Research and Scholarship

August 13, 2024

Discoveries in nursing research, impactful new grants and a growing network of interdisciplinary collaborations

nurse scientist theresa swift-scanlan works in the biobehavioral research lab — The school's total research portfolio of $7.5 million for 2023-24 included funding for projects in aging studies, community health, brain health in older adults and more.

During the 2023-24 fiscal year, the VCU School of Nursing's Office of Research, Scholarship, and Innovation (ORSI) achieved notable growth in research activities. With 64 new grant proposals submitted, including 25 to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the school secured funding for 20 new projects totaling $2.3 million. 21 continuing grant-funded projects brought in another $5.2 million, resulting in a total research portfolio of $7.5 million.

New awards and funding

The school's research program continues to strengthen and lead interdisciplinary collaboration. The Team Science approach has fostered new collaborative research methods, reinforcing the school's commitment to advancing nursing science and improving community health. This year, research from the school coordinated with entities both within and outside of VCU, exemplified by projects like the Richmond Brain Health Initiative. Community partnerships have also grown through the Mobile Health and Wellness Program, supporting the community-based research and clinical work of faculty and students.

In 2023-24, continued external funding for ongoing research included a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to develop a nurse-led mobile health and wellness program; an an NINR/NCI multi-site R01 grant to develop a tool for symptom self-management in children with cancer; a NIH-funded pilot clinical trial to improve outcomes for pregnant individuals with substance use; a project to the relationship between cognitive decline in older adults and declining mobility as predictor for dementia; work on innovative technologies for Parkinson’s Disease; and studies on frailty and epigenetic biomarkers.

Every Ram is a researcher

Highlighting the broad engagement in advancing nursing science, research efforts have thrived with active participation from a diverse group of individuals that included research faculty and student-scholars:

A VCU Breakthrough pilot award to create a Center for Translational Research in Autonomic Health with participation from Patricia Kinser, Ph.D., and Lisa Shah, Ph.D.
Ana Diallo, Ph.D., was awarded a K12 Fellowship by the VCU Institute for Women’s Health through their NIH-funded BIRCWH Scholars program. With support of the fellowship, she will continue her studies in women’s health to examine sex differences in diet, cholesterol and cardiovascular health.

ana diallo, research faculty member, speaks from a podium in front of a projector screen — Assistant professor Ana Diallo, Ph.D., delivers a talk during the school's Research Weeks event in April 2024.

Amy Salisbury, Ph.D., and Patricia Kinser, Ph.D. continue to lead the three-site hub for the multi-site national RECOVER study to examine the impact of COVID on children. The team was awarded supplemental funding this year to examine COVID and long-COVID outcomes specific to brain development and neurocognitive symptoms.
Nine undergraduate students worked as research assistants on projects focused on Parkinson’s disease, COVID-19, and perinatal depression; two Honors students contributed to various studies; nine students joined the Undergraduate Fellows Research Track; and four Ph.D. nursing students contributed to ongoing research projects.