VCU School of Medicine
Encyclopedia
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine is the largest and oldest continuously operating medical school
in Virginia
. The school traces its beginnings to the 1838 opening of the medical department of Hampden-Sydney College
, which in 1854 became an independent institution known as the Medical College of Virginia. In 1968, MCV joined with the Richmond Professional Institute
to form Virginia Commonwealth University
. The School of Medicine is one of five schools within the VCU Medical Center
.
Located on VCU's MCV Campus in Richmond, Virginia
, the School of Medicine's mission is a balance of teaching, research and patient care. The medical school offers dozens of master's
, doctoral
and interdisciplinary programs in addition to the M.D. degree
, postdoctoral research and residency training opportunities. Some of these programs connect VCU to universities in Italy
, Spain
, India
and England
. Closer to home, third- and fourth-year School of Medicine students may elect to train at Inova Fairfax Hospital
in Northern Virginia, and the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park in Richmond gives faculty and students an incubator to grow bioscience companies and research programs.
The School of Medicine's 715 faculty represent more than 200 specialty areas and more than a third of the faculty are women. With more than 300 basic science investigators, the School of Medicine accounts for more than half of VCU's sponsored research awards and more than 85 percent of the university's National Institutes of Health
funding.
The medical school provides educational expertise and clinical services to the patients of the VCU Medical Center. The medical center offers virtually every form of contemporary medical service including the region's only Level 1 Trauma Center
, a Level 3 Neonatal Intensive-Care Unit, a comprehensive organ transplantation center, a research and rehabilitation center, a comprehensive children's mental health facility, a comprehensive burn
care center, a teaching hospital with 779 beds, and a 650-physician practice plan that provides a full array of ambulatory care services in 62 clinics.
, cardiology
, neurosurgery
, orthopaedics, rehabilitation and organ transplantation. The medical center's programs in women's health
, kidney disease, physical medicine and rehabilitation
, drug and alcohol abuse
, and community health
have international repute. VCU Medical Center also has received international recognition for early diagnosis and treatment of chest pain
and stroke
s, head trauma and spinal cord injury
research, burn
and wound
healing, neonatal intensive care, and genetic research. In addition, VCU faculty staff the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center
and VCU faculty serve as national Veterans Administration
directors for rehabilitation medicine, radiation oncology, primary care
and residency education
.
that develops students' clinical skills, professionalism and critical thinking. The program for the M.D. degree is divided into four phases, each of one year's duration. Medicine I, occupying the first year (mid-August to early June), emphasizes normal human structure, function, growth and development. Medicine II, occupying the second year (August to June), stresses the abnormal. Medicine III occupies the third year (July to July) and consists of clinical education and training. Medicine IV, lasting from August to mid-May, consists of approximately one-third required clinical education and training and approximately two-thirds electives at the VCU Medical Center and at approved medical schools elsewhere in the U.S. and abroad. Elective opportunities also are offered in M-I and M-II.
VCU School of Medicine students begin their clinical exposure in the first month of medical school in the Foundations of Clinical Medicine course. This longitudinal experience runs throughout the first two years, when students attend small group sessions to learn clinical skills and pair clinical experience in a private primary care physician's office. This course gives the student the opportunity to learn the clinical relevance of basic science material and to work with a primary care role model. The course provides a fundamental understanding of the skills necessary for all clinical disciplines.
Combined Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
and Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
VCU's Department of Epidemiology and Community Health in the School of Medicine offers a Master of Public Health
degree in conjunction with students' medical training. The M.D./M.P.H. program is designed for medical students who wish to pursue a public health or research career. Graduates are trained in both clinical and preventive, population-oriented medicine.
Combined Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
VCU's M.D./Ph.D. program trains physician-scientists for careers that bridge basic and clinical science. Students complete the first two years of medical school and, after taking the first part of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination, enter a Ph.D.-granting department or program as a graduate student. After completion of doctoral degree requirements, students move to the clinical year of medical school. These students are exempt from the major part of the fourth year of medical school.
Combined Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
and Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.)
The five-year medicine and health administration
dual-degree program, co-sponsored by the VCU Department of Health Administration
, provides students the expertise for management and leadership competency in complex health care organizations.
Combined Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
and Master of Science (M.S.)
