Current Grants

Leading change. Advancing science. Impacting lives.

The VCU School of Nursing is committed to impactful nursing research to improve the delivery of high-quality, person-centered care. Our researchers investigate critical gaps in healthcare, explore innovative approaches to care, and promote the well-being of individuals and communities. They work on a wide range of topics such as biobehavioral research to improve prevention and treatment of health conditions, technological advances in a variety of settings, innovations in nursing education and addressing health disparities across the lifespan.

Funded Projects

Research Area

Project Title	Grantor	Principal Investigator(s)	Research Area(s)
Electronic Cigarettes During Pregnancy: Impact on Fetal Development	National Institute on Drug Abuse	Amy Salisbury	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Perinatal Health
Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention Mobile Health Training Program	Health Resources and Services Administration	Amy Salisbury	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Health Systems Science, Leadership and Workforce
LEGACI/RECOVER Study	National Institutes of Health	Amy Salisbury	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Fetal, Infant and Child Development and Health
Supplement to LEGACI Study	National Institutes of Health	Amy Salisbury	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Fetal, Infant and Child Development and Health
Identifying Risk Earlier: Prenatal Exposures, Neurodevelopment, and Infant Sleep as Pathways to Toddler Behavior Dysregulation	University of Oregon (via NIH Funding)	Amy Salisbury	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Fetal, Infant and Child Development and Health
Strength in Caring	Health Resources and Services Administration	Carla Nye	Health Systems Science, Leadership and Workforce
Virginia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities	Health Resources and Services Administration	Debra Shockey	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Fetal, Infant and Child Development and Health
Life-Space and Activity Digital Markers for Detection of Cognitive Decline in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The RAMS Study	National Institute on Aging	Lana Sargent	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Chronic Disease and Health Promotion in Aging
Mobile Connections for Care Transitions: A Model for Rural Health and Wellness	Health Resources and Services Administration - Rural Health Network Development Planning Program	Lana Sargent	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Chronic Disease and Health Promotion in Aging
Alzheimer’s Disease Progression and Resiliency	National Institute on Aging	Lana Sargent	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Chronic Disease and Health Promotion in Aging
The Richmond Brain Health Initiative	Anne Carter Robins & Walter R. Robins, Jr. Foundation	Lana Sargent	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Chronic Disease and Health Promotion in Aging
VCU Richmond Brain Health Collaborative	National Institutes of Health/Administration for Community Living	Lana Sargent	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Chronic Disease and Health Promotion in Aging
Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program	Health Resources and Services Administration	Lana Sargent	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Health Systems Science, Leadership and Workforce
Investigating Frailty Associated Epigenetic Biomarkers in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia	VCU C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research	Lathika Mohanraj	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Cancer Prevention and Treatment
Optimizing Health Through Improving Communication and Screening for Inherited Heart Diseases in Families from Underrepresented Populations	VCU Quest Fund	Lisa Shah	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Chronic Disease and Health Promotion in Aging
Improving Academic Performance in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Students Through Revision Of a Course Assignment	VCU School of Nursing Intramural Grants Program	Lyons Hardy	Novel Practice and Education Models
"Mamma Mia": A Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial of an Internet-based Program for Preventing and Reducing Perinatal Depressive Symptoms	National Institute of Child Health and Human Development	Patricia Kinser	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Perinatal Health
Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Initiative: Recovery Cohort Studies (LEGACI cohort)	National Institutes of Health	Patricia Kinser	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Fetal, Infant and Child Development and Health
Biobehavioral Perspectives on Social Connectedness and the "Mindful Moms" Intervention for Marginalized Pregnant Women with Depression	National Institute of Nursing Research	Patricia Kinser	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Perinatal Health Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Initiative: Recover Cohort Studies	National Institutes of Health	Patricia Kinser, Amy Salisbury	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Fetal, Infant and Child Development and Health
