they enrolled in Medicaid.
– Hospitals experienced a 56% decline in uninsured patients between 2018 and 2019, along with a 47% increase in patients with Medicaid coverage.
– The period of time women have retained their Medicaid coverage following the birth of a child increased from four months in 2017 to 12 months in 2019.
– An examination of racial equity as measured by unmet health needs found improvements following Medicaid expansion, but disparities continue to exist.

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VCU and VCU Health receive $24M gift

The C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Foundation has donated $24 million to Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health, the university announced Friday. 

The gift was made in honor of the late C. Kenneth “Ken” and Dianne Wright, who died in 2019 and 2013, respectively. They were longtime supporters of VCU and VCU Health, with philanthropic donations dating back to 1999. A longtime Richmond-area businessman who died at age 94, Ken Wright owned Wright Properties and Wright Investments and was also the retired chairman of Rent-A-Car Co. Inc., an East Coast Avis rental car franchise based in Richmond.

“I know Mr. Wright would be very pleased about this gift,” Wright Foundation President Audrey Pape said in a statement. “It supports three areas that were very important to him — innovative research at the Wright Center, patient care in the new Adult Outpatient Pavilion and scholarships at the College of Engineering. Naming a space in the new outpatient pavilion will help the community remember the generosity of Ken and Dianne Wright.”

A portion of the gift, $16 million will go toward the C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, a space for VCU researchers and students. An additional $4 million will be allocated for the Wright Engineering Access Scholarship Program, which provides need- and merit-based aid to College of Engineering Students. The final $4 million will benefit the VCU Health Adult Outpatient Pavilion, which is expected to be completed by 2021. It will offer outpatient clinics, dental care and women’s services.

“Like VCU itself, Ken Wright was dedicated to the grand questions and solving the problems that have perplexed humanity for years,” VCU President Michael Rao said in a statement. “He always believed in what we did best, and these final gifts through his foundation represent his intentions for continued support of One VCU in order to advance research, education and clinical care.”

Other VCU gifts from the Wrights included the building that had been Kenneth Wright’s business, which was later renovated to become the VCU Brandcenter. The couple endowed professorships in gynecologic oncology research, pulmonary disease, critical medicine and cardiology and established the undergraduate Eugene P. Trani Scholars program. The couple also made a $10.5 million gift to the College of Engineering Foundation and the school’s microelectronics center is named in their honor.

 

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‘From K to grey’ – Bank of America donates $100K to VCU for tech talent pipeline

Continuing a yearslong partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University, Bank of America has awarded a $100,000 grant to the school’s College of Engineering Foundation to focus on establishing data science talent pipelines.

New VCU College of Engineering building. Photo courtesy VCU
New VCU College of Engineering building. Photo courtesy VCU

The idea behind the grant is to develop interest in computer science and other STEM programs for “K to grey,” says VCU College of Engineering Dean Barbara Boyan. Funding will be used to create programming focused on data science education for public school students, but the partnership between VCU and Bank of America will also support mentorships from professionals working for the state’s fourth-largest bank. 

The funding will go directly to new curriculum and project development and to support pre-college activities to prepare students for STEM education, Boyan says. 

“[The idea is to] plant the seed in their brain that this is an option for them, and then to help them develop the skills they actually need to do it,” Boyan says, “and then, once they’re in engineering school, to actually tackle problems.” 

Project teams will be composed of students from engineering, business, humanities and sciences who will be paired with one of Bank of America’s 1,500 local information technology employees and a VCU faculty member for mentorship during the data analytics-focused projects.

“The secret sauce to this is that they work with an actual person in the business world at Bank of America, as well as an ivory-tower-type faculty member so that they can get the benefit of both worlds,” Boyan says.

The VCU-Bank of America partnership dates back to 2007 when the bank donated $500,000 to support the construction of the VCU College of Engineering’s East Hall. Since then, VCU and Bank of America have worked together on STEM programming, teaming up with local high schools and tech education programs, including CodeVA and the Virginia National Center for Women & Information Technology chapter.

“Given our footprint in Richmond … we have a massive technology team here and we’re looking to grow that team,” says Victor Branch, Bank of America Richmond market president. “We want to hire future graduates. We could not identify a stronger, [more] innovative partner than VCU.”

A primary goal of the partnership and grant is to help first-generation college students get into data science programming, and eventually into the tech talent pipeline.  

“When they come to VCU, they have the credentials, the prerequisites, to get through the engineering rigor and come out with a job that will be a game-changer for that family and to break that cycle of poverty that they’ve been in,” Branch says. “We hope to and plan to have jobs ready for the graduates when they come out.”

 

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Labor market continued slow recovery in early November

The labor market continued its slow recovery during the week of Nov. 8, according to Virginia Commonwealth University and Arizona State University economists.

Early November saw 69.9% of working age adults employed, which is still far below the 73.8% employment rate from February right before the pandemic, according to the Real-Time Population Survey conducted by VCU assistant economics professor Adam Blandin and Arizona State associate economics professor Alexander Bick.

“The latest [Real-Time Population Survey] results show that, since April, employment has recovered three-quarters of the way back to the pre-pandemic level,” Blandin said in a statement.

Early November also showed an increase in earnings relative to the spring. More than one-third among those employed in February reported an earnings loss in early April. This declined to one-fourth in the most recent survey. 

“Together, these results indicate that some of the earnings losses suffered early in the pandemic were temporary in nature,” according to the report.

The Real-Time Population Survey closely follows the methodology of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey and covers the same time period, but is released two weeks earlier. The survey is conducted in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

 

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