Medical students seeking research experience may choose the basic science track in one of the master's-level programs within the VCU School of Medicine. The research-intensive program builds on the core of disciplinary material in the medical school curriculum in the first two years of training, with additional exposure to specialized areas in basic science disciplines.
or the American Dental Association
.
The Biomedical Sciences Doctoral Portal admits students into the first year of their Ph.D. training in six departments: anatomy
and neurobiology, biochemistry
and molecular biology
, human and molecular genetics
, microbiology
and immunology
, pharmacology
and toxicology
, or physiology
and biophysics
. In addition, the portal admits students into the first year of three interdisciplinary training programs in neuroscience
, molecular biology
and genetics
and interdisciplinary biomedical sciences.
Students seeking a Ph.D. in the biomedical sciences typically come from diverse backgrounds with varying experience and interests. Students spend their first year rotating in laboratories and taking courses selected from any department to complement or explore their research interests. At the end of the first year, students select a dissertation adviser and enter their department for their Ph.D. research.
Other Ph.D. programs
The VCU School of Medicine departments listed below have individual Ph.D. admissions committees with their own acceptance criteria and curricula. Courses and laboratories in these departments are also available to Ph.D. students who entered via the BSDP.
Premedical Graduate Certificate Program
The Premedical Graduate Certificate Program is a one-year, graduate-level program for students to enhance their qualifications for admission into professional school, including medical
, dental
and veterinary school
. Students who complete the certificate program also have an opportunity to continue to a Master of Science
or Ph.D. program within the VCU School of Medicine.
Clinical departments
The Critical Care Hospital — a 15-level, 367000 square feet (34,095.4 m²) facility — opened in October 2008 and it increased critical care capacity with intensive care units for surgical trauma, neonatal, burn center, cardiac, neuroscience, medical respiratory and oncology patients. It also includes new operating rooms, expanded emergency care, private NICU rooms and specialized floors including the Evans-Haynes Burn Center
, Massey Cancer Center and Pauley Heart Center.
The $184 million Critical Care Hospital houses 232 adult patient beds, increasing the medical center’s ratio of private to semi-private beds from 37 percent to 70 percent.
The private rooms provide specialized features, such as built-in, ready-access dialysis portals to reduce the need for transferring patients to other units, therefore lessening exposure to infection and risk of injury.
Molecular Medicine Research Building
The eight-story, 125000 square feet (11,612.9 m²) Molecular Medicine Research Building was completed in 2009 and houses 48 principal investigators and their staffs. The research facility includes a 75-seat auditorium with teleconference facilities, a multipurpose seminar space and state-of-the-art research labs.
The Molecular Medicine Research Building was awarded the architectural award Project of the Year in 2010. The Richmond Real Estate Group, a group of real estate professionals, present the annual award and recognized the building as an exemplary project in downtown Richmond.
School of Medicine Education Building
The $158.6 million School of Medicine Education Building project will be built through a public-private partnership, with $70 million provided by funds from the commonwealth of Virginia and approved by former Gov. Tim Kaine
and the General Assembly
. VCU and private funds will support the remaining cost. The facility will allow the school to increase class size.
The 200,000-square-foot, 12-story building will be located at the corner of 12th and Marshall streets. Construction began in fall 2010 and is expected to be completed in spring 2013.
The facility is being built to meet the United States Green Building Council
’s criteria for LEED Silver certification. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
, is the council’s leading rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient and high-performing buildings.
and the National Academy of Sciences
.
Other notable alumni include:
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. The school traces its beginnings to the 1838 opening of the medical department of Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden–Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden Sydney, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1775, Hampden–Sydney is the oldest private charter college in the Southern U.S., the last college founded before the American Revolution, and one of only three four-year,...
, which in 1854 became an independent institution known as the Medical College of Virginia. In 1968, MCV joined with the Richmond Professional Institute
Richmond Professional Institute
The Richmond Professional Institute was an educational institution established in 1917 which merged with the Medical College of Virginia to form Virginia Commonwealth University. RPI was located on what is now known as the Monroe Park Campus of VCU. The entire history of RPI can be found in "A...
to form Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
. The School of Medicine is one of five schools within the VCU Medical Center
VCU Medical Center
VCU Medical Center, is Virginia Commonwealth University's medical campus located in downtown Richmond, Virginia in the Court End neighborhood. The VCU Medical Center used to be known as the Medical College of Virginia until it merged with the Richmond Professional Institute in 1968 to create...
.
Located on VCU's MCV Campus in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, the School of Medicine's mission is a balance of teaching, research and patient care. The medical school offers dozens of master's
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
, doctoral
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
and interdisciplinary programs in addition to the M.D. degree
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, postdoctoral research and residency training opportunities. Some of these programs connect VCU to universities in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Closer to home, third- and fourth-year School of Medicine students may elect to train at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Inova Fairfax Hospital
Inova Fairfax Hospital is the largest hospital in the Washington D.C. area. Located in Fairfax County, Virginia, Inova Fairfax Hospital is the flagship hospital of Inova Health System, one of the largest employers in Fairfax County...
in Northern Virginia, and the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park in Richmond gives faculty and students an incubator to grow bioscience companies and research programs.
The School of Medicine's 715 faculty represent more than 200 specialty areas and more than a third of the faculty are women. With more than 300 basic science investigators, the School of Medicine accounts for more than half of VCU's sponsored research awards and more than 85 percent of the university's National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
funding.
The medical school provides educational expertise and clinical services to the patients of the VCU Medical Center. The medical center offers virtually every form of contemporary medical service including the region's only Level 1 Trauma Center
Trauma center
A trauma center is a hospital equipped to provide comprehensive emergency medical services to patients suffering traumatic injuries. Trauma centers grew into existence out of the realization that traumatic injury is a disease process unto itself requiring specialized and experienced...
, a Level 3 Neonatal Intensive-Care Unit, a comprehensive organ transplantation center, a research and rehabilitation center, a comprehensive children's mental health facility, a comprehensive burn
Burn
A burn is an injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction.Burn may also refer to:*Combustion*Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...
care center, a teaching hospital with 779 beds, and a 650-physician practice plan that provides a full array of ambulatory care services in 62 clinics.
Rankings
Ranked in America's Best Hospitals by U.S. News and World Report, the VCU Medical Center comprises nearly 200 specialty areas including internationally noted, multidisciplinary centers for cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, cardiology
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
, neurosurgery
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
, orthopaedics, rehabilitation and organ transplantation. The medical center's programs in women's health
Women's health
Women's health refers to health issues specific to human female anatomy. These often relate to structures such as female genitalia and breasts or to conditions caused by hormones specific to, or most notable in, females. Women's health issues include menstruation, contraception, maternal health,...
, kidney disease, physical medicine and rehabilitation
Physical medicine and rehabilitation
Physical medicine and rehabilitation , physiatry or rehabilitation medicine, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. A physician having completed training in this field is referred to as a...
, drug and alcohol abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
, and community health
Community health
Community health, a field of public health, is a discipline that concerns itself with the study and betterment of the health characteristics of biological communities. While the term community can be broadly defined, community health tends to focus on geographic areas rather than people with shared...
have international repute. VCU Medical Center also has received international recognition for early diagnosis and treatment of chest pain
Chest pain
Chest pain may be a symptom of a number of serious conditions and is generally considered a medical emergency. Even though it may be determined that the pain is non-cardiac in origin, this is often a diagnosis of exclusion made after ruling out more serious causes of the pain.-Differential...
and stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s, head trauma and spinal cord injury
Spinal cord injury
A spinal cord injury refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma instead of disease. Depending on where the spinal cord and nerve roots are damaged, the symptoms can vary widely, from pain to paralysis to incontinence...
research, burn
Burn
A burn is an injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction.Burn may also refer to:*Combustion*Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...
and wound
Wound
A wound is a type of injury in which skin is torn, cut or punctured , or where blunt force trauma causes a contusion . In pathology, it specifically refers to a sharp injury which damages the dermis of the skin.-Open:...
healing, neonatal intensive care, and genetic research. In addition, VCU faculty staff the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center
Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center
Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center is located in Richmond, Virginia.-History:McGuire VA Hospital was established on the land of a former racetrack in Chesterfield County, Virginia after World War II along State Route 10 and Richmond's Belt Boulevard, an early highway bypass...
and VCU faculty serve as national Veterans Administration
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
directors for rehabilitation medicine, radiation oncology, primary care
Primary care
Primary care is the term for the health services by providers who act as the principal point of consultation for patients within a health care system...
and residency education
Residency (medicine)
Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree , Podiatric degree , Dental Degree and who practices...