Community-based Fetal Ultrasound and Care Navigation: An Approach to Engaging Pregnant Women with Substance Use Disorder in Prenatal Care and Substance Use Treatment	National Institute on Drug Abuse	Amy Salisbury, Patricia Kinser	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Perinatal Health Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
A Mixed-Methods Exploration of Loneliness and Burnout in School Nurses	National Association of School Nurses	Lisa Shah	Health Systems Science, Leadership and Workforce
A Randomized Controlled Trial Using a Heuristic Tool To Improve Symptom Self-Management in Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer	National Cancer Institute	R.K. Elswick	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Cancer Prevention and Treatment
Nurse Faculty Loan Program	Health Resources and Services Administration	Nancy Jallo	Health Systems Science, Leadership and Workforce
Birth in Color Integrated Support Program: An Innovative Community-Based Approach to Optimize Black Maternal Health	VCU Breakthroughs Fund	Nancy Jallo, Susan Bodnar-Deren (VCU Dept. of Sociology), Kristina Hood (VCU Dept. of Psychology), Kenda Sutton-El (Birth in Color)	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan
Genetic and Epigenetic Regulation of COMT, a Key Moderator of Cognitive Decline	National Institute of Nursing Research	Theresa Swift-Scanlan	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Chronic Disease and Health Promotion in Aging
Prescription Produce Plan to Address Food Insecurity Among Low-Income Older Adults	Virginia Center on Aging	Kimberly Battle, Ana Diallo	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Chronic Disease and Health Promotion in Aging
Longitudinal Effects of the Mindful Moms Intervention: Maternal-child Interactions, Perinatal Depressive Symptomatology, and Maternal-child Attachment	VCU School of Nursing Intramural Grants Program	Leslie Lantz	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Fetal, Infant and Child Development and Health Perinatal Health
A Mixed Methods Study of Health Care Transition Readiness in Parents of Adolescent and Young Adult Survivors of Pediatric Cancers	Society of Pediatric Nurses	Jennifer Ellison (Ph.D. candidate)	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Cancer Prevention and Treatment
Feasibility Study for the Comprehensive Overweight/Obesity Management Pre-Kidney Transplant Program	American Society of Health-system Pharmacists Foundation and American Nurses Foundation	Dana Burns	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Chronic Disease and Health Promotion in Aging
Competency Evaluation using Echo360	Echo360 Tech	Meredith Deegan	Novel Practice and Education Models
Exploring the Advanced Practice Workforce	VCU School of Nursing Intramural Grants Program - Clinical Scholars Fund	Stephanie Bork	Health Systems Science, Leadership and Workforce
Tracking the Trajectory of Physical Recovery: A Pilot Study Examining Physical Impairment in Survivors	VCU Quest Fund	Tracye Proffitt	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan
Advancing health equity for birthing people with substance use disorders: Capacity building of a community partnership team for intervention development and implementation research	Jeffress Foundation	Amy Salisbury	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Fetal, Infant and Child Development and Health
Pediatric POTS: does a periaqueductal gray-vagus nerve interface malfunction explain the natural history with its numerous co-morbidities?	National Institutes of Health	Patricia Kinser	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Fetal, Infant and Child Development and Health
Rams Earn and Learn: REAL Scholars Program	Virginia Department of Health (Virginia's Earn to Learn Nursing Education Acceleration Program (ETL) Grant)	Michelle Edmonds	Health Systems Science, Leadership and Workforce
Building Capacity for an Academic-Community Partnership to Address Substance Use in Youth in Foster Care	VCU School of Nursing Intramural Grants Program	Jared Wendte	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Fetal, Infant and Child Development and Health Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
Investigation of Psychosocial Epigenetic Biomarkers and Transplant Outcomes in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Recipients	Oncology Nurses Foundation	Lathika Mohanraj	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Cancer Prevention and Treatment
Understanding Prenatal Cannabis Use: A Pilot Study	VCU School of Nursing Intramural Grants Program	Lisa Brown	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Fetal, Infant and Child Development and Health Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
Support for the Mobile Health and Wellness Program	VCU Institute for Women's Health	Amy Salisbury	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Chronic Disease and Health Promotion in Aging
Promoting Nutrition Security and Chronic Disease Management through a Prescription Produce Program	Centene Foundation	Ana Diallo	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Chronic Disease and Health Promotion in Aging
Neuro-threat circuitry in POTS and PASC: Distinct or more of the same?	National Institutes of Health	Patricia Kinser, Amy Salisbury	Biobehavioral Science and Health Equity Across the Lifespan Fetal, Infant and Child Development and Health
Assessing Nurse Practitioner (NP) Competency Across Clinical and Virtual Simulation Settings	National Council of State Boards of Nursing	Leigh Ann Breckenridge	Novel Practice and Education Models