VCU news

By Malorie Burkett and Gayland Hethcoat

PonJola Coney, M.D., a leader in reproductive medicine, has joined the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine as the newly created senior associate dean of faculty affairs.

In her position, Coney will be responsible for activities related to faculty recruitment, orientation and development, diversity, retention and governance.

Meanwhile, she will continue her clinical and research interests in reproductive medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

"PJ Coney brings a wealth of experience as an outstanding clinician, an NIH-funded investigator and a seasoned administrator to this newly created position in the School of Medicine leadership structure," said Jerome F. Strauss III, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Medicine. "She will be a tremendous asset for our faculty, and will help us create an environment that will enhance our educational, clinical and research programs."

Coney makes the move to VCU from Meharry Medical College, the nation's largest historically black medical school, where she was senior vice president for health affairs, dean of the School of Medicine and professor of obstetrics and gynecology from 2002 to 2006.

In addition to her administrative duties, Coney pursued research in menopausal health, contraception and assisted reproduction.

Before her work at Meharry, Coney was professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. She has also held faculty positions at the University of Oklahoma, the University of Nebraska and the University of Arizona. 

Coney received a bachelor's degree in medical technology from Xavier University and a medical degree from the University of Mississippi. She completed an obstetrics and gynecology residency at the University of North Carolina and a reproductive endocrinology and infertility fellowship at Pennsylvania Hospital.