.
Undergraduate medical education (M.D.)
The VCU School of Medicine offers the first-professional Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
that develops students' clinical skills, professionalism and critical thinking. The program for the M.D. degree is divided into four phases, each of one year's duration. Medicine I, occupying the first year (mid-August to early June), emphasizes normal human structure, function, growth and development. Medicine II, occupying the second year (August to June), stresses the abnormal. Medicine III occupies the third year (July to July) and consists of clinical education and training. Medicine IV, lasting from August to mid-May, consists of approximately one-third required clinical education and training and approximately two-thirds electives at the VCU Medical Center and at approved medical schools elsewhere in the U.S. and abroad. Elective opportunities also are offered in M-I and M-II.
VCU School of Medicine students begin their clinical exposure in the first month of medical school in the Foundations of Clinical Medicine course. This longitudinal experience runs throughout the first two years, when students attend small group sessions to learn clinical skills and pair clinical experience in a private primary care physician's office. This course gives the student the opportunity to learn the clinical relevance of basic science material and to work with a primary care role model. The course provides a fundamental understanding of the skills necessary for all clinical disciplines.
Combined Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
and Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
Master of Public Health
The Master of Public Health and the Doctor of Public Health are multi-disciplinary professional degrees awarded for studies in areas related to public health....
VCU's Department of Epidemiology and Community Health in the School of Medicine offers a Master of Public Health
Master of Public Health
The Master of Public Health and the Doctor of Public Health are multi-disciplinary professional degrees awarded for studies in areas related to public health....
degree in conjunction with students' medical training. The M.D./M.P.H. program is designed for medical students who wish to pursue a public health or research career. Graduates are trained in both clinical and preventive, population-oriented medicine.
Combined Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
VCU's M.D./Ph.D. program trains physician-scientists for careers that bridge basic and clinical science. Students complete the first two years of medical school and, after taking the first part of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination, enter a Ph.D.-granting department or program as a graduate student. After completion of doctoral degree requirements, students move to the clinical year of medical school. These students are exempt from the major part of the fourth year of medical school.
Combined Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
and Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.)
Master of Health Administration
The Master of Health Administration is a master's-level professional degree granted to students who complete a course of study in the knowledge and competencies needed for careers in health administration, involving the management of hospitals and other health services organizations, as well as...
The five-year medicine and health administration
Health administration
Health administration or healthcare administration is the field relating to leadership, management, and administration of hospitals, hospital networks, health care systems, and public health systems...
dual-degree program, co-sponsored by the VCU Department of Health Administration
VCU Department of Health Administration
The VCU Department of Health Administration is rich with history. Education in health administration at Virginia Commonwealth University began in 1949 with the establishment of a graduate curriculum in hospital administration....
, provides students the expertise for management and leadership competency in complex health care organizations.
Combined Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
and Master of Science (M.S.)
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
Medical students seeking research experience may choose the basic science track in one of the master's-level programs within the VCU School of Medicine. The research-intensive program builds on the core of disciplinary material in the medical school curriculum in the first two years of training, with additional exposure to specialized areas in basic science disciplines.
Graduate Medical Education
Graduate Medical Education offers specialty training opportunities for medical and dental graduates in more than 70 programs. The programs are accredited by either the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical EducationAccreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is the body responsible for the accreditation for graduate medical training programs for medical doctors in the United States. It is a non-profit private council that evaluates and accredits medical residency and internship programs...
or the American Dental Association
American Dental Association
The American Dental Association is an American professional association established in 1859 which has more than 155,000 members. Based in Chicago, the ADA is the world's largest and oldest national dental association and promotes good oral health to the public while representing the dental...
.
Graduate programs
Biomedical Sciences Doctoral PortalThe Biomedical Sciences Doctoral Portal admits students into the first year of their Ph.D. training in six departments: anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
and neurobiology, biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
and molecular biology
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
, human and molecular genetics
Molecular genetics
Molecular genetics is the field of biology and genetics that studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level. The field studies how the genes are transferred from generation to generation. Molecular genetics employs the methods of genetics and molecular biology...
, microbiology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
and immunology
Immunology
Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...
, pharmacology
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
and toxicology
Toxicology
Toxicology is a branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms...
, or physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
and biophysics
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
. In addition, the portal admits students into the first year of three interdisciplinary training programs in neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
, molecular biology
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
and genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
and interdisciplinary biomedical sciences.
Students seeking a Ph.D. in the biomedical sciences typically come from diverse backgrounds with varying experience and interests. Students spend their first year rotating in laboratories and taking courses selected from any department to complement or explore their research interests. At the end of the first year, students select a dissertation adviser and enter their department for their Ph.D. research.
Other Ph.D. programs
The VCU School of Medicine departments listed below have individual Ph.D. admissions committees with their own acceptance criteria and curricula. Courses and laboratories in these departments are also available to Ph.D. students who entered via the BSDP.
- BiostatisticsBiostatisticsBiostatistics is the application of statistics to a wide range of topics in biology...
- EpidemiologyEpidemiologyEpidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
and community healthCommunity healthCommunity health, a field of public health, is a discipline that concerns itself with the study and betterment of the health characteristics of biological communities. While the term community can be broadly defined, community health tends to focus on geographic areas rather than people with shared... - Medical physicsMedical physicsMedical physics is the application of physics to medicine. It generally concerns physics as applied to medical imaging and radiotherapy, although a medical physicist may also work in many other areas of healthcare...
- Physical therapyPhysical therapyPhysical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
- SocialSocial determinants of healthSocial determinants of health are the economic and social conditions under which people live which determine their health. They are "societal risk conditions", rather than individual risk factors that either increase or decrease the risk for a disease, for example for cardiovascular disease and...
and behavioral healthBehavioral healthIn psychology behavioral health, as a general concept, refers to the reciprocal relationship between human behavior, individually or socially, and the well-being of the body, mind, and spirit, whether the latter are considered individually or as an integrated whole...
Master's programs
Master's training in the School of Medicine includes:- Addiction studiesAddictionHistorically, addiction has been defined as physical and psychological dependence on psychoactive substances which cross the blood-brain barrier once ingested, temporarily altering the chemical milieu of the brain.Addiction can also be viewed as a continued involvement with a substance or activity...
- AnatomyAnatomyAnatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
and neurobiology - BiochemistryBiochemistryBiochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
and molecular biologyMolecular biologyMolecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry... - BiostatisticsBiostatisticsBiostatistics is the application of statistics to a wide range of topics in biology...
- Genetic counselingGenetic counselingGenetic counseling or traveling is the process by which patients or relatives, at risk of an inherited disorder, are advised of the consequences and nature of the disorder, the probability of developing or transmitting it, and the options open to them in management and family planning...
- Human and molecular geneticsMolecular geneticsMolecular genetics is the field of biology and genetics that studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level. The field studies how the genes are transferred from generation to generation. Molecular genetics employs the methods of genetics and molecular biology...
- Molecular biologyMolecular biologyMolecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
and geneticsGeneticsGenetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms.... - MicrobiologyMicrobiologyMicrobiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
and immunologyImmunologyImmunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the... - NeuroscienceNeuroscienceNeuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
- PharmacologyPharmacologyPharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
and toxicologyToxicologyToxicology is a branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms... - PhysiologyPhysiologyPhysiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
and biophysicsBiophysicsBiophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems... - EpidemiologyEpidemiologyEpidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
and community healthCommunity healthCommunity health, a field of public health, is a discipline that concerns itself with the study and betterment of the health characteristics of biological communities. While the term community can be broadly defined, community health tends to focus on geographic areas rather than people with shared...
Premedical Graduate Certificate Program
The Premedical Graduate Certificate Program is a one-year, graduate-level program for students to enhance their qualifications for admission into professional school, including medical
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
, dental
Dental school
A dental school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches dentistry. Upon successful completion, the graduate receives a degree in Dentistry, which, depending upon the jurisdiction, might be a bachelor's degree, master's degree, a professional degree, or a...
and veterinary school
Veterinary school
A veterinary school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, which is involved in the education of veterinarians. To become a veterinarian one must first complete a veterinary degree A veterinary school should not be confused with a department of animal science...
. Students who complete the certificate program also have an opportunity to continue to a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
or Ph.D. program within the VCU School of Medicine.
Departments
Basic science and public health departments- AnatomyAnatomyAnatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
and neurobiology - BiochemistryBiochemistryBiochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
and molecular biologyMolecular biologyMolecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry... - BiostatisticsBiostatisticsBiostatistics is the application of statistics to a wide range of topics in biology...
- EpidemiologyEpidemiologyEpidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
and community healthCommunity healthCommunity health, a field of public health, is a discipline that concerns itself with the study and betterment of the health characteristics of biological communities. While the term community can be broadly defined, community health tends to focus on geographic areas rather than people with shared... - Healthcare policy and research
- Human and molecular geneticsMolecular geneticsMolecular genetics is the field of biology and genetics that studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level. The field studies how the genes are transferred from generation to generation. Molecular genetics employs the methods of genetics and molecular biology...
- MicrobiologyMicrobiologyMicrobiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
and immunologyImmunologyImmunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the... - PharmacologyPharmacologyPharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
and toxicologyToxicologyToxicology is a branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms... - PhysiologyPhysiologyPhysiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
and biophysicsBiophysicsBiophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems... - SocialSocial determinants of healthSocial determinants of health are the economic and social conditions under which people live which determine their health. They are "societal risk conditions", rather than individual risk factors that either increase or decrease the risk for a disease, for example for cardiovascular disease and...
and behavioral healthBehavioral healthIn psychology behavioral health, as a general concept, refers to the reciprocal relationship between human behavior, individually or socially, and the well-being of the body, mind, and spirit, whether the latter are considered individually or as an integrated whole...
Clinical departments
- Anesthesiology
- DermatologyDermatologyDermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
- Emergency medicineEmergency medicineEmergency medicine is a medical specialty in which physicians care for patients with acute illnesses or injuries which require immediate medical attention. While not usually providing long-term or continuing care, emergency medicine physicians diagnose a variety of illnesses and undertake acute...
- Family medicineFamily medicineFamily medicine is a medical specialty devoted to comprehensive health care for people of all ages. It is a division of primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, sexes, diseases, and parts of the body...
- Internal medicineInternal medicineInternal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
- Legal medicine
- NeurologyNeurologyNeurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
- NeurosurgeryNeurosurgeryNeurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
- Obstetrics and gynecology
- OphthalmologyOphthalmologyOphthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
- Orthopaedic surgery
- OtolaryngologyOtolaryngologyOtolaryngology or ENT is the branch of medicine and surgery that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders....
- PathologyPathologyPathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
- PediatricsPediatricsPediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
- Physical medicine and rehabilitationPhysical medicine and rehabilitationPhysical medicine and rehabilitation , physiatry or rehabilitation medicine, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. A physician having completed training in this field is referred to as a...
- PsychiatryPsychiatryPsychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
- Radiation oncology
- RadiologyRadiologyRadiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
- SurgerySurgerySurgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
Facilities
Critical Care HospitalThe Critical Care Hospital — a 15-level, 367000 square feet (34,095.4 m²) facility — opened in October 2008 and it increased critical care capacity with intensive care units for surgical trauma, neonatal, burn center, cardiac, neuroscience, medical respiratory and oncology patients. It also includes new operating rooms, expanded emergency care, private NICU rooms and specialized floors including the Evans-Haynes Burn Center
Evans-Haynes Burn Center
The Evans-Haynes Burn Center at the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University was founded in 1947 and is the oldest civilian burn center in the country....
, Massey Cancer Center and Pauley Heart Center.
The $184 million Critical Care Hospital houses 232 adult patient beds, increasing the medical center’s ratio of private to semi-private beds from 37 percent to 70 percent.
The private rooms provide specialized features, such as built-in, ready-access dialysis portals to reduce the need for transferring patients to other units, therefore lessening exposure to infection and risk of injury.
Molecular Medicine Research Building
The eight-story, 125000 square feet (11,612.9 m²) Molecular Medicine Research Building was completed in 2009 and houses 48 principal investigators and their staffs. The research facility includes a 75-seat auditorium with teleconference facilities, a multipurpose seminar space and state-of-the-art research labs.
The Molecular Medicine Research Building was awarded the architectural award Project of the Year in 2010. The Richmond Real Estate Group, a group of real estate professionals, present the annual award and recognized the building as an exemplary project in downtown Richmond.
School of Medicine Education Building
The $158.6 million School of Medicine Education Building project will be built through a public-private partnership, with $70 million provided by funds from the commonwealth of Virginia and approved by former Gov. Tim Kaine
Tim Kaine
Timothy Michael "Tim" Kaine is a Virginia politician. Kaine served as the 70th Governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010, and was the chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2011...
and the General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
. VCU and private funds will support the remaining cost. The facility will allow the school to increase class size.
The 200,000-square-foot, 12-story building will be located at the corner of 12th and Marshall streets. Construction began in fall 2010 and is expected to be completed in spring 2013.
The facility is being built to meet the United States Green Building Council
United States Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council , co-founded by Mike Italiano, David Gottfried and Rick Fedrizzi in 1993, is a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built, and operated...
’s criteria for LEED Silver certification. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
, is the council’s leading rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient and high-performing buildings.
Notable research and achievements
- 1947 – First civilian burn unit in the country was established at MCV under the direction of Dr. Everett Evans.
- 1955 – MCV graduates its first African-American student, Jean Harris.
- 1956 – Dr. David Hume, a pioneer transplant surgeon, is appointed chairman and professor of surgery. Hume performed the world's first kidney transplant while still at Harvard and performed Virginia's first kidney transplant.
- 1968 – The first heart transplant at MCV is performed by Dr. Richard R. Lower — the ninth nationally and the 16th worldwide.
- 1980 – Alumnus Baruj BenacerrafBaruj BenacerrafBaruj Benacerraf was a Venezuelan-born American immunologist, who shared the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the "discovery of the major histocompatibility complex genes which encode cell surface protein molecules important for the immune system's distinction between self and...
wins the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology. - 1998 – Surgeons perform what is believed to be the country's first living donor liver transplant between unrelated adults. A year later, the world's first stranger-to-stranger unrelated living donor transplant is performed at MCV Hospitals.
- 2006 – Cardiac surgery team at VCU's Pauley Heart Center performs the first artificial heartArtificial heartAn artificial heart is a mechanical device that replaces the heart. Artificial hearts are typically used in order to bridge the time to heart transplantation, or to permanently replace the heart in case transplantation is impossible...
implant on the East Coast.
Notable faculty
The school's faculty includes internationally recognized physicians — four of whom have been elected to membership in the Institute of MedicineInstitute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...
and the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
.
- Robert Balster, Ph.D.
- Clive Baumgarten, Ph.D.
- James Bennett, M.D., Ph.D.
- Linda Costanzo, Ph.D., 2004 Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award
- Steven Grant, M.D.
- David Hume, M.D.
- Kenneth Kendler, M.D.
- Jeffrey S. Kreutzer, Ph.D.
- Richard Lower, M.D.
- Joseph Ornato, M.D.
- Bruce Rubin, M.D.
- Sarah Spiegel, Ph.D.
- Jerome F. Strauss III, M.D., Ph.D.
- Norbert F. Voelkel, M.D.
- Richard P. Wenzel, M.D., 2010 Maxwell Finland Award
- Steven Woolf, M.D.
- Harold Young, M.D.
Notable alumni
In 1918, Innis Steinmetz, class of 1920, became the first woman to enter the medical school, and 30 years later, the college admitted its first black student, Jean Harris. She later became Virginia's Secretary of Health and Human Resources.Other notable alumni include:
- Patch Adams, M.D.Patch AdamsHunter Doherty "Patch" Adams, M.D. is an American physician, social activist, citizen diplomat and author. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute in 1971...
'71 - Mark J. Kransdorf, M.D. '80
- Myron "Mike" Levine, M.D. '67
- James H. Meador-Woodruff, M.D. '84
- Hunter H. McGuire, Jr., M.D. '84
- Baruj Benacerraf, M.D.Baruj BenacerrafBaruj Benacerraf was a Venezuelan-born American immunologist, who shared the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the "discovery of the major histocompatibility complex genes which encode cell surface protein molecules important for the immune system's distinction between self and...
'45, 1980 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine - David L. Cochran, Ph.D. '82
- Eugene S. Medlock, Ph.D. '80
- Robert S. Moreland, Ph.D. '82
- Jeffery Taubenberger, M.D.Jeffery TaubenbergerJeffery K. Taubenberger is a US-virologist. Together with Ann Reid he was the first to sequence the genome of the influenza virus, which caused the 1918 pandemic of “Spanish flu”.- Training :...
'86, Ph.D. '87 - Percy Wootton, M.D. '57, past president, American Medical